Byron Antron Leftwich life and biography

Byron Leftwich is an American football quarterback in the National Football League who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars seventh overall in the 2003 NFL Draft.

PRO (57-49/2-1): Traded to his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, for a 7th round draft pick on April 20, 2010…started the first three games for the Buccaneers during the 2009 season but battled an elbow injury…was inactive for a few games and was placed on Reserve/Injured List on November 24, 2009…signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on April 12, 2009…played in five games for the Steelers in 2008 in place of injured QB Ben Roethlisberger…signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 10, 2008 to be the backup QB…released by the Atlanta Falcons on February 15, 2008…played in three and started two games for the Falcons during the 2007 season…signed a two-year contract with Atlanta on September 18, 2007…released by the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 1, 2007…originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round (7th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft.

2009 (3-3/0-0): Started the first three games of the season battling elbow problems…threw for 594 yards and four touchdowns…completed 54 percent of his passes and was only sacked twice in three games…sat out the next few games with an elbow injury and was inactive up until Week 11…placed on Reserve/Injured List after Week 11 and missed the rest of the season…9/13 vs. Dallas: Threw for 276 yards and one touchdown in the season-opening game…completed 25-of-41 passes…9/20 at Buffalo: Threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns…completed 26-of-50 passes…9/27 vs. New York Giants: Completed seven passes for 22 yards and one interception…played the game despite having an elbow injury. 10/4 at Washington: Dressed but did not play…10/11 at Philadelphia: Dressed but did not play

2008 9/7 vs. Houston: Made his Steelers debut and played in his 50th career game when he relieved Ben Roethlisberger in the fourth quarter…he did not complete a pass in four attempts and rushed twice for zero yards…led the Steelers to one score in four drives as Jeff Reed hit a 44-yard field goal on Leftwich’s third possession…9/14 at Cleveland: Did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup…9/21 at Philadelphia: Played the final series in place of Roethlisberger, who left with a hand injury…completed 4-of-7 passes for 60 yards and a passer rating of 85.4…9/29 vs. Baltimore: Did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup…10/5 at Jacksonville: Did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup…10/19 vs. Cincinnati: Played in his 52nd career game when he relieved Roethlisberger on the game’s final drive…completed 3-of-3 passes for 34 yards and one touchdown for a passer rating of 153.5…was his first touchdown pass as a member of the Steelers and the 53rd of his career…10/26 vs. New York Giants: Did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup…11/3 at Washington: Made his fourth appearance as a member of the Steelers when he relieved Roethlisberger at the beginning of the second half…finished 7-of-10 (70.0 pct.) for 129 yards with one touchdown and a passer rating of 145.8…threw a season-long pass of 50 yards to Nate Washington…tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes in the fourth quarter…rushed once for negative-one yards…11/9 vs. Indianapolis: Did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup…11/16 vs. San Diego: Did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup…11/20 vs. Cincinnati: Did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup…11/30 at New England: Did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup…12/7 vs. Dallas: Did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup…12/14 at Baltimore: Did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup…12/21 at Tennessee: Did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup…12/28 vs. Cleveland: Played in his 54th career game in relief of Roethlisberger…finished 7-for-12 for 80 yards and an eight-yard rushing touchdown for a passer rating of 78.5…AFC Divisional Game 1/11 vs. San Diego: Played in his second postseason game during the final two series of the fourth quarter…only pass attempt was incomplete…rushed four times for -2 yards (-0.5 avg.) with a long of 2 yards…AFC Championship Game 1/18 vs. Baltimore: Dressed but did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup…Super Bowl XLIII 2/1 vs. Arizona: Dressed but did not play as Roethlisberger’s backup.

