To our Amazing Mom!!
You have been more than ‘just a Mom’ the last couple of months.
Thank you for being our teacher, chef, classmate, principal, and so much more…
We know it hasn’t been easy, but through it all – you have loved us more than we can even imagine…
And for that, we say thank you and we love you Mommy. You’re the best! — Love Jr, Bay and Bo.
I would also like to say Happy Mother’s Day to my Mother, my Mother-in-law, and all the other amazing Mothers out there. Hope you all have a Great and Blessed Day. — Ben.
For your viewing pleasure
“We are extremely confident in his readiness. We are enjoying the process he is going through right now. We like where we are. He is throwing on a rehab schedule. It’s going well. We fully anticipate him being ready to go.” – Mike Tomlin on #7 being ready for the opener.
Homistek: ‘Enough.’
“I’ve watched him, the last three years he’s been in unbelievable condition. Just getting in shape. I think that arm was hurting him for a year. So I think they’re going to have a big, big year. I think the Steeler defense is coming on. They could be right back in the thick of it.” — Bruce Arians.
From Hunter Homistek at DKPittsburghSports.com:
Ben Roethlisberger isn’t fat and out of shape, people.
Enough.
Roethlisberger’s one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, and his conditioning, while it’s become a hot topic recently thanks to a comment from Jay Glazer, has never been a problem on the field. Where it matters.
That said, it’s 2020, the Internet exists, and people went berserk with the Glazer’s words. As such, Pat McAfee had to investigate during Thursday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show. Speaking with Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians — who also served as the Steelers’ wide receivers coach from 2004 – 2006 and the team’s offensive coordinator from 2007 – 2011 — McAfee steered the conversation toward Roethlisberger, first by joking about the jungle currently growing on the quarterback’s face.
“Oh, baby. He’s got it going,” Arians, who is Roethlisberger’s neighbor on Lake Oconee in Georgia, began. “He’s trying to replace [Brett] Keisel.”
Then, McAfee turned to Roethlisberger’s recovery and his conditioning, noting that he had heard Roethlisberger is, in fact, taking his fitness seriously after coming off elbow surgery that sidelined him for all but six quarters of the 2019 season. Arians agreed.
That sentiment echoes Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert’s from late February in Indianapolis.
“He didn’t play last season so his body, the rest of his body, got the year off,” Colbert said. “I think that’s part of it. Anytime you repair anything with any kind of surgery, nobody knows at what point, you know when it happened, but what were the symptoms? Was his arm as strong as it had been? Who knows? I’m just optimistic that it could be better.”
Hunter’s Take:
What’s left to add? Everyone close to Roethlisberger has said the same thing since he went down last year and got the required surgery: He was hurting for a while, the issue’s handled and he’s on track to return for Week 1 of the 2020 season.
You can read more from Mr. Homistek’s report here.
Going through some of my old images from last year
…and found this. Loved seeing Big Ben and Mason Rudolph watching the Steelers D in action during the Ravens game after a long and animated discussion on the sideline about the previous offensive series. — Ed Thompson, Sports Photojournalist.
After the Draft, 2020
“I honestly don’t know much about Chase other than his numbers and size, but I’m excited. I heard he’s a good, hard-working guy and a great teammate. I’m sure he’s excited to get to come share a [wide receivers meeting] room and learn from a great player like JuJu.” — Ben, on Chase Claypool.
Are you wondering what happens now with the young men drafted by the Steelers during the pandemic?
The Steelers’ Bob Labriola has the answer in his latest “Asked & Answered“:
William Dowdell, Cocoa Beach, FL: What is the plan going forward for all of the men the Steelers added during the three days of the NFL Draft? What will the Steelers ask them to do in order to be ready for OTAs, rookie camp, training camp, and how is that going to be different from a non-pandemic year?
Bob Labriola: The Steelers virtual offseason program began yesterday, and Coach Mike Tomlin referred to that when he and General Manager Kevin Colbert did their final video-conference with the media at the end of the draft. Tomlin said, “We’re excited about the young men we were able to acquire, and now it’s our job as a coaching staff to get these guys assimilated into the program, and not only them but all of our guys as we get into the virtual offseason starting on Monday, and we’re excited about that.”
I would imagine that Phase I and Phase II of the virtual offseason program can be relatively identical to Phase I and Phase II of what the offseason program would be if all of the individuals were gathered at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, because on-field football-related drills are prohibited by the CBA at that time. There will be some differences created by not being in the same room, but the information will be transferred from coach to player, and then the players will be given a workout program that can do on their own to prepare themselves physically for whenever the sport re-opens. It will be different and it will be a challenge, but as Tomlin always says, since it’s the same for everybody, it’s fair.
You can read more from Mr. Labriola’s column here (and submit your own question).
Stay safe and well, Steeler Nation!