The_Philster
08-07-2003, 08:09 PM
LATROBE, Pa. -- He's still on the bench, yet the playing field looks a lot closer to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch than it did a year ago.
Especially this week, when he returns to what he once thought would be his home turf throughout NFL career.
Cast off by the Detroit Lions after starting for three seasons-plus, he hooked on with his hometown Steelers last year as their No. 3 quarterback. As with most QBs buried so deep on the bench, he wasn't expected to play and didn't, never getting into a game once the season started.
The layoff -- he hasn't appeared in a regular season NFL game since Dec. 2, 2001 -- wasn't necessarily a bad thing for the former Eastern Michigan star. He had adequate time to rehabilitate the right knee injury that affected him for two seasons and, while doing so, was on the payroll of the team he grew up watching....
more (http://www.detnews.com/2003/lions/0308/07/sports-238660.htm)
Especially this week, when he returns to what he once thought would be his home turf throughout NFL career.
Cast off by the Detroit Lions after starting for three seasons-plus, he hooked on with his hometown Steelers last year as their No. 3 quarterback. As with most QBs buried so deep on the bench, he wasn't expected to play and didn't, never getting into a game once the season started.
The layoff -- he hasn't appeared in a regular season NFL game since Dec. 2, 2001 -- wasn't necessarily a bad thing for the former Eastern Michigan star. He had adequate time to rehabilitate the right knee injury that affected him for two seasons and, while doing so, was on the payroll of the team he grew up watching....
more (http://www.detnews.com/2003/lions/0308/07/sports-238660.htm)