“The Man Behind the Curtain”
“You get caught up when you get so much success so fast, especially in a place like this, where the Steelers are such a big deal. It does go to your head a little bit. I can admit that. You get caught up in the persona — Big Ben. It’s not always a good thing. When you start believing that’s who you are all the time, instead of just on the football field…It’s OK to be that on the football field. I use the analogy, you have to be Clark Kent off the field. You have to be Ben Roethlisberger off the field. I think when that Big Ben starts to get off the field, that’s when you run into issues of losing track of who you really are.” — Ben, from the interview.
From Judy Batista at NFL.com today:
The Pittsburgh Steelers practice had just ended on a temperate August evening, and children were everywhere. It was Family Day for the team, when the wives and kids of players and coaches visit training camp, play a little catch on the expansive green grass and stay for a barbecue. As thousands of fans headed down the hills of the Saint Vincent College campus in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to the parking lots, one of their heroes sat in a far end zone, his two toddlers bouncing around him.
That bucolic scene didn’t always have Ben Roethlisberger, his son and little girl at its center. And he wasn’t always everyone’s hero, either, even in Steelers-obsessed Pittsburgh. But five years after reaching a personal and professional nadir, Roethlisberger has crafted a successful and peaceful renaissance, formalized in a massive new contract agreed to this March.
As he prepares this season to lead the best offense he’s ever had, maybe the best offense in the NFL, Roethlisberger has also become something more: an unintended and reluctant example of a fruitful second chance, perhaps providing a roadmap even as the NFL and its fans grapple with how many more players deserve one.
“I feel like I let down my family, my teammates, my coaches, the Rooneys, the whole family,” Roethlisberger said one day, a few hours before another training-camp practice. “You feel disappointed, almost ashamed at times. Now that they have rewarded me with the [new […]
Benjamin & Baylee are taking over again!
They wanted to sneak in one more photo post before the Steelers 2015 season started…
And what better photo to start with:
Steeler Nation…
Your 2015 Team Captains:
Big Ben on offense, Cam Heyward & William Gay on defense, and Robert Golden on Special Teams!
Congratulations!!
Also Today:
“Roethlisberger prepares for the challenge ahead”
From Mike Prisuta, at Steelers.com:
Kicking it off on the road against the defending champs in a nationally-televised, much-anticipated, NFL regular-season opener has traditionally been a difficult assignment for the visitors.
What’s taken place in New England and with Tom Brady off the field and in U.S. District Court ever since Super Bowl XLIX might contribute to making Gillette Stadium even more of an emotional powder keg on Thursday night.
“It’ll be hostile,” Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger acknowledged. “It’ll be a great test, a great challenge for our guys. Some young guys, I use that phrase ‘welcome to the NFL,’ it’s going to be a heck of a welcome.
“I think the biggest thing is to go out and control your emotion because there’s going to be a lot of emotion flowing. The nerves will be flying around. Even guys like myself that have done it for a long time will be nervous. It’s how fast can you get rid of the jitters and the nerves and just play football?”
Roethlisberger admitted to having taken more than a peek at the New England defense during the latter stages of the preseason.
“Quite a bit,” he said. “During some off time and then last week especially knowing I’m not going to do much in that last (preseason) game.
“Compared to last year it’s different. Last year you let (cornerback Darrelle) Revis just kind of have that ‘Revis Island’ over there. This year they’ve been doing some different things so we’ve got a lot of film study still to try and prepare and get ready for.”
You can read more here.
Ben: ‘There will be jitters for everybody’
Weighing in on the opener against the New England Patriots
From his interview today posted on Steelers.com:
The long Steelers preseason came to an end on Thursday night and now it’s time for what players and fans alike have waited seven months for.
The 2015 regular season has arrived.
For the Steelers, that means facing the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots on Thursday, Sept. 10 at Gillette Stadium.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has a 3-4 record against the Patriots, will have a challenge with some of the personnel changes the Patriots have, but as always he looks forward to that challenge.
Here is what Roethlisberger had to say about facing New England, in the NFL’s 2015 Kickoff Game:
On being familiar with what the Patriots bring on defense:
“I am trying to get there. Coach (Bill) Belichick is a ‘mad scientist’ if you will. He throws all kinds of different looks at you, and blitzes and coverages. We will go back and look at things from the last time we played them and last year a little bit. We will try to figure it out, and we have to be ready to make in-game adjustments.”
On dealing with changes in Patriots defensive personnel:
“When you watch film, they had Darrelle Revis last year. They did a lot of things off of him. Now they don’t have him. I am not quite sure what they are going to do.”
On playing in the NFL’s Kickoff Game as the visiting team:
“From what I remember, it is awful crazy. I don’t know if they are going to reveal their banner. I am sure they will do something like that. You are playing the champs. It’s at their place. The fans are excited. The world is watching. There will be jitters for everybody, including myself. I have been doing this for a long time but I still get excited and nervous. But it’s about how fast you can get over those nerves and jitters, and just play ball.”
You can watch video of his interview here.
Before football season officially begins….
We thought we’d take you back once more to the fun we had at the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation Triple 7’s Weekend, which included his “casino night” event and golf invitational!
This wonderful weekend was put together to benefit two great causes: K-9 Police and Fire Units throughout the country, and Make-A-Wish®. It also included a Fan Contest – 20 fans were invited compliments of Big Ben himself.
You can also check out all the photos from his Triple 7’s event here & the tournament here.
*Thank you so much to our sponsors – Apollo Jets, Kyocera Mobile, Sprint, King Street Grille, Savannah Taphouse, Jergels, PNC, Rep 1 Sports, Make a Wish, MerrilHoge.com, RGT Financial Advisors, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, the Steelers, A&L Motor Sales, CSA, the UPMC Health Plan, Lionworks Printing & Graphics and Tito’s Handmade Vodka!
How can you not want to join us next year?
Are you attending the Bettis Bash?
The Jerome Bettis 10th Annual Caring for Kids Gala is September 18th and Steeler Nation is invited!
This is a Black Tie Event that will be held at the Fairmont Hotel.
Jerome will be honoring Ben that evening with the “Humanitarian Award – an award given to someone within the community who is making a huge difference – and this year’s it will go to Ben for all the good he does in our community.”
All event proceeds benefit The Bus Stops Here Foundation!
You can learn more about Jerome’s foundation by watching this interview with Christina Dickerson.
*Please email alyssa@dickersoncreative.com to purchase tickets or become a sponsor for this incredible annual event, or to make a donation!
Also Today:
Fan Stephen Brosky wanted to share his story about meeting Ben at Jerome Bettis’ HOF Induction Ceremony –
I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend Jerome Bettis’ Hall of Fame party. Being a diehard Steelers fan, this was a dream come true.
I thought my night was made just being surrounded by former and current Steelers…until Big Ben walked in.
He happened to walk in while my buddy and I were waiting to get our drinks. He walked by us and I asked if he wanted a drink, he stated “not right now”. I asked him if it would be cool to get a picture? He said to “hold on a second”. Not wanting to bother him, we got our drinks and headed towards the rest of the party. A few more people started asking him for pictures, and at that point, he told them to “wait a minute because I have to take care of something”.
Little did I know he was talking about me.
Ben scanned the party and spotted my buddy, Rich Staley, and told him to bring me over. When I walked up, Ben couldn’t have been nicer. We talked for a few minutes first and then posed for the pictures. He made sure to put us at ease and to talk to everyone.
When Ben was getting ready to leave he came over to thank me for offering to buy him a drink. He said he appreciated the generosity and that he “wouldn’t forget it”. To me, my night was made. […]