Charlie

Batch

With rookie Ben Roethlisber and starter Tommy Maddox in the fold, somone is likely to dropped. Pittsburgh would seem more likely to go with the experience Batch as a backup, unless they want to save money.

He’s not a recommended play against Miami, even in two quarterback leagues. Don’t look for big numbers from Hines Ward or Cedrick Wilson in the opener either.

Aside from perhaps retirement, the 37-year-old Batch was never headed elsewhere. A backup in Pittsburgh since 2003, Batch led the Steelers to a 27-0 victory over the Rams in his lone start last season, completing 15-of-22 passes for 208 yards and a score. His re-signing may mean free agent Byron Leftwich will move on. Troy Smith is the favorite for the Steelers’ third-string job.

Ben Roethlisberger (ankle) is officially a game-time decision, but all of the Steelers beat writers expect him to sit out for a week -- along with C Maurkice Pouncey, OLB LaMarr Woodley, and WR Emmanuel Sanders. With Batch at the helm, Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown go from must-start to borderline WR3 status.

Batch did everything the Steelers needed him to do to keep their hopes of a first-round bye alive, avoiding big mistakes while moving the chains with short, quick passes. If the Steelers decide to give Ben Roethlisberger another week of rest in Week 17, they will surely still be favored over the Browns with Batch under center.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the only way Ben Roethlisberger (ankle, questionable) would dress for the game is in an emergency scenario. Dennis Dixon will be Batch’s backup. Working in Batch, Mike Wallace, and Antonio Brown’s favor is a Rams defense that can’t cover anyone in the secondary. St. Louis also can’t stop the run, of course, and we’d expect the Steelers to dial up Rashard Mendenhall in heavy doses Saturday afternoon.

Ben Roethlisberger (ankle) missed practice again on Thursday. The Steelers are currently favored by 16 over the Rams, but bookies aren’t taking action until the QB decision is made. Local as well as national media expect Big Ben to be held out this week, with Charlie Batch making the start. Dennis Dixon would then be active as the No. 2 QB in case Batch fails to move the offense.

Now there’s reason for some concern. Although Roethlisberger finished out the Cincy game without a problem and says he will play when the Steelers come out of their bye, the damage is to his throwing hand. That’s always a tricky injury to play with, even if he’s fitted with some kind of glove or wrap. It’s a situation to monitor closely during the bye. Charlie Batch is the backup.

The Steelers don’t play until Monday, so we won’t have any real read on Roethlisberger’s status until Saturday at the earliest. He’ll likely end up as a game-time call. Big Ben says his ankle is improving, but plans on playing the rest of the week by ear. Charlie Batch will start if Roethlisberger can’t go.

As hard as it may be to believe, Arians insists the Steelers won’t change the offense if Batch starts. Arians acknowledges that a decision on Big Ben could come down to pregame warmups on Monday night. Roethlisberger revealed Thursday that the ankle is actually more painful right now than it was a week ago. For what it’s worth, SI.com’s Peter King is still predicting that Roethlisberger will not play this week.