PITTSBURGH (AP) - The forgotten quarterback is now the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starter.
Charlie Batch, a longtime backup who was relegated to No. 4 status as the Steelers dealt with Ben Roethlisberger’s off-field problems, will be the starter Sunday at Tampa Bay (2-0) _ his first NFL start since 2007.
Coach Mike Tomlin picked Batch over Byron Leftwich, who is recovering from a sprained knee ligament. Dennis Dixon started the first two games, but he underwent knee surgery Wednesday and is out indefinitely.
The Steelers (2-0) apparently decided they couldn’t wait until the end of the practice week to determine if Leftwich’s still-healing knee would hold up to the stress of playing. Batch has gotten little work with the starters, and Tomlin wanted to give him as much practice time as possible.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.