The Cleveland Plain Dealer
November 25, 2012
CLEVELAND, Ohio - With Ben Roethlisberger out with a rib injury and the Steelers down to 37-year-old third-team quarterback Charlie Batch, the Browns are viewing this as a game they darn well better win.
Never mind that they're 2-8 and that the 6-4 Steelers roll into town with the league's No. 1 defense.
"We've been in a lot of ballgames and they're dealing with their third-string quarterback," said Browns linebacker D'Qwell Jackson. "It's one of those deals where we smell blood, let's take advantage of it. But you've got to respect them. They've got a lot of skill guys on the outside. I played those guys for years. I think we match up well with 'em."
Coach Pat Shurmur knows the Browns won't be on easy street just because Big Ben, who's 14-1 against the Browns, is out. Batch is 5-2 as a starter with the Steelers, including a 34-21 victory over the Browns in 2005. In his lone start last year, he beat the Rams, 27-0; and the Steelers almost defeated the 8-2 Ravens last week with Byron Leftwich at the helm. They lost 13-10 and also lost Leftwich to broken ribs.
"This is going to be a battle," Shurmur said. "I've seen it before. I know it's the case. Veteran quarterbacks that have been in the league a long time find a way to come in and be very efficient. He's a veteran player amongst a very veteran team. That's what we're anticipating. There's enough previous film on Charlie where you can see how he functions. We've got to try to piece it together with how they play offense now, which is a little bit different. You basically get ready to play the Steelers, and just know that they've got a veteran leader behind center."
It's easy to see why some of the Browns feel a little hopeful with Big Ben sidelined. He's 34-9 against AFC North foes, and the Steelers are only 4-4 under Mike Tomlin without him. But they know it's still the Steelers, who've won 16 of the last 17 meetings.
"There are very few people that are Ben Roethlisberger anywhere," said Browns defensive coordinator Dick Jauron. "Charlie Batch is an NFL quarterback that has had a lot of playing experience in this league. He has won a lot of games. I have a lot of respect for Charlie, I always have. He'll certainly be able to control the football game, understand their offense and everything they do. He won't have the arm strength, clearly, that Ben has. Again, there are very few that do anywhere. We'll have our hands full with their speed and their skill, and just their overall ability on the offensive side."
Batch is 24-29 as a starter with 60 TDs, 48 INTs and a 77.8 rating. In his seven starts with the Steelers, he's completed 60.9 percent of his passes with eight TDs and seven INTs for an 83.7 rating. In his victory over the Browns in 2005, he completed 13 of 19 attempts with no TDs and no picks. He also rushed for a TD.
"We expect him to play winning football," said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. "We believe he's capable of that. He's a veteran player, one that's distinguished himself over the latter part of his career of being able to play above the line on a limited number of snaps. He's done it for us as recently as last year, he did it for us in 2010 and we expect the same."
Steelers receiver Mike Wallace notes that no one can replace Roethlisberger, but expects big things from Batch.
"We know Chuck has good leadership and he takes control of the huddle every single time he comes into a game," said Wallace. "We know he knows every single read. We just know we have a veteran guy. We know we've got a guy who's been playing 16 years, so there's not too much he hasn't seen. We feel comfortable with him."
Batch will also have 6-5 veteran receiver Plaxico Burress, who was signed this week.
"This is the biggest guy I've played with ever since I've been in the NFL," said Wallace. "Hopefully he can take some coverage away, some guys go over there and it'll free up me, Heath (Miller) and Emmanuel (Sanders)."
Regardless of who's at quarterback, the Browns still have to contend with the NFL's top-ranked defense, including the No. 1 unit against the pass.
"The best thing about this defense is that they have good players," said Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden. "They've got guys that have been in the league for a long time, they've got guys that can tackle and they've got guys scheme-wise that are really, really good. (Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's) a big zone-blitz guy. They don't give up many big plays. They try to keep everything in front and they do a great job with it. They've done it for a long time and I don't really expect it to change when we play them."
The Steelers have gone 4-1 in the last five games largely because of their defense. They've held opponents to 20 points or fewer during that span and 200 total net yards or less in three of those five outings. They've also held the last five quarterbacks to sub-76.0 ratings, and the list is a who's who in the NFL: Andy Dalton (56.4), Robert Griffin (72.8), Eli Manning (41.1), Matt Cassel (46.0) and Joe Flacco (75.5). The pass defense has allowed the second-fewest completions (169) in the NFL this season.
But Browns receiver Greg Little, for one, is undaunted.
"I feel like they have some holes in their defense that we can exploit," he said. "I feel like the coaches have done a very good job of scouting, and I think we'll be able to beat them downfield as well as short to intermediate things.
"I never go into a game (lacking confidence) and I don't think any of my teammates do either. It's just a defense that makes plays, and as of late we've been making a lot of plays as well. We have to improve in the red zone, and I think if we do that, we'll definitely win."
Receiver Josh Cribbs doesn't think the young guys will grasp the intensity of the rivalry until the game is over. The Browns are aiming to snap a five-game losing streak to the Steelers.
"It'll mean everything for the city and our fans (if we win)," he said. "That's why I'm going to be egging the guys on. Not that they need it, but I'm going to be still standing there like, 'You know what this means for our city? We've lost a lot of games, but we can make it right.' Our coaches are beating it in everybody's heads. Letting them know what it means, to the rookies more than anybody. Because this rivalry is everything to us and our fans. It's about bragging rights."
And maybe, just maybe, with Big Ben on the sidelines, the Browns will finally have something to brag about.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4370
On Twitter: @marykaycabot
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