Heath Miller caught his first pass for a touchdown in front of the Heinz Field faithful. Alvin Pearman saw action against the Seahawks, gaining two yards on one carry for the Jaguars. Chris Canty recorded two tackles in his Cowboys' victory over San Diego.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Matt Schaub sat on the bench. Again. And it's all because of Michael Vick.
Schaub continues to watch and wait. It's all he can do. He remains under-utilized, holding the backup QB position behind one of the top signal-callers in the league. And he's a Hokie to boot, too.
But Matt Schaub has to be used to being under-utilized and under-appreciated by now. As the story goes, Schaub wasn't even on the top of Virginia's recruiting list coming out of high school. George Welsh secured a scholarship for Bryson Spinner and was hot on the trail for Eli Manning. It was only after Manning committed to Ole Miss that the Cavaliers went hard after Schaub.
At least that's how the story goes. But we know for sure that once the 6-foot-5, 237-pound QB got to Virginia, he couldn't even win the starting quarterback job until three games into his junior season. After splitting time with Spinner during his sophomore campaign, Schaub was pulled from the season opener in 2002 against Colorado State in favor of then-freshman Marques Hagans. The young Hagans got the start the next week in Tallahassee, and only a strong second-half performance from Schaub in a blowout loss earned the junior his job back.
Of course, Schaub went on to lead the Cavaliers to a second-place finish in the ACC, a Continental Tire Bowl victory and ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors.
After another stellar year in 2003, Schaub was selected by the Falcons in the third round of the NFL draft. It didn't take long for him to earn the No. 2 spot on the depth chart, and when the Falcons clinched a first-round bye in the playoffs by November, Schaub started in place of a banged-up Vick.
Schaub put up modest numbers in 2004, completing 33 of 70 throws for 330 yards in six games. He threw a touchdown pass but also tossed four interceptions. All in all, it was a respectable year for the rookie.
This preseason, Schaub continued to show his chops. Granted, exhibition competition is nothing compared to real game action, but Schaub is doing a pretty good job showing he's ready to see some more minutes in the games that count. The 24-year-old quarterback was named Most Valuable Player in the American Bowl in Tokyo Aug. 6 after completing 11 of 13 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over Indianapolis. He completed more passes (36) than either Vick or No. 3 Ty Detmer, throwing three touchdowns and two interceptions over five preseason games.
The consensus among the Atlanta coaching staff and NFL analysts is Schaub could be a starter in the league right now. There are already rumors of him landing in Miami by the 2006 season and taking over starting duties for the Dolphins -- which makes a lot of sense because right now, Miami's starter is Gus "Gave Himself a Concussion After Slamming His Head into a Cement Wall While Celebrating a Touchdown" Frerotte.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears are starting 2005 fourth-round pick Kyle Orton, who led Purdue to an uninspiring 2-5 finish last season. And in contrast to teams like Green Bay and Tennessee who have aging starters, Atlanta likely won't have to worry about finding a successor for its young QB anytime soon.
So, Schaub needs to get out of Atlanta. Schaub deserves to get out of Atlanta. He has so much talent that is just being wasted on the sidelines week after week.
I love to see a guy like Heath Miller find the end zone in his first game. Hearing about Alvin Pearman -- a player who wasn't even a starter to begin his senior campaign -- getting action in the NFL is a big thrill for me. But it's just as frustrating to see one of the best quarterbacks in Virginia history waste away on the bench while less talented signal-callers start for other teams.
Schaub is only in his second NFL season, so he's still got plenty of time ahead of him. I just hope he gets his chance soon. I have a feeling he won't disappoint.
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