Landry Jones is every bit as good of a backup quarterback as Charlie Batch was
I’ve been having some spirited debates with Steelers Nation this offseason about the Pittsburgh Steelers current quarterback situation.
Obviously, there was near panic when Ben Roethlisberger uttered the word “retirement” a year earlier. With a newfound vigor (and the firing of offensive coordinator Todd Haley) it appears Big Ben is here to stay. However, that hasn’t helped clear up a QB room which is now crowded with backups.
Leading the way is Landry Jones. A fourth-round draft pick in 2013, Jones has had spotty performances throughout his first five years in the NFL. Combined with incredibly subpar preseason play in his early goings, there’s a sort of venom from the fanbase reserved for this particular backup as opposed to those who paved the way before him.
That’s the part I don’t understand: why does Steelers Nation dislike Landry Jones?
If that question seems silly, you’ll want to continue reading further, because the lack of respect that Landry gets appears to be in direct contrast of one of Big Ben’s former backups, Pittsburgh native Charlie Batch, despite Jones and Batch sharing a lot in common.
Like Jones’ time in the ‘Burgh, Batch’s career in Pittsburgh had similar peaks and valleys. With his time as a backup spanning from 2003-2012, Charlie Batch spent the majority of his career as the second-option to Roethlisberger, who arrived on the scene in 2004. While memories of Landry Jones throwing an interception in a relief appearance during a playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals is still fresh in the minds of fans, Batch also struggled as a part-time starter.
I’m not here to rain on Batch’s parade or call him a bad quarterback, but I’d like to think that Charlie himself would admit to his shortcomings and the following is fair criticism of his performances. My disclaimer here is that I loved Charlie Batch (and still do to this day). I also understand that backup quarterbacks don’t grow on trees, as starters are hard enough to find.
Both Batch and Jones share the moniker of being adequate backups and nothing more. Here’s why.
Rough Games
Batch completed 9 of his 16 passes in his first start as a Steeler. That game ended up a victory over the Green Bay Packers in November of 2005, but it was in spite of Batch not because of him.
Batch registered a 39.8 QB rating for that game after failing to throw a touchdown while tossing a pick. Fans will recall a memorable Troy Polamalu 77-yard fumble return for a touchdown as the deciding points in that 20-10 victory.
The Steelers staff was reluctant to allow Batch to do much one week later in a victory of the Browns too. Charlie would score a rushing touchdown off of a QB sneak, but would only attempt 19 total passes in the game, instead relying on his defense and trick plays to get the W. (Antwaan Randle El threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward, much in the same vein that the two would connect later on in the Super Bowl.)
If that sounds familiar, it’s the same pattern the Jacksonville Jaguars held to for their 2017 season, limiting Blake Bortles from making mistakes throwing the ball and instead relying on the running game and a stout defense to win games.
In 2005 the Steelers defense was at the top of its game, while Jerome Bettis (in a part-time capacity at this point of his career) and Willie Parker carried the load on the ground.
Batch would wait for more opportunities, but the bulk of his games played are as follows. The games listed below include all of his starts, plus any games where he threw a meaningful number of passes while sharing playing time with others.
