Steelers felt QB situation was getting old before drafting Landry Jones

Granted, Charlie Batch has already exceeded the typical shelf-life of a pro passer, and Byron Leftwich creeps ever closer to the expiration date; but the teams feelings have nothing to do with either man’s character, contributions to the team or chronological age.

No one will ever forget Batch’s tears of joy on the tender shoulder of Ben Roehtlisberger after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in a – at the time – must-win game; nor should the dismiss Leftwich’s efforts against the same Ravens team two weeks earlier, when the Steelers came up short in a game which Leftwich played through two broken ribs.

When dealing with players of advanced age, teams will shy away from long term deals because of the fear of dead money should the player retire and the uncertainty toward the individual’s plan.

For the past few seasons, the Steelers have strung along with Batch and Leftwich on usually one-year deals.

They signed veteran Bruce Gradkowski, who is younger than either Batch or Leftwich and has proven to be more durable over his career, and John Parker Wilson during free-agency; and then grabbed Jones in the draft.

While any Steelers fan would wish nothing but the best for those who represent the Black and Gold, if Jones never plays a single snap in Pittsburgh because a healthy Roethlisberger was too busy accumulating Lombardi trophies, I’m pretty sure they’d be ok with it.