Jones, Archer show improvement
CANTON, Ohio – It wasn’t always pretty, but most preseason games are not.
The Steelers’ opener Sunday night in the Hall of Fame Game against the Minnesota Vikings was sloppy at times.
But it also had plenty of things that had to put a smile on the face of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Put Landry Jones and Dri Archer at the top of that list.
Two recent mid-round draft picks who have been much-maligned by Steelers fans, Jones and Archer were the stars of this game.
Jones, playing quarterback the entire first half because Ben Roethlisberger was held out and backup Bruce Gradkowski remains on the Physically Unable to Perform List, came into this training camp and preseason with plenty to prove.
This year is a make-or-break one for Jones, who was a record-setting quarterback in college at Oklahoma.
In two preseasons, Jones had compiled a passer rating of 57.4. That’s not exactly Blutarsky-like – he had no grade-point average in the move “Animal House” – but it’s not far off.
Against Minnesota, Jones wasn’t exactly Roethlisberger, but he wasn’t Kent Graham, either.
Working with a group that only those with a roster could identify, Jones looked like a legitimate NFL quarterback, albeit a backup, which is all the Steelers want from him.
Jones had a solid first half, consistently delivering the football where it needed to go.
His numbers in the first half – 10 of 18 for 102 yards – could have been better if not for a couple of drops, most notably a pair that should have been touchdown catches by Devin Gardner and Jesse James.
Jones continued to play after that, but the offensive line play was so bad that continuing to judge his performance would not be fair.
Archer was a third-round draft pick last year and languished on the bench after losing the kick returner job midway through the season.
That only made the Steelers’ selection of the 5-8, 173-pound speedster running back more egregious in the eyes of many.
Against the Vikings,. Archer showed off his 4.26 40 speed and ability to make tacklers miss, something he rarely did last season.
Archer had only two carries for 16 yards in the first half, but both runs were impressive.
On the first, he took a handoff from Jones and immediately had a defensive lineman in his face. Last season, Archer would have been tackled for a loss in that situation. This time, he juked the first tackler and beat everybody to the outside to turn what would have been a 6-yard loss into a 1-yard gain.
On his next carry, Archer took a draw handoff on third-and-14 and zig-zagged his way through the Minnesota defense for a 15-yard gain and a first down.
Both plays were big and neither were ones that Archer would have made last season. Just as important was Archer’s only kick return.
Archer, who had a long return of 23 yards last season on nine attempts before losing the job, broke his only opportunity in this game for 34 yards. It wasn’t a touchdown, but it was a positive step. And that’s what both Jones and Archer needed to show.
Neither is a finished product. But Jones and Archer are closer to being guys who can help the Steelers.
F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com.