Steelers Face Tough Calls on Super Bowl Dress Roster

[stillers4me]

Although NFL teams keep and fully pay 53 players on their regular rosters, only 46 are allowed to dress on gamedays, which includes an emergency No. 3 quarterback.

Pittsburgh standout defensive end Aaron Smith (triceps) may return for his first action since Week 6, and Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) guaranteed he will play (http://pit.scout.com/2/1000656.html) in the Super Bowl. Which means that the Steelers could have some difficult decisions two Sundays from now; their final two inactives for the Super Bowl will come from a group of seven players, all of whom are solid and regular game-day contributors.

Charlie Batch will dress as the emergency No. 3 QB. Five other players are easy decisions for the inactive list: RB Jonathan Dwyer (1), OL Tony Hills (4) and Chris Scott (0), DL Steve McLendon (7) and CB Crezdon Butler (4); a group that individually has only been active for a combined 16 games this season.

However, if Smith plays (and he should only dress if he can be counted on for at least 10-15 plays without a great chance of injury), the other two inactives will likely come from a list that includes the following players, each of whom would see action in the Super Bowl if the NFL did not have this stupid rule requiring some fully paid regular roster members to be inactive on gamedays:

WR ANTWAAN RANDLE EL: A nine-year veteran, Randle El has played in 150 of 151 possible games over his career, including every game the Steelers played in both of his stints in Pittsburgh.

Considering this, the Steelers are unlikely to inactivate a savvy veteran who serves as the team’s No. 5 receiver, their top weapon for trick plays, a safety valve as a punt returner, and who was a huge key in the Super Bowl XL win over the Seahawks.
However, Randle El does not play on any coverage units, where No. 6 receiver Arnaz Battle is a key contributor for the Steelers.............

Read more @ http://www.steelerslounge.com/2011/01/steelers-face-tough-calls-super-bowl-dress-roster/

[NJarhead]

Why dress a 3rd QB? If we ever got to that point (unlikely) El could do it. I know, sounds crazy, but I'd rather have an extra o-lineman. Especially considering how dire that area had become in the last two consecutive games with regards to injury.

QB's - Ben and Lefty with El as an emergency option.

[Merchant]

Why dress a 3rd QB? If we ever got to that point (unlikely) El could do it. I know, sounds crazy, but I'd rather have an extra o-lineman. Especially considering how dire that area had become in the last two consecutive games with regards to injury.

QB's - Ben and Lefty with El as an emergency option.

Anything can happen. Just look at the NFC Championship game where Cutler went down, Collins was ineffective, and the 3rd QB - Hanie had to step in. Just because ARE can make a throw on a trick-play once every 7 games doesn't mean he'd be an effective QB taking regular snaps.

[steelerdude15]

This is dumb, they should be allowed to dress all members of the team. Another stupid rule in the NFL that should be taken away.

[Merchant]

What's the rationale for this rule again? Why can't all 53 be dressed?

[steelreserve]

Why dress a 3rd QB? If we ever got to that point (unlikely) El could do it. I know, sounds crazy, but I'd rather have an extra o-lineman. Especially considering how dire that area had become in the last two consecutive games with regards to injury.

QB's - Ben and Lefty with El as an emergency option.

I think the rule is that the third QB doesn't count against the active gameday roster, so you can either designate a third QB and have 45 guys, or not designate a third QB and have 44 guys. Maybe it's 46 guys vs. 45 guys, but either way, that's how they do it.

[Iron Steeler]

huh? i wasnt aware of this... some one enlighten me... plz

[NCSteeler]

Yes, a few years ago they expanded the active roster to 46, but only for an emergency 3rd QB. If the 3rd QB enters the game in any fashion prior to the start of the 4th quarter, the other 2 QBs cannot reenter the game.

I also don't understand the point of the original rule of not having all your 53 guys active, but it's been that way since they expanded to 53. I think the rosters used to be 45 and they were expanded to 53 to keep guys from being plucked off the PS after FA came into effect. I'm sure someone here knows a clear history of the rule.

[steelreserve]

The reason for the 53-man roster is essentially to stop teams from stockpiling cheap prospects. If every team had a 70-man limit, all the 6th-round to undrafted guys would be hoarded at bargain-basement salaries and mostly sit on the bench without any other option. A lot of the rules surrounding the guys at the edge of the roster (restricted FA, practice squad, 53-man limit, etc.) were designed to ensure that young players have a chance to either star on their own team, be free to try for a starting job on another team that had a job available, or get a reasonable salary for having to stick with the current team and accept the coach's decision. The IR rule where you're out for the whole season is another element of this (you can't have 20 guys on the team with fake injuries and rotate them in and out of active duty; people have tried it). The salary cap is the third element.

Of course, none of this explains why they made all the rules surrounding the third quarterback. It's easy to see why the difference between the 45-man and 53-man roster (you need a few spots for guys who are beat-up or marginal but you still want to keep them on the team), but the thinking behind that last spot is just odd. Maybe too many teams were complaining that 45 was just the wrong number and they had to keep dressing 6 offensive linemen so they could have a third QB. I don't know for certain about that, but it's definitely gay.

[GodfatherofSoul]

I think it's because the 3rd QB is a concession roster spot. You get the option of using it, but at the cost of it being restricted with emergency use-only rules. I think...