2007 (3-2): Played in three games with two starts for the Falcons after being signed on September 18…spent training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars prior to being released during final roster cuts on September 1…played in three games for the Falcons with two starts…completed 32-of-59 passes for 279 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions for a passer rating of 51.4…was inactive for 10 games and served as the backup in one other game…9/18: Signed by Falcons…9/23 vs. Carolina: Was inactive…9/30 vs. Houston: Was inactive…10/7 at Tennessee: Completed 2-of-8 passes for 28 yards with one interception and a passer rating of 2.1…rushed three times for one yard…10/15 vs. New York Giants: Was inactive…10/21 at New Orleans: Made his first start as a member of the Falcons…completed 15-of-23 passes for 145 yards with one touchdown and a passer rating of 97.2… rushed three times for six yards prior to leaving the game with an ankle injury…11/4 vs. San Francisco: Was inactive…11/11 at Carolina: Was inactive…11/18 vs. Tampa Bay: Started his second game of the season…completed 15-of-27 passes for 106 yards with two interceptions and a passer rating of 32.7…11/22 vs. Indianapolis: Was inactive…12/2 at St. Louis: Was inactive…12/10 vs. New Orleans: Served as the backup…12/16 at Tampa Bay: Was inactive…12/23 at Arizona: Was inactive…12/30 vs. Seattle: Was inactive.

2006 (6-6): Started the first six games of the season and completed 108-of-183 passes for 1,159 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions…rushed 25 times for 41 yards (1.6 avg.) with two touchdowns…was inactive for five games with an ankle injury before being placed on the Reserve/Injured List on December 1…9/10 vs. Dallas: Completed 23-of-34 passes (67.6 pct.) for 237 yards with one touchdown and one interception…rushed five times for seven yards (1.4 avg.) with one touchdown…9/18 vs. Pittsburgh: Completed 26-of-39 passes for 260 yards with one interception…9/24 at Indianapolis: Completed 16-of-28 passes for 107 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions…rushed six times for 14 yards (2.3 avg.) with one touchdown…10/1 at Washington: Completed 20-of-34 passes for 290 yards with a season-high three touchdowns and two interceptions…rushed five times for 14 yards (2.8 avg.)…10/8 vs. New York Jets: Completed 9-of-20 passes for 140 yards with two touchdowns…his touchdown pass to George Wrighster was his 50th career touchdown pass…10/22 at Houston: Completed 14-of-28 passes for 125 yards before leaving with an ankle injury…10/29 at Philadelphia: Was inactive…11/5 vs. Tennessee: Was inactive…11/12 vs. Houston: Was inactive…11/20 vs. New York Giants: Was inactive…11/26 at Buffalo: Was inactive…12/1: Placed on the Reserve/Injured List.

2005 (11-11): Selected as an offensive captain by his teammates and started the first 11 games before fracturing his left ankle at Arizona on November 27…returned to start the AFC Wild Card Game at New England after missing the last five regular-season games…finished the season completing 175-of-302 passes (57.9 pct.) for 2,123 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions…ranked seventh in the AFC and ninth in the NFL with an 89.3 passer rating…named to USA Today’s All-Joe Team, which goes to players who overachieved…9/11 vs. Seattle: Completed 17-of-31 passes for 252 yards with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 103.2…also rushed four times for nine yards (2.3 avg.)…9/18 at Indianapolis: Completed 16-of-29 passes for 198 yards…rushed three times for 11 yards (3.7 avg.)…9/25 at New York Jets: Completed 16-of-23 passes (69.5 pct.) for 177 yards with two touchdowns and one interception…rushed two times for 12 yards (6.0 avg.)…threw the game-winning touchdown pass of 36 yards to Jimmy Smith in overtime…10/2 vs. Denver: Completed 20-of-34 passes (58.8 pct.) for 240 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions…10/9 vs. Cincinnati: Led the Jaguars to a primetime win by completing 10-of-24 passes for 161 yards with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 92.5…10/16 at Pittsburgh: Completed 19-of-35 passes for 177 yards with one touchdown and one interception…10/30 at St. Louis: Completed 18-of-31 passes (58.1 pct.) for 213 yards with two touchdowns and one interception…rushed one time for nine yards…surpassed 7,000 career passing yards…11/6 vs. Houston: Completed 19-of-25 passes (76.0 pct.) for 218 yards with one touchdown and a passer rating of 115.1...rushed four times for 10 yards (2.5 avg.) with one touchdown…11/13 vs. Baltimore: Completed 16-of-30 passes for 211 yards with one touchdown…11/20 at Tennessee: Completed 22-of-38 passes for a season-high 258 yards (57.8 pct.) with three touchdowns and a passer rating of 104.9…was his first career three-touchdown performance…also rushed six times for nine yards (1.5 avg.) with one touchdown…11/27 at Arizona: Completed his first two passes for 18 yards before leaving the game with a fractured ankle…12/3 at Cleveland: Was inactive…12/10 vs. Indianapolis: Was inactive…12/17 vs. San Francisco: Was inactive…12/24 at Houston: Was inactive…12/31 vs. Tennessee: Was inactive…AFC Wild Card Game 1/7 vs. New England: Returned to lineup after missing the final five games of the regular season with a fractured ankle…completed 18-of-31 passes for 179 yards with one interception in a losing effort.

