From Teresa Varley at Steelers.com:

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger liked what he saw on day one, even if it was ‘football in shorts.’

“It’s fun to get on the field with the guys,” said Roethlisberger. “It’s always fun because it’s football.”


Welcome back: The start of OTAs meant the return of a few familiar faces to the field, including running back Le’Veon Bell.

Bell suffered a season-ending MCL injury last year against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field on Nov. 1.

“I was excited to have him back out there and excited to get him playing real football,” said Roethlisberger.


Center of attention: Also back on the field was center Maurkice Pouncey, who missed the entire 2015 season with an ankle injury he suffered in the preseason.

“It’s awesome,” said Roethlisberger of having him back. “If feels good to have him back out there. I am excited he is out there, healthy and our leader.”


Big Ben: He is still Big Ben, but there is a little less of him this season as Roethlisberger put in a lot of cardio work this offseason to drop some weight.

“It feels good,” said Roethlisberger. “You want to be the best you can be. You want to win Super Bowls. I just felt like it was the right thing at the right time.”


Reaching for 30: The goal for the Steelers offense last season was to score 30 points a game, and while they came up shy of that with 26.4 points per game in the regular season, the goal is still the same this year.

“Coach (Todd) Haley goes over our goals today as we start this process,” said Roethlisberger. “That was one of our goals, 30 points. We were close last year, but didn’t get there so we didn’t reach our goal.”


7 to start: It’s referred to by Coach Mike Tomlin as ‘seven shots,’ a drill where the ball is placed at the two-yard line with the offense looking to punch it into the end zone. The offense throws everything at the defense, and the challenge is simple, stop them.

It was commonly run in training camp last year, and during the season, but Tomlin pulled it out to start off OTAs.

“That’s Coach Tomlin’s new thing, that’s seven shots,” said Roethlisberger. “We were a little surprised we were […]

Daddy’s off-season is our FAVORITE time of year! It ranks right up there with Halloween, Christmas, Easter and our birthdays!!

From snowman-making to swinging to swimming to shootin’ hoops, we’ve been there – done that, thanks to Mommy & Daddy. They’ve kept us super busy with super fun things to do so far this off-season, and we wanted to share some of our favorite photos with you:

From Great-Aunt Tammy:

On the 23rd of April, my great-niece Audrina was visiting her uncle in Pittsburgh – He plays for Pitt-Nick Yarnall #33. Ben was there for the Miami game and he very graciously signed a baseball for her.

She was so happy and excited, she is definitely a huge fan of his! her birthday was this month, but he gave her an early (and the best) gift! I was so happy that she got to see one of the reasons we love him! I’m going to get her a #7 jersey to give her when I see her next month. Thank you, Ben! — Tammy Devine Palmer.

Tammy, thank you so much for sharing the story & photos with us!!

….or perhaps the “Tee of the Week” goes to:

For 23 years the @steelers have supported the #highmarkcaringcaringplace golf outing! Incredible run! Thanks to all! pic.twitter.com/ApiTO80a0e

— Merril Hoge (@merrilhoge) May 17, 2016

Please take a moment to stop by the Highmark Caring Place website to learn about this wonderful organization!

for the Ben Roethlisberger Football Camp to get here! He’s not only a life-long Steelers fan, but a return camper as well. His grandmother, Cathy, shared these photos with us:


“When Aden Satterfield was just 6 months old he had his jersey signed by Mr. Dan Rooney.”



“Aden proudly wears a #7 jersey from Ben’s college playing (and winning) days as a Miami RedHawk.”



“Last year he had an amazing time at Ben’s camp, and he’s looking forward to camp again this year. In fact, his sister Addy will be participating too! Thank you for this Ben!” — Cathy Satterfield.


Want to join Aden and Addy?

The Ben Roethlisberger Football Camp will be in session for two days next month at Bethel Park High School (309 Church Road, Bethel Park, PA) and spots are filling up fast now! Don’t be left out.

Stop by the ProCamps website this weekend and sign your child up with our special promotional code, BigBen7.

The Camp, sponsored by SunnyD, is open to boys and girls, grades 1 through 8, and Ben will be joined by a selection of the top prep and college coaches from the area.

Each day, campers will experience various stations, specializing in fundamental skills of football.

Individual groups will be small to assure that each camper gets maximum instruction.

Group rates are available for your team, school, or group of friends! For more information, please contact Alex at aland@procamps.com.

Ben will give daily talks highlighting the finer points of the game of football and beyond, as well as be on the field EVERYWHERE helping coaches, helping your child, and throwing those passes. Parents and guests will be able to listen to camp guests in designated areas at each location.

Dates: June 18th – June 19th, 2016

Times: 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM on June 18th.

1:00 PM – 4:30 PM on June 19th.

Place: Bethel Park High School, 309 Church Road, Bethel Park, PA.

Cost: $199. Use the code BigBen7 for $20 off the registration fee.

In March, Kevin (KJC Custom Sports Figures) made an incredible 3-figure “Big Ben – Threw the Years” display for the man himself (Yes, “threw” the years!).

Now he’s created a special piece as a tribute to all the work Ben does with his foundation:

“In honor of Big Ben and The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation: Ben with a German Shephard K9 officer! ‪Thank you for what you do Ben!!” — Kevin.

You can see a larger, close-up version of the collage here.


*Thank you so much for sharing with us again, Kevin!



And check out this Lil’ Fan:


Young Isaiah Raciti decided that he just can’t wait for the season to start to wear his #7 jersey, so it has become his Spring attire! His mom Murielle is wondering if she’ll be able to get it off of him long enough to put it in the washer?!


*Thank you for the photos, Murielle (and good luck)!