Dennis Dixon was a Heisman candidate his senior year, and he showed good poise in his first outing for the Steelers. Unfortunately, Arians’ play calling did not show Dixon’s strengths to advantage. He is too short to see the field, but on his one rollout pass, he showed a flash of what he can do, hitting Holmes for a TD. His broken-play dash up the field for twenty-some yards was called back for holding, but he is elusive and very fast. Arians did not use one QB bootleg, counter or naked sweep to exploit his speed. Dixon is not the QB of the future (low side-arm delivery, limited vision, stares down receivers, etc.), and he may not even be a solid #2 QB, but he is better than he had a chance to show on Sunday night.

The elephant in the room is Ben’s lamentable susceptibility to concussion. If Ben goes down for a long stretch, can Dixon lead the team succesfully? His progress after two full seasons suggests that is doubtful. Although he ran the spread in college, he really isn’t a first-tier NFL QB. On the other hand, the Steelers have so many other needs, it seems unlikely they will draft or sign a capable veteran. So Dixon is likely to remain QB#2. So, how best to utilize him in future?

Sunday night’s game provided the template. Arians’ spread offense is built around Ben’s abilities; without Ben, the team is average at best. Of necessity, Arians modifed the spread offense on Sunday night for Dixon, using more running plays to reduce the opportunity for error (except for Arians’ inexplicable pass call in OT that resulted in the fatal interception). The modified spread with a power back for short yardage situations would enable Dixon to serve as QB #2 next year, with minimal risk, sparing us all indigestion. The greater emphasis on the run would also focus Ben and rein in his gambling instincts.

I’m not predicting this will happen. I’m not even sure Arians and his run-averse spread will be back next year. But it is a way Dixon could be used effectively (in lieu of signing a quality veteran), without disrupting the existing offense, if we must get by on the cheap. But until Arians allows Dixon to use his incredible speed and to rollout to see the field better (a la Fran Tarkington), we’ll never really know how capable he can be.