Charlie and the Football Factory

 

By A.D.

            Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a small, quiet city. The only time the noise level rises above 3 or 4 decibels is at Heinz Field during a Steeler game, at which times the noise can be deafening. Citizens of this old steel town and Steelers fans everywhere are grateful that their pro football team is a source of pride and unity. You could say that this is a city categorized by its polite, though sometimes boisterous, Steeler-devoted people. The most controversial issue that has ever plagued the team was when they decided to have an NC-17 rated party on a cruise liner. Oh wait, that wasn’t the Steelers!  That was what the self-imploding Minnesota Vikings did.

            But don’t get them wrong, the Steelers have their fun, just like when they endured a black out while staying at a hotel in Miami last season. With no lights and plenty of spare time, the team decided to play flashlight tag to stay occupied while Hurricane Jeanne raged outside. If only the Vikings had emulated the Steelers instead of Girls Gone Wild.

            While the Viking’s season is sliding downhill fast, the Steelers are trying to prove to the rest of the league that they are moving full speed toward the Super Bowl. Starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a hyper extended knee on Monday Night Football and added himself to the growing list of starters who are having injury problems. It’s as if getting hurt is contagious and spreading.  And now even the seemingly unbreakable Hines Ward may not be healthy enough to play this Sunday, along with Big Ben and also the high-jumping, ball-stealing James Harrison.

            It’s takes a strong person to remain clam in the face of impending doom, but the Steelers aren’t sweating. They have so much confidence in themselves as a team that it puts the fans to shame. It was only a few days ago that Jerome Bettis openly vented his frustrations about his critics. Those who had doubted that the future hall-of-fame running back couldn’t play to his potential were silenced, however, come Tuesday morning.  Sometimes it’s the cynical people who provide more fire to the player’s fuel than the fans do. One Steeler fan favorite who was doubted by his old team and its fans is backup quarterback Charlie Batch.

The term hero should be applied with care and Batch is perfectly capable of living up to the qualifications of a hero. He should be an inspiration to professional athletes everywhere. Like all other players, though, he does sweat it out on the field for his paycheck. But that is the purpose of a job, to earn a salary parallel to the work effort. It’s what Batch does off the field that has helped this city in more ways than a football game ever could. He was released by the Detroit Lions in 2002 and signed by the Steelers soon thereafter. Batch, who was raised in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Homestead, had come home.

A reliable backup in his 8^th year in the NFL, Batch has proven that passion is just as important on the field as off. He led the Steelers to an exciting comeback in the pre-season game against the Carolina Panthers, replacing Roethlisberger in the second quarter. Batch was responsible for the 21-17 victory, scoring two touchdowns on two drives. On the last drive he threw 45 yards to wide receiver Sean Morey for the win. Batch has been preparing to retake the helm of the offense since being cut by the Lions three years ago.  It takes more than a QB to make a successful team, however, it also takes a competent offensive line that will protect their leader and keep him from getting ambushed by linebackers. While in Detroit Batch didn’t play as well as he could have, having suffered through play-related injuries that may have been the result of a failed offensive line. And though he had signed a contract with the Lions only two years prior, he was fired from the team.

In his time since returning to Pittsburgh he has become not bitter and full of resentment but a man who is devoted to helping those who deserve a better future. Over the summer Batch and Home Depot worked together to refurbish the basketball courts in Homestead. There Batch runs a free basketball camp for kids ranging in age from 7 to 18.  He has spent much of his free time and money in helping to make a difference in the lives of the children who participate in the summer activity. He even has his own charity group called the Best of Batch Foundation. Through this program students who do well in their studies at Barrett Elementary in Homestead get rewarded for their good grades with tickets to the circus, ice shows and baseball games.

The Steelers are not ranked among the top three teams on the majority of the power polls this week. The team is still struggling with their game control too, as they haven’t cracked the top ten teams in time of possession. But if Batch were to take over for the injured Roethlisberger, barring that Tommy Maddox is not asked to start, then his job would be simple. Well, as simple as a quarterback position could be in the NFL. Big Ben has been able to help the Steelers win without throwing over 30 passes a game.

All Batch would need to do is be accurate when passing and make sure he doesn’t fumble when handing the ball off to Bettis or “fast” Willie Parker. The emphasis Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars will be on quality of the passing and running game, not the quantity. If Batch does play he would have to summon only a fraction of the heart and determination that he puts into his community service to win the ballgame.