2004 (14-14): Started 14 games for the Jaguars…completed 267-of-441 passes (60.5 pct.) for a career-high 2,941 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions…ranked 10th in the AFC with an 82.2 passer rating…9/12 at Buffalo: Completed 18-of-36 passes for 147 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions…threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Ernest Wilford with no time remaining on the clock…also rushed twice for 11 yards (5.5 avg.)…9/19 vs. Denver: Completed 8-of-16 passes for 120 yards with one touchdown…rushed twice for eight yards (4.0 avg.)…9/26 at Tennessee: Completed 14-of-20 passes (70.0 pct.) for 124 yards with one touchdown…led the game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter for the second time in three weeks…10/3 vs. Indianapolis: Completed 29-of-41 passes (70.7 pct.) for 318 yards and one touchdown for a passer rating of 101.5...10/10 at San Diego: Completed 36-of-54 passes (66.7 pct.) for 357 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions…set single-game highs in attempts, completions and passing yards…10/17 vs. Kansas City: Led his third game-winning fourth quarter drive of the season when he hit Cortez Hankton for the winning score…completed 24-of-36 passes (66.7 pct.) for 298 yards with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 110.6…10/24 at Indianapolis: Made his 20th career start…notched his third 300-yard game in his last four starts…completed 23-of-30 passes for 300 yards with two touchdowns and one interception…led the team to its fourth come-from-behind victory in the fourth quarter…started the game by completing 10 straight passes and finished the game with a passer rating of 116.0…had thrown a touchdown pass in 12 straight games, which was the longest active streak in the AFC…broke team record with 15 consecutive completions including his last five vs. Kansas City on Oct. 17 and the first 10 of this game, topping the previous record of 13 set by Mark Brunell…10/31 at Houston: Completed 25-of-40 passes for 227 yards with two interceptions…left the game for two plays in the second quarter with an injured left knee, but returned to finish the game…11/14 vs. Detroit: Was inactive with a left knee injury, snapping a string of 21 consecutive starts…11/21 vs. Tennessee: Was inactive…11/28 at Minnesota: Returned to the lineup after missing two games and completed 19-of-34 passes for 235 yards with one touchdown…12/5 vs. Pittsburgh: Completed 16-of-27 passes (59.3 pct.) for 268 yards with one touchdown…surpassed 5,000 passing yards (5,213) for his career…12/12 vs. Chicago: Completed 25-of-45 passes for 242 yards with two touchdowns and one interception…rushed four times for eight yards (2.0 avg.)…12/19 at Green Bay: Made his 25th career start…completed 9-of-20 passes for 121 yards with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 98.1…ran three times for nine yards (3.0 avg.)…was the sixth multiple touchdown game of his career and the second time producing back-to-back multiple touchdowns in his career…12/26 vs. Houston: Completed 6-of-14 passes for 35 yards with one interception…suffered a concussion in the first quarter but returned to the game before being relieved in the fourth quarter by David Garrard…1/2 at Oakland: Completed 15-of-28 passes 149 yards with one interception…rushed 10 times for 41 yards (4.1 avg.).

