STEELERS Jacksonville must plan for different scenarios

The Jaguars are forced to prepare for five possible starters at two positions.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ben Roethlisberger, Tommy Maddox or Charlie Batch. Pick one of the above.
Willie Parker or Jerome Bettis. Pick one of the above.
Because of indecision and injuries in Pittsburgh, the Jacksonville Jaguars were forced to prepare for not one or two but three possible Steelers quarterbacks and two running backs for today's game at Heinz Field.
It's an unusual situation, because salary cap concerns usually limit an NFL team to no more than two veteran quarterbacks and one primary running back. But all three quarterbacks have been starters, and each has taken a team to the playoffs -- Roethlisberger and Maddox with the Steelers, Batch with the Lions.
"It's a luxury most teams don't have," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said.
Versatile
To Jaguars defensive end Reggie Hayward, it's more a case of three interchangeable parts doing the same job: Handing the ball off to a running back.
With the Steelers averaging 21 passes, not many in this era of the Mannings, Brady, Bulger and spread offenses, the Jaguars know what a defense that hasn't consistently stopped the run this season is going to get.
Namely, a lot of the fast Parker early in the game and a lot of the bulldozing Bettis late in the game. If the Jaguars can stop them, and force whichever Steelers quarterback takes the field from getting the ball down-field, they know they've got a chance to win.
But if they allow a 100-yard runner for the fifth time in eight games dating to last season, the Jaguars (3-2) know the plane ride home will seem a lot longer than the plane ride there.
"There are statistics out there that say we aren't very good," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said, referring to his team being the NFL's fourth worst against the run. "We're going to find out because I know one thing that Coach Cowher does with his football teams is run the ball at you."
Bettis, Reed deliver
The Steelers (3-1) did exactly that while grinding out their 24-22 Monday night victory at San Diego, squandering a 14-point lead only to have Bettis come off the bench for the first time this season to lead the decisive drive that set up Jeff Reed's 40-yard field goal with six seconds remaining. Bettis ran for 54 yards and a touchdown in his first game-that-counted action in nine months.
That's another Jaguars quandary as they prepare for a game they badly need to win to stay within reach of the Colts (5-0) in the AFC South. With most opponents, it's a case of preparing for a known quarterback and a known running back.
But with Roethlisberger not certain to play because of his hyper-extended left knee and Maddox coming off a calf injury that occurred in practice last week, the Steelers can come out with a number of combinations of personnel and game plans.
They might go with a less than 100 percent Roethlisberger or a healthy but rusty Batch mostly handing off -- he has thrown only eight passes in four years and hasn't started since 2001.
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