From Mark Kaboly, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
It wasn’t long after former Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders arrived in Denver last year that he said Peyton Manning was much more of a leader than Ben Roethlisberger.

Sanders surely wasn’t talking about this Roethlisberger.

This Roethlisberger gathers a group of his teammates to work out in Georgia during the spring.

This Roethlisberger grabs quarterback coach Randy Fichtner before practice because he wants work on a couple of throws that he doesn’t quite feel comfortable with yet.

This Roethlisberger not only attends every voluntary organized team activity, he routinely stays after practice with his receivers to get in extra throws.

And more noticeably now than in his 11 previous seasons, Roethlisberger is more than just a quarterback during practice — he’s being a coach, as well.

“It’s fun because I can tell the guys what I want on the field and they are going to listen because we all want to be the best we can be and help each other win,” Roethlisberger said. “I am just happy to have the coach’s blessing to be able to do that and not stepping on anybody’s toes.”

It’s a natural progression for Roethlisberger to step into a more hands-on approach with the offense.

“Man, that comes with being him,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “It’s evolved over the nine years I have been with him and it should. It is a natural maturation process. Not only in terms of what he is doing but understanding the scheme and approach we are taking offensively.”

Roethlisberger never seems to pass up a teaching point when it arises, especially during the past five weeks of spring practices.

“He is really coaching them up,” backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski said. “The most important thing about the quarterback position is having guys do things the way you want them done. I see him doing that more and more. Guys listen when he talks and that’s huge.”


You can read the rest here.

Ben’s camp in emails, Facebook messages, tweets & photos:



“What a thrill for those kids! Something that they will never forget, thanks Ben!” — Lynne Covelli

“You are the best on the field and off when it comes to showing how to do great things for fans and community. Thank you for being you.” — Susan Burkhamer

Zachery Mezger ‏@coachzman
me giving Ben a pep talk having fun @ProCamps @_BigBen7 love this guy he’s so cool to me #bigbenmybud


“This brought tears to my eyes. You likely aren’t even fully aware of the amazing impact you’re having on this young man’s life! Thank you!” — Allison Busalacchi

“It is so uplifting when athletes realize “But for the grace of God . . . . ” Ben showing compassion to Zachery, as well as others, is evidence that he is a class act – – – all the way!” — Roberta Villanueva

“You are a great person Ben…very inspirational…a true human being and the greatest qb in my book!!!” — Tony R Carbaugh




Steve Davidyak ‏@Badlab
@bgradkowski5 Thanks for taking a moment to snap a pic with my boys @_BigBen7 ‘s @ProCamps! You are a class act!

“What a beautiful way to encourage the younger generation more people should revalue what they do to promote kindness and unselfishness in the world today.” — Linda Silko

Todd Warner ‏@ToddWarner8
Thanks to everyone this weekend @_BigBen7 and @ProCamps! My son Nicholas had blast! He can’t wait until next year!



SDSportsPhoto ‏@SDSportsPhoto
Throwing a pass to every camper!!! Talk about a SUPER quarterback! @ProCamps @_BigBen7

“We just stood in awe while he threw all those passes! And in addition he threw many more as he moved threw the different groups!!! Our grandson was 3 for 3!!!” — Cathy Chambers Pennybacker

“What a great thing to do! Those kids will treasure this forever!” — Claudia DeVoge



SDSportsPhoto ‏@SDSportsPhoto
Our #MCM has to be the amazing @_BigBen7! Your leadership and teamwork with the kids at […]

From our favorite camper grandmother, Anita Doddroe!

Anita has been sharing photos from Ben’s camp with us since 2010, and she is back again this year (don’t know what we’re going to do when her grandchildren finally outgrow Ben’s camp!):


Ben spent time with each group of campers – here he is instructing his TE’s and WR’s.




Mirror Image: Ben enjoys chatting with some of the older campers as his father Ken looks on.




I LOVE running on this track, and I bet I can run faster than my brother!” — Baylee




Ben coaches during drills with the receiving team.




Anita’s grandson holds onto the ball and heads for the endzone! Heath Miller-esque!




“I guess I’ll just play football over here by myself. Let’s see, a little stretching…a few warm up throws…” — Benjamin, Jr.



You can see ALL of Anita’s great action photos here (bottom row & the next 3 pages)!

Day 1 is in the books…and in the photos, courtesy of our camper parents & grandparents!


The Pennybacker/Satterfield crew turned the hotel lobby Black &Gold this morning before heading out to Ben’s football camp! That’s Aden, Addy, Bella, Asher, and Garrett ready to work hard and have a lot of fun on the field!




