From Joe Starkey, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

There is one man, and one man only, whose prolonged absence would reduce the Steelers’ chance of winning the Super Bowl to precisely zero.

You know who it is. Every single person in the locker room, coaches room and board room knows, too.

Ben Roethlisberger missed four games last season, and the Steelers needed Rex Ryan’s help in Week 17 just to make the playoffs. They were 2-2 with a popgun passing game when Roethlisberger did not play. They were 8-4 with a dynamic aerial attack when he did — including a game in which he replaced an injured Landry Jones and turned in the most prolific relief appearance in NFL history, torturing the Cleveland Browns for 379 yards and three touchdowns.

The Steelers would have succumbed in the wild-card round without an injured Roethlisberger replacing Jones for the final drive.

Big Ben might be losing weapons, one by one, as training camp approaches, but he still has enough — notably the great Antonio Brown — to inflict serious damage in his age 34 season.

Truth is, his game has never looked better. He just needs to stay on the field.

If it seems like Roethlisberger has become terribly fragile, the record shows otherwise. He has started 43 of the past 48 games —- 46 of 51 including playoffs. And that doesn’t include his immaculate relief performance against the Browns.

On the other hand, he started a career-low 11 games last season, sustaining four significant injuries along the way (sprained MCL, sprained foot, concussion, damaged shoulder).

On the other, other hand, he has evolved into a quick-release passer who was sacked on just 4.1 percent of his attempts last season, easily the lowest mark of his career and fourth-best in the league.

If he can stay in one piece, Roethlisberger has the look of a quarterback who will remain elite for another handful of years, a la Tom Brady, John Elway, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Joe Montana and others who were/are still getting it done into their late 30s.

Roethlisberger’s arm is in excellent shape. His deep ball has never looked so sweet. His short game isn’t bad, either, evidenced by his career-best completion percentage of 68.0.


You can read the rest here.

From Teresa Varley at Steelers.com:

On the day Ben Roethlisberger was drafted, former Steelers’ Coach Bill Cowher made a comment that would hold more than true when he said, “This kid has a lot of upside.”

As Roethlisberger is on the doorstep of his 13th NFL season, Cowher smiles when he thinks of how far he has come and how much upside he really had.

“It is amazing, but not surprising,” said Cowher, an analyst on The NFL Today on CBS. “It’s great to see where he is in his career. You look at him, he looks like he is in great shape. He is in a great place. He is without a doubt the face of this football team. He has accepted that responsibility. He is an elite quarterback. He is a special player. He has a special skill set. With him on your football team, you have a chance every Sunday.”

Cowher knows that as Roethlisberger goes, the Steelers go. But at the same time, he knows he is going to have to depend on the wealth of talent around him, from the offensive line, to receiver Antonio Brown, to running back Le’Veon Bell. They are all ingredients that can lead to a successful season for the black and gold.

“With this offense, you are talking about a pretty good offensive line,” said Cowher. “David DeCastro might be one of the best guards in the league and we all know it starts up front with them. Ben will be the first to tell you that. Antonio Brown is, if not the best receiver in the league, one of the best. Le’Veon Bell, as we have seen through the years when healthy, is such a dynamic player not just out of the backfield, but as a receiver.

“You couple that with a quarterback that has a great feel for the game, great vision for the game, who can see the field and is so resourceful. His improvisation is second to none. You put talent around him there is no limit to this offense. This is a team that is not just about playoffs, they are measured by championships which they should be.”


You can read more here.


Photo: Ben and Brett Keisel with Coach Cowher at the Sewickley Valley […]