As the Steelers begin preseason play this weekend, it seems a foregone conclusion that Byron Leftwich will be their quarterback.

Yes, Ben Roethlisberger will see a little time — just enough to stay sharp — but Leftwich is the guy the coaches want to get ready to begin the regular season.

The question is why.

With Roethlisberger, you know what you're getting. The man is among the top five quarterbacks in the NFL. When he's eligible to play, Ben will see to it that he's ready to go.

With Leftwich, you know what you're getting. He's an eighth-year pro and a former No. 1 draft pick by Jacksonville. Protect him, he'll do the job. Don't protect him, you're in trouble.

With Dennis Dixon, you don't know what you're getting.

Now would be a good time to find out.

Dixon will see plenty of action in the preseason. There's no denying that. Whether he's being considered a serious contender to be the Steelers' starter for the first few weeks is another matter.

These preseason games should be an open competition between Leftwich and Dixon.

That's probably not the case.

If Dixon blows away Leftwich in quality of play, perhaps he'll be the starter.

This is not an open competition. The Steelers feel like they have to groom a starter, give the guy the bulk of the first-team reps in practice and the most time against first-team defenses in preseason.

They want to hand the keys to the car to a seasoned driver, not a kid still working on his driver's license.

It's Leftwich's job to lose — and he will have to lay a major egg to do so.

But the Steelers are missing an opportunity.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Dixon is an electrifying athlete.

Dixon had 6,377 all-purpose yards in college — ranking among the most in school history.

The Steelers got him in the fifth round, this is his third training camp with the team and he's showing no ill effects from his knee.

In fact, the guy rallied the Steelers into the lead late in the fourth quarter at Baltimore in his only start last season — a start he got on one day's notice.

This is a guy with the potential to be a make-something-out-of-nothing type of quarterback.

Of course, we'll never know if he's holding a clipboard.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle