Dobbs waits in wings as Ben misses practice again
PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger sat out another practice with a sore elbow Thursday, and isn’t sure if he’ll be back Friday, or even Sunday, when the Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs.
Roethlisberger’s not ruling out a return, either, but in his place this week the Steelers are using Josh Dobbs, the second-year quarterback who has experience being thrown into big situations.
“I was 18,” said Dobbs. “I was a freshman. I was supposed to redshirt. We were at Alabama. We were down 35-0 at halftime. The starting quarterback was hurt at halftime. I scored 10 in the half, they scored 10 in the second half. So I guess I did pretty good.
“But, yeah, I’ve been thrust into action before in college. You just have to be ready when your number’s called, go out and make plays, and just play football how you’ve been doing your whole life.”
With rookie Mason Rudolph having the No. 3 QB spot locked up behind Roethlisberger, Dobbs was the surprise choice over Landry Jones to make the roster as the No. 2. But Dobbs did lead the Steelers with a 111.9 preseason passer rating and added 64 yards on 10 carries to prove he can give the offense a third option — running himself — in an RPO.
“No doubt,” said offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. “I wouldn’t say Ben doesn’t. Obviously you’re asking for a different type of (run from Roethlisberger). You’ve seen Ben at various times keep it, get down and get his four yards, those type of things. But, yeah, Josh could be obviously used a little bit different in that aspect.”
Roethlisberger handled the Steelers’ new offensive element fairly well in the opener. However, he did fumble while trying to execute an RPO off a fumbled snap in overtime.
Dobbs, like Rudolph, is younger and more experienced than Roethlisberger in processing the RPO read while deciding whether to handoff or throw. It’s been a growing trend in college football the last few years.
“It’s a growth in progress,” Fichtner said. “On paper, we would say it was probably efficient last week. Maybe it wasn’t. In one case it might’ve cost us.”
Dobbs isn’t the only young offensive player doing more at practice this week. Rookies Jaylen Samuels and James Washington believe they’ll receive more action Sunday against the Chiefs.
“They have me in the game plan more this week than last week,” said Samuels, “so if my number gets called I’m going to go in there and make sure we don’t miss a beat.”
Last Sunday, Samuels, the fifth-round pick out of North Carolina State, was active but didn’t receive a snap as James Conner carried 31 times for 135 yards and caught 5 passes for another 57 yards. Fichtner regretted giving Conner so much work.
“Just chalk that up to me being a young coordinator,” Fichtner said. “I should’ve got other running backs in. We need to do that with Le’Veon. We need to do that with young wide receivers and young tight ends. That may be something that just got away from us. But you didn’t feel it that way in-game. He was giving you good strength and he’s obviously more than capable of handling the snaps he did, and he did a really fine job.”
Washington, the rookie wide receiver, played 11 snaps last week but wasn’t targeted. He feels that will change soon, perhaps Sunday.
“I’ve been getting a lot more reps,” Washington said. “Maybe it’s my time to show what I can do out there.”
Washington’s first task, though, will be special teams. He played five snaps as the “jammer” on punt return Sunday after Joe Haden left with a hamstring injury. Jammers play over “gunners,” which are the wide defenders that bear down as the first wave against the returner. Darrius Heyward-Bey calls the job “borderline illegal.”
“It is,” said Washington. “That’s a whole different world going from receiver to DB, and I’ve got to work on it.”
Washington said his understanding at receiver is improving along with his understanding of the quarterback’s hand signals and the no-huddle offense.
“I’m getting there,” Washington said. “I guess it’s just about meeting with the quarterbacks to see how they think. That’s all it is. But I’m getting there.”
Washington may not be as self-assured as the young quarterback, and that’s where the confident Dobbs hopes to pay off.
“I was born ready,” Dobbs said. “I’ve known the whole playbook since I got here, so there’s no need to condense it. It’s still playing football. React to the calls and looks that you’re getting and have fun, execute, play a little, protect the football. We’ll be in good shape if we do that. But that’ll be the plan. You’ve got to stay ready always so you don’t have to get ready.”
NOTES: Haden (hamstring) missed another practice and isn’t sure if he’ll play Sunday. Cameron Sutton and Coty Sensabaugh are his backups. … The other starting cornerback, Artie Burns, left practice with a bruise, but said he’ll play Sunday. … David DeCastro (hand) said Wednesday that his fractured hand is worse than believed, but at the time still thought he would play Sunday. DeCastro missed Thursday’s practice and wasn’t available for comment. B.J. Finney is DeCastro’s backup at right guard.