Charlie Batch Starts/Milestones
Win over Packers 11/2005
9/16 65 yards 0 TD / 1 INT 39.8 rating
(Troy Polamalu 77 yard fumble return)
Win over Browns 11/2005
13/19 150 yards 0 TD / 0 INT 92.0 rating
(Batch scores QB sneak – Ward catches 51-yard Randle El TD pass)
Win over Dolphins 9/2006
15/25 209 yards 3 TD / 0 INT 126.5 rating
*Loss to Ravens 12/2006
(Did not start – enters Q4 for Ben)
4/11 49 yards 0 TD / 0 INT 50.9 rating
Loss to Ravens 12/2007
16/31 218 yards 2 TD / 2 INT 69.0 rating
*Win over Titans 9/2010
(Did not start – enters Q2 for Dixon)
5/11 25 yards 0 TD / 0 INT 52.5 rating
(AB punt return for TD – 4 Reed FGs)
Win over Bucs 9/2010
12/17 186 yards 3 TD / 2 INT 106.5 rating
Loss to Ravens 10/2010
12/21 141 yards 0 TD / 1 INT 57.8 rating
Win over Rams 12/2011
9/24 91 yards 0 TD / 0 INT 49.1 rating
Loss to Browns 11/2012
20/34 199 yards 0 TD / 3 INT 38.7 rating
Win over Ravens 11/2012
25/36 276 yards 1 TD / 1 INT 89.6 rating
Landry’s Legacy
Let me preface my comparison here by stating that I believe Landry is a more than adequate, potentially even a great backup quarterback in the NFL. However, he is not Ben Roethlisberger’s heir.
Quarterbacks who come off of the bench will struggle. They were likely not part of the game plan leading up to Sunday and as such, did not participate much if at all during practice. In the case of Jones, he runs the scout team, i.e. a mockup of the opponent the Steelers will face that week. Timing and rapport with individual players, from the snap of the ball by the center to a handoff in the backfield or a route run by a receiver can all be thrown out of whack within an instant, should a team’s starter be sidelined.
Jones entered the Bengals playoff game cold (literally, if you recall the rainy January weather) and has done similar in other games, most notably one in Seattle where two of his career picks came from awkward situations. One of those interceptions was an ill-advised “trick play” that the Seahawks snuffed out. They were not fooled by Alejandro Villanueva nor Jones receiving the long snap on a field goal attempt.
The other pick, Jones entered the game for Big Ben (who left for concussion protocol). Former OC Todd Haley dialed up a deep ball that Martavis Bryant didn’t exactly fight for, and ended up in the hands of the opposition. (Those with a great memory may also recall Roethlisberger calling out his wide receiver’s lack of physicality days later!)
There has been a mix of good (entering the Cardinals game in ’15 and leading the Steelers to four scores and a win) and bad (three interceptions in a 2015 loss against KC that everyone would like to forget). But that makes Jones no worse than Batch in that regard. In fact, both of their numbers as Steelers backups appear near identical, with each having their share of successes and failures.
The numbers really don’t lie: Jones is about the same statistically if not better than Batch was:
Landry Jones
3-2 as a starter
63.9% CMP on 169 ATT
8 TD : 7 INT
Sacked 9 times
86.2 QB rating
Charlie Batch
6-3 as a starter (Steelers)
59.4% CMP on 278 ATT
12 TD : 12 INT
Sacked 14 times
79.0 QB rating
Furthermore, it’s hard to show me a backup quarterback more suitable to replace Ben Roethlisberger. Even Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles just had a stinker of a preseason performance against those same “lowly” Cleveland Browns! (If you’re interested in a full comparison, we just discussed this topic on a recent SCU Steelers Podcast.)
The Final Decision
I believe that the drafting of Joshua Dobbs and Mason Rudolph has made many people believe that Jones is expendable, but this is why that could be a mistake. Even though Jones has his shortcomings, he’s much like Batch: statistically and realistically. It could be a mistake to immediately write off Jones in that regard. Don’t forget, the Steelers tried to move on from Charlie Batch several times with the signing (twice) of Byron Leftwich and drafting of Dennis Dixon. Injuries to those players put Charlie back in the spotlight for better or worse.
In fact, Jones has nearly halved all of Charlie Batch’s stats, yet, Batch is beloved and Jones is regularly booed. Maybe it’s due to Batch having a better defense, being a hometown guy, or having been around the team much longer than Landry; that much I’ll never be able to figure out.
However, on fact remains: letting Landry walk would mean both backups behind Ben, Dobbs and Rudolph, have zero NFL experience.
After reading this comparison, is Jones really that bad of an option in a pinch? And does he deserve the criticism he receives?
I’ll let you decide.