Look at that!! Even Batman attends Ben’s football camp, AND he’s the first one there this morning!!

(Okay, so it’s really Austin Hoelke, but he is early and ready to go!!)




George Cecere and his future NFL stars! A broken wrist didn’t stop Brennan (right) from participating!




No Sunshine? No problem for this tough little camper! He was ready for a touchdown pass in the pouring rain!




Do we have to wait ’til the NFL Draft? Can we just sign these two up right now?




Burke may be at Big Ben’s football camp, but he is all about reppin’ ‪‎DaBeard‬! He shouldn’t be too hard to pick out in this shot!




These two campers traveled from North Carolina to participate in Big Ben’s camp!!



And last, but not least:


Benjamin Jr. showin’ off some mad skills on the football field to his new friend, Abby!



We have a lot more to share with you right here (pages 1 through 3)!

And stop back by this weekend to check out even more, we’ve got Day 2 coming up tomorrow!


*Thank you to everyone who shared photos with us!

…from Big Ben and Pittsburgh Dad!


Select from these great gift packs for YOUR Pittsburgh Dad:

Big Ben 5-Pack with It’s a Burgh Thing Cooler – Ben has brought you the ultimate in condiment coolers with his personal line of BBQ sauces and hot sauce!

Pittsburgh Dad 6-Pack with Black & Gold Cooler – If yinz are from Pittsburgh, then you know and love PITTSBURGH DAD! This Youtube sensation tells what it’s like growing up in the Burgh! Check out his tasty line of condiments packaged in an insulated cooler.

Big Ben’s Gift Set – The Big Ben Gift Set is perfect for any Steeler Fan! Includes 1 jar each of Big Ben’s Mild and Hot BBQ Sauces.

Pittsburgh Dad 3-pack – Yinz can’t pass this one up – Dad’s Steak Sauce, Dipping Mustard and Cayenne Hot Sauce!

And the Black & Gold It’s a Burgh Thing Cooler – Ben has teamed up with Pittsburgh Dad to bring you the best of everything in one big cooler!

Inside you’ll find:

Big Ben’s Mild BBQ Sauce (18 oz)
Big Ben’s Spicy Wing Sauce (18 oz)
Big Ben’s Commemorative Edition Habenero Sauce (5 oz)

Plus:

Pittsburgh Dad Steak Sauce (10 oz)
Pittsburgh Dad Dipping Mustard (7.75oz)
Pittsburgh Dad Cayenne Hot Sauce (6 oz)


In fact, it’s the perfect gift for the graduate or the new home owner, a “thank you” to your neighbor or a co-worker, or just buy it for your own summer BBQ party!


Ben’s portion of the proceeds will benefit The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation including Make A Wish, and a portion of Pittsburgh Dad’s will benefit Children’s Hospital Pittsburgh.


Order yours here!



Speaking of Pittsburgh Dad…did you see this one last summer?

Watch what happens when Ben picks the wrong house to go to after his car breaks down!

From his interview with Teresa Varley this afternoon:

Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sat down after Tuesday’s OTA session and talked about the offense improving, young wide receivers and some of the talent on offense.

The offense had a record setting year in 2014. In what areas can the offense improve?

We can get better every day. We can improve on third downs, we can improve on red zones, and we can improve on first down. To us, we never want to settle. We always want to continue to improve and get better. Just because we had a bunch of individuals that did great last year and we as a unit played great, we still feel like we can get better.


Is the red zone an area you really want to focus on improving in?

It means points, and the more points we can score it usually means you win football games.


How much improvement have you seen in OTAs overall?

I have seen some growth from young guys. Some of the veteran guys keep getting better. I am really excited about this team and hopefully as in every season health is always the key component.


Speaking of health, how much of a difference did it make to have a healthy offensive line last year?

It’s huge, their cohesiveness, their love for each other. They play so well together. If they can stay healthy that makes us everything.


What’s it like to have a target like Antonio Brown?

He is awesome. Every day he amazes you. He is a guy that works so hard and he is being rewarded with it because he is a special player.


What does (QB coach) Randy Fichtner mean to you, to your game?

I have been with Randy for quite a few years now and it’s great to know every day when I walk in what I am going to get. He is a guy that is always willing to help. Whether it’s today when I asked him to come out early to work on some stuff I wanted to work on. He is always out here ready to go. The film study. Just having a guy to talk to. I think the best thing about having a coach that has a player like myself that is a veteran guy is to not try and […]