Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley is tweaking his game plan to better fit the strengths of backup quarterback Byron Leftwich, who will start Sunday night against the division rival Baltimore Ravens.
According to a report from Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Thursday, Haley said he is making changes to complement Leftwich's skill set rather than attempting to fit the 10-year veteran into the system typically manned by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who is sidelined with a sprained shoulder and dislocated rib suffered during Monday night's 16-13 overtime win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
With Roethlisberger under center, Haley and the Steelers usually run an offense described as "dink-and-dunk," leading to speculation in the week that backup quarterback Charlie Batch might be the better fit for that particular style of play.
Haley insisted his method of play-calling is based more on who's on the field, rather than a rigid system that players must conform to.
"We're going to do our best to cater to Byron's strengths as opposed to trying to force square pegs into round holes," Haley said. "He can't go out there trying to be Ben. He needs to go out there and be Byron."
In reliving Roethlisberger on Monday night, Leftwich completed 7-of-14 passes for 73 yard with no touchdowns or interceptions, good for a quarterback rating of 65.5.