2003 (15-13): Took over the starting job in Week 4 at Houston after Mark Brunell injured his left elbow the week prior…finished the season with 2,819 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 16 interceptions…tied for 11th in the AFC with a 73.0 passer rating, which is fourth highest of the 37 quarterbacks who have been drafted in the first round since 1983…13 starts tied for the ninth most by a rookie in Jaguars’ history…9/7 at Carolina: Did not play…9/14 vs. Buffalo: Saw his first NFL action on the team’s final drive…completed seven-of-eight passes for 92 yards, including his first NFL touchdown pass to George Wrighster…had a passer rating of 154.2…9/21 at Indianapolis: Played on the final drive of the game…completed four-of-five passes for 32 yards with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Hatchette…9/28 at Houston: Completed 17-of-36 passes for 231 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in his first career NFL start…rushed twice for 11 yards (5.5 avg.)…10/5 vs. San Diego: Notched his first career NFL win as a starting quarterback…completed 19-of-28 passes for 336 yards with two touchdowns for a passer rating of 132.4…passer rating was the fourth-highest single-game rating in Jaguars’ history and passing yards were the 11th-highest total and most of any Jaguars QB other than Brunell…10/12 vs. Miami: Completed 24-of-42 passes for 256 yards with three interceptions…rushed five times for 24 yards (4.8 avg.) with his first career NFL rushing touchdown…10/26 vs. Tennessee: Completed 15-of-27 passes for 158 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions…11/2 at Baltimore: Completed 22-of-34 passes for 208 yards with one touchdown and one interception for a passer rating of 79.0…11/9 vs. Indianapolis: Completed 12-of-22 passes for 179 yards with one touchdown for a passer rating of 96.6…led the Jaguars to a last-minute victory…rushed three times for six yards (2.0 avg.) with one touchdown…had produced a touchdown in eight straight games (running or passing) at the start of his career, tied for the second-longest streak for players who began their careers since 1970…11/16 at Tennessee: Completed 15-of-31 passes for 151 yards with two interceptions…11/23 at New York Jets: Completed 17-of-33 passes for 172 yards with one interception…11/30 vs. Tampa Bay: Led the Jaguars to victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers on ESPN “Sunday Night Football”…completed 20-of-34 passes for 224 yards with two touchdowns for a passer rating of 98.2…threw a 48-yard touchdown to Jimmy Smith in the fourth quarter…12/7 vs. Houston: Completed 18-of-29 passes for 194 yards with one touchdown…12/14 at New England: Completed 21-of-40 passes for 288 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions…rushed three times for 10 yards (3.3 avg.)…12/21 vs. New Orleans: Completed 9-of-17 passes for 131 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions…rushed twice for 23 yards (11.5 avg.)…12/28 at Atlanta: Completed 19-of-32 passes for 167 yards with one touchdown and a passer rating of 83.7…rushed three times for 33 yards (11.0 avg.).

COLLEGE:

One of the most prolific passers in college football history, setting Mid-American Conference career records for passing yards and total offense…three-year starter who completed 939-of-1,442 passes (65.1 pct.) for 11,903 yards with 89 touchdowns and 28 interceptions…amassed 12,090 yards of total offense on 1,632 plays…inducted into the Marshall University Hall of Fame in 2007…graduated with a degree in business. 2002: Finished sixth in voting for Heisman Trophy…was first-team All-MAC…became the first repeat winner of the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in a decade…completed 331-of-491 passes for 4,268 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. 2001: Completed 315-of-470 passes for 4,132 yards with 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions…named MAC Offensive Player of the Year…won the Vern Smith leadership award…was a semifinalist for the 2001 Offensive Player of the Year award as voted by Football News…twice earned MAC Player of the Weeks honors for the weeks of October 1 and 22. 2000: Completed 279-of-457 passes for 3,358 yards with 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions…was named MAC Player of the Week for the week of October 3. 1999: Spent the season as the backup to Chad Pennington.

PERSONAL:

Attended H.D. Woodson High in Washington, D.C. where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball…named All-Metro, George Michael’s Golden 11 and Offensive Player of the Year as a senior…participated in the JCPenny Take a Player to School program and actively supports the charitable efforts of his teammates…Full name: Byron Antron Leftwich.

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