Tomlin talks Big Ben
From an interview with Coach T by Bob Labriola, Steelers.com:
Q: During a backs-on-backers drill on the first day in pads, Ben Roethlisberger stepped into the square and served as the imaginary quarterback/target instead of a ball-boy. You were standing right there watching. What did you think of that?
Coach Tomlin: Sometimes I play chicken with Ben. I think he wanted me to take him out of the drill, and I didn’t want to give him what he wanted. (Laughs)
Q: What’s to be gained from that, though, from having Ben participate in backs-on-backers?
Coach Tomlin: Ben’s presence adds credibility to whatever drill is going on. Often, he doesn’t get a chance to participate in backs-on-backers because he’s throwing the ball in some other drill taking place at the same time. More than anything, he was really excited about having the opportunity to see the drill. He hasn’t seen the drill in person a lot since he’s been with us. That was an element of it, but also I think he likes to be able to feel the pocket. Ben is a guy who has built his reputation on standing in and sliding in the pocket and extending plays, and he saw it as an opportunity to work on those skills some. Make no mistake: everybody in the drill knew he was in the drill, and they behaved accordingly.
You can read the full interview here.
A Steeler Nation Family Vacation
…….always includes the following essentials:
Sunblock ✔
Bathing suits ✔
Beach towels ✔
Shorts ✔
T-shirts ✔
Flip flops ✔
And most importantly –
Jerseys of your favorite Steelers players for a great family photo! ✔
The Mulinaro Family of Indianapolis enjoying their vacation in Destin, Florida!
Left to Right: Joey 22, Emily 14, mom Lori, Maddie 19, and dad Joe vacation in style – Steelers style!
“Roethlisberger Talks Kids, Rivalries & Remaining A Leader”
From Ben’s One-on-One interview with Mr. Bob Pompeani on CBS Pittsburgh:
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is ready to go this season and talked to KDKA-TV’s Bob Pompeani about how being a father of three changed his offseason workout routine.
“Just a lot of cardio, running and chasing kids. As you know, chasing kids will burn some calories,” Roethlisberger said.
In addition to the cardio, the three kids keep him busy at home.
“Awesome. Crazy, hectic. There’s a lot of words that can be used. But most importantly, it’s a lot of fun,” Roethlisberger said. “We travel a lot. Taking the kids with us when we travel isn’t always easy, but we want them to experience a lot of fun places.”
Steelers Nation is vast, which means it’s hard for Roethlisberger to not get noticed when he goes out, even with the family. While Roethlisberger’s children don’t quite know just how famous he is, they take it all in stride.
“Because we go places and people ask for autographs and pictures. My son, who’s the oldest one, just, is like, it’s nothing to him. I don’t think he quite comprehends yet, what it’s about,” Roethlisberger said.
On the field, Roethlisberger is the leader of the offense. His teammates listen when he speaks, but is it the same at home?
Mr. Pompeani: Are you the disciplinarian or –
Ben: Yes. I am. Absolutely.
Mr. Pompeani: Really?
Ben: Yeah. Not saying she isn’t but, I’m the one that lays the law.
Mr. Pompeani: They listen?
Ben: About 95 percent of the time.
Roethlisberger is entering his 13th year in the NFL. Eventually, he’ll make a decision about retirement, but that’s not coming any time soon.
“I feel great. I joke, but it’s kind of serious, that it’s either Mr. Rooney or the Good Lord is gonna tell me I’m done,” Roethlisberger said. “I feel now that I won’t play past when I can’t play. I’m not gonna force the team to make a decision. But, if I feel healthy I’m gonna do it. I hate looking forward to the end because I feel like I’m cheating the here-and-now.In this game, we all know, you’re one play away from being done. I don’t want to cheat the fans, my teammates, from now and here, this next practice, this next game to think about, ‘Oh I’m gonna be […]
Big Ben’s interview on Sirius XM NFL Radio
NFL Training Camp Tour: Roethlisberger to Steelers TEs: ‘Don’t try and be Heath Miller’
Ben Roethlisberger still can’t quite wrap his mind around the fact that he and the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers are at training camp and Heath Miller is nowhere to be found.
For almost all of Roethlisberger’s years as an NFL quarterback, he knew he could rely on his talented tight end to find those seams in the secondary, to make the clutch catches, to keep the chains moving.
Now, with Miller having retired, Roethlisberger needs to look elsewhere for dependability and production from the tight end spot.
“That’s the biggest thing for me, being here 13 years and 12 of them with Heath Miller, a guy that I love to death,” Roethlisberger told Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan at the Steelers’ camp in Latrobe, Pa. “To not see him out here and still tough. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. So to not have him out here but to have other tight ends that are stepping up, doing some different things — Jesse James, X-man (Xavier Grimble), DJ (David Johnson) — stretching the field a little bit.
“It’s different, but it’s good. I told them the other night, ‘Listen, don’t try and be Heath Miller, because you’re not going to be Heath. Don’t try and fill those shoes. Be the best Jesse and best X, best you can be.’”
You can listen to his interview here.
And if you missed the Steelers’ Friday Night Lights, you can watch a video montage here.
It’s a Fan Friday
Chris_Colella @ChRisCoLellA
Below: 10 years ago Big Ben was fairly new to PGH when my wife Amber and I ran into him at a Dairy Queen in Ross Township. We were already in line and were pregnant with our first son Josef. Ben was right behind us so we asked for a picture and an autograph on the receipt for our ice cream made out to Josef. Ten years later…here we are again, with our third and almost the same pose (but no ice cream this time)! Always Big ben fans! Big shout out to coach Giemont for making this possible! — Joseph […]
On a Throwback Thursday
Lookin’ back at that time we took over Dad’s website while he was away at Steelers training camp:
August 16, 2015 – Benjamin & Baylee wanted to share photos from their recent trip to Idlewild Park in Ligonier, PA…
*Chances are pretty good that we’ll be taking over again soon, this time with help from our new baby brother, Bodie!