In the Pittsburgh Steelers final preseason game Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers it is unknown how long starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will play, if he even plays at all, but head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday during his press conference that you can count on seeing quite a bit of rookie third-string quarterback Landry Jones in the game.
“Excited about looking at Landry Jones for an extended period of time,” said Tomlin. “We expect him to get the big bulk of the action offensively at quarterback position.”
Through the first three preseason games, Jones, who the Steelers drafted in the fourth-round back in April, is 14-of-31 passing for 159 yards passing and a touchdown. While he has had a few positive moments, he has gotten away with a few bad throws that could have resulted in interceptions.
Tomlin told the media Tuesday exactly what he is looking for out of Jones Thursday night.
“Just letting him play football and see how he rides the wave associated with good plays and bad plays and series,” said Tomlin. “Things that you don’t get a chance to see often from young guys in a real extended view of him and seeing how he responds to the how the flow of the game goes. It’s a great opportunity for him. We’re excited about it; I’m sure he is as well.”
This will more than likely be the last time that Jones will see playing time until next preseason, so it is important that he takes advantage of all the playing time he figures to get Thursday night. It will not be surprising to see him play the entire second half against the Panthers and possibly even the second quarter in addition.
