Plans for Dixon

I want to know where I can get a Jersey!!

Read this link:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_564939.html

Or see below:

Dynamic Dixon intrigues Steelers
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Buzz up!

He piled up 368 yards of total offense and accounted for four touchdowns. He led Oregon to a 39-7 shellacking of Michigan in front of more than 100,000 fans as well as a national TV audience.
Dennis Dixon thrust himself into the Heisman Trophy race with that performance last September -- and into the consciousness of Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert.

"The first thing I thought about was Vince Young," said Colbert, who saw Dixon play extensively for the first time against Michigan. "He was winning that game by himself."

The Steelers, who took Dixon in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Sunday, won't ask the 23-year-old quarterback to win any games in the near future. They are optimistic that eventually he can back up Ben Roethlisberger, a role the 33-year-old Charlie Batch has filled so capably, and get on the field in select situations.

story continues below

It is, however, too early for the Steelers to know if they uncovered a late-round gem in Dixon -- or whether they stumbled onto another Omar Jacobs (the fifth-round pick in 2006 never made the team).
Making it all the more difficult for the Steelers to assess what they have in Dixon: He is still recovering from the major knee injury that ended his senior season.

The 6-3 1/2, 206-pounder will be limited in the minicamp practices that start Friday and run through Sunday. But Dixon, who had surgery on his left knee in December, said he is "ahead of schedule" in his rehabilitation.

The Steelers, meanwhile, felt good enough about the reports they got from their medical personnel regarding Dixon that they didn't hesitate to take him with the 156th pick of the draft.

Had Dixon not torn his ACL, he would have been selected much earlier.

He is a gifted athlete and polished passer -- Dixon completed almost 68 percent of his passes last season -- and he had been one of the frontrunners for the Heisman before going down late in the season.

"He has great physical talent," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "He can run, he has a strong arm, and he is coming to a great situation where he can grow behind two people like Ben and Charlie."

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Draft picks by the numbers
Here are the jersey numbers for the seven players the Steelers drafted last weekend:

2 -- QB Dennis Dixon

14 -- WR Limas Sweed

29 -- S Ryan Mundy

34 -- RB Rashard Mendenhall

53 -- LB Bruce Davis

55 -- LB Mike Humpal

66 -- OT Tony Hills

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The Steelers have made it clear that they drafted Dixon as a quarterback and have no plans to move him to wide receiver, something they did with Antwaan Randle-El earlier this decade.
If Dixon does turn out to be the dual threat the Steelers think he is, they could design some packages that would get him on the field and throw a change-up to the opposition.

"He can really be a headache for a defense," Colbert said of Dixon, who threw 20 touchdown passes in 2007 (and just four interceptions) and had nine rushing touchdowns. "He played in a spread offense, but, boy, is he a patient guy in the pocket, finds open receivers. This kid, he is a passer first."

His sights are clearly set on playing quarterback in the NFL.

Dixon spent last summer playing baseball in the Atlanta Braves' minor-league system, but he said he is finished with that sport.

"I know I have a lot of work (ahead in football), and I'm willing and able with open arms," Dixon said. "I just want to be a sponge and soak everything in."