Byron Leftwich's broken ribs leave Steelers scrambling

Byron Leftwich's broken ribs leave Steelers scrambling

Steelers QB Byron Leftwich took a fair amount of punishment Sunday night.

(Photo: Charles LeClaire, US Presswire)

Another week, another quarterback down for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now it's Byron Leftwich who must be replaced.

Ben Roethlisberger's backup suffered fractured ribs during Sunday night's loss to the Baltimore Ravens and will likely miss Week 12's game at the Cleveland Browns, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports on Monday.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin won't address Leftwich's status until his normal Tuesday news conference, though when asked by USA TODAY Sports whether Leftwich would be ruled out for Sunday, Tomlin said "probably."

"You know how it goes. We'll live to fight another day with who we have."

Leftwich made his first start since 2009 as the fill-in for Rothlisberger, who suffered shoulder and rib injuries during a victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10.

The team has not publicly revealed a timetable for Roethlisberger's return. But given the quarterback's admission last week that his injury is so serious that there is concern that his rib could puncture his aorta, the healing is expected to take several weeks.

Now it appears that No. 3 quarterback Charlie Batch will run the offense while the Steelers will ponder other backup options, and that likely means making a roster move.

Batch, 37, is a 15th-year veteran who logged his last start on Dec. 24, 2011, when he subbed for injured Roethlisberger and helped the Steelers defeat the St. Louis Rams.

It is unclear how many ribs Leftwich fractured. He appeared to show constant discomfort on the sideline and in the huddle after tumbling into the end zone following his 31-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter. It's possible that he was also injured during the fourth quarter, when he absorbed several blows as the Ravens increased their blitzes.

On one particularly brutal sack by safety James Ihedigbo on the next-to-last Steelers possession, Leftwich was slow to get up from the turf as he winced in apparent pain.

Shortly thereafter, Batch began warming up on the sideline while Leftwich talked to trainers and coaches.

However Leftwich finished the game even though many of his throws seemed to lack zip and fell short of intended targets.

When asked after the game whether he was hurt, Leftwich told the reporters gathered at his locker, "I'm OK. I'm OK."

He was not made available to the media Monday.

Cornerback Keenan Lewis, meanwhile, responded to questions about Leftwich during a brief media session that he wasn't sure whether the quarterback will play at Cleveland.

"I know he can play with pain," Lewis said. "If we had to rely on Charlie, he's a veteran who's been here. We'll ride it out behind whoever's back there."

Source : http://www.usatoday.com