Mettenberger is the Steelers plan B, not plan A

We’ve heard the cat-calls Steelers Nation:

Now it’s time to dispel the mob calling for Mettenberger to play over Landry Jones, should Ben Roethlisberger not be ready to play this Sunday against the Ravens:

That’s a lot of tweets and I could probably stop the article right now, but that’s not my style. So let’s start with the obvious: Landry Jones has been around for a long, long time.

Zach Mettenberger has not.

The reason this is significant is the complexity of Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley’s offense. Anyone who remembers Haley’s first two seasons in Pittsburgh, and how future Hall of Fame quarterback took time to adjust to Haley’s system, should realize a player who hasn’t been entrenched in it long enough, is a plan for failure.

If you don’t believe, look at the similar situation Michael Vick was put in last season. Vick was a veteran quarterback who arrived midway through the preseason, and was still unprepared to lead the Steelers offense before getting injured in Pittsburgh’s sixth game last season.

There should be zero expectations for Mettenberger to start ahead of Jones, for the simple fact that he’s not ready.

Yet, Jeremy Fowler’s report that Mettenberger was splitting reps with Jones during the Steelers bye week practice sessions, sparked further interest in fans asking the former to start over the latter.

That’s not why the Steelers were using the bye week to give Mettenberger practice reps. In fact, if Roethlisberger were healthy, I have reason to believe that Mettenberger gets nothing extra in practice last week. With Ben on the shelf, it makes obvious sense to give some preparation to the Steelers new backup. Zach hasn’t taken any significant snaps with the first-team offense; if Landry were to get hurt, he’d have little-to-no experience stepping into the starting role.

In that case, I wouldn’t take Mettenberger’s additional reps as an indication that Landry Jones is being replaced, rather, the coaches are insuring themselves in case the injury bug bites them again.

Nothing more.

Then there’s the silly notion that before getting any first-team reps in practice before the bye week, that Mettenberger should’ve started, or replaced, Jones in the New England game. Those who are calling for Mettenberger to get his chance, must’ve missed his preseason in San Diego as well.

To recap, Mettenberger followed the head coach who drafted him in Tennessee (former Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt) to the Chargers in the offseason. With Whisenhunt and Mettenberger both leaving the Titans at the same time, it was only logical for the pair to stick together. Mettenberger knew Whiz’ system, and was the first QB the former Titans coach drafted during his tenure in Tennessee.

However, Mettenberger never hung on with the Titans, even during Whiz’ time as the head coach. He had opportunities, via injury, that didn’t pan out. As a rookie in 2014, Zach would be third on the depth chart behind Jake Locker and Charlie Whitehurst. When Locker got hurt, Whitehurst would jump in as the starter, but it was eventually Mettenberger who won the job in lieu of injuries and Locker being benched. (Locker would retire after the season, citing a lack of desire to play anymore.)

In his rookie year, Mettenberger would play in 7 games, starting 6 of them: all losses. He completed 59.78% of his passes for 1,412 yards, 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Steelers fans may remember his best performance, for it was against Pittsburgh that Mettenberger threw for 263 yards, 2 scores and 1 pick, en route to 110.2 QB rating. The Steelers narrowly won that game 27-24, which is where I believe most of the fans feel Mettenberger is the more qualified backup.

However, Mettenberger is 0-10 in his career as a starter, throwing more picks (14) than touchdowns (12) while having a 60.3% completion rate. He has also appeared in 4 more games: 3 of those were losses, while the 4th, he came in to take a knee at the end of a Titans 42-14 thumping of Tampa Bay. Mettenberger has also accumulated 31 sacks in 14 total appearances.

The next season the Titans would move on from the Mettenberger project, selecting Marcus Mariota with the 2nd overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mettenberger would fill in for Mariota in several games, tossing 4 touchdowns to 7 interceptions with a cumulative 66.7 rating.

Mettenberger was released by the Titans earlier this year, and appeared to get a fresh start when San Diego claimed him off waivers; but instead of flourishing in SD, Mettenberger fought for playing time, and struggled with what little reps he did receive.

Zach would go 2-for-8 in one preseason game before being released by the Chargers.

The biggest warning sign from my perspective is that Ken Whisenhunt couldn’t turn Mettenberger into a starter, or capable backup, in two years with the Titans, or his brief time with the Chargers.

Why is it a warning sign?

Whisenhunt is the same coach who was Ben Roethlisberger’s first mentor in the NFL, coaching Pittsburgh’s offense for Big Ben’s first three seasons in the NFL. I believe if Mettenberger were capable of being a starter, he would’ve done so in Tennessee, or at the very least, maintain a presence as a backup.

League-traveled journeyman QB Kellen Clemens is the only other quarterback on the Chargers depth chart other than Philip Rivers.

Similarly, the only name behind Marcus Mariota is the oft-failed Matt Cassell.

If Zach Mettenberger were the type of quarterback that many fans have positioned him as in their calling for him to play, he would have hung on with either of those teams: unless you believe Clemens or Cassell are better options than Mettenberger, which by the same line of thinking, would make those two better than Landry Jones as well.

I have a hard time subscribing to the same theory, and therefore, that’s why Landry Jones is Pittsburgh’s backup plan: the Plan A, as opposed to Mettenberger, who is the Plan B.


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