As expected, starting QB Ben Roethlisberger will not be starting the final week of the season against the Cleveland Browns this Sunday at noon, neither will starting RB Le'Veon Bell. With Roethlisberger not playing, that leaves the coaches with a challenging decision to make, whether to start veteran backup Landry Jones or fan favorite rookie Joshua Dobbs. Jones has been listed as the backup QB the entire season, and Dobbs has remained inactive all season, not even dressing out for a single game since the pre-season.
Many fans have witnessed what Jones can do in his prime, and how poorly he can play at his lowest. When he stepped in for an injured Roethlisberger two seasons ago, he threw for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns in a little over one half of the game. When the same scenario came up against the Bengals in the wild card later that season, Jones threw an interception on his first pass. Many fans are not pleased with Jones and are ready for change. That is why Dobbs is currently seeming to be the fan favorite for who they want to see manning the helm on Sunday.
Dobbs has not played very much in a Steelers uniform, but the last time he did, which was the final pre-season game of the year, he lead the Steelers on a game winning drive where he ran in a touchdown as time expired.
While Dobbs has made several nice plays and played pretty well in the pre-season, we just have not seen enough of him yet to have a clear cut idea as to if he is the real deal. That is why playing him in the week 17 game would be such a great opportunity for the unproven rookie. He would be playing against one of the lowest ranked defenses in the NFL, the Steelers already have a first round bye guaranteed, and it has been abundantly obvious how fantastic the current NFL rookie class has been, so why not give him a shot? There really is nothing to lose, and there are many benefits to doing so. Dobbs also needs the experience under his belt, and getting him in against a first string defense really would do the trick. Even if he has a poor game, it allows him to grow as a player and shows him what not to do next time. Even Coach Tomlin has made remarks on how quickly of a learner Dobbs is.
While the Steelers have been a heavily conservative team regarding coaching, hopefully the coaches will realize that the best option for the team this Sunday will be to start Joshua Dobbs.
