Wednesday: Talking with the media
“Well just that. He was my first quarterback coach in the NFL and I learned a lot from him. We still keep in touch and we still hang out because he’s a good guy. He understands the game of football, too. He’s got a lot of stories and a lot of understanding of this game and so anytime you can be around someone and just absorb some of the things that they’ve been through I think it just makes you a better person and player.” — Ben, on what Mark Whipple meant to him as his first quarterback coach in the NFL.
Ben answers questions about last week’s game against the Ravens and the upcoming game against the Carolina Panthers:
How are you feeling?
Okay.
Are there any effects from the Baltimore game?
Yeah, but it’s football. You’re always going to be sore. I’ll let you guys know when there is a week that I’m not sore from the game.
Did that hit affect your accuracy during the game?
Who knows? I’m not going to make excuses. I didn’t play well enough, whether it was from a hit or just not playing good. I know it hurt.
What has happened since the offense’s success the first half against Cleveland?
We played a good team on the road (in) a hostile environment. We just made one mistake here, one there. I don’t think there are any big, glaring issues. No panic from us. It doesn’t get any easier this week playing one of the best defenses in the NFL. We just have to continue to get better and take what defenses give us.
Re: Carolina’s defensive line:
It’s hard to find a weakness in their defense in general. As I talked to the Carolina media, to give them credit, they don’t do a lot of things crazy. It’s not a lot of exotic blitzes (and) moving guys around doing things. Because they count on their guys just to whoop you and that’s their front four, which is kind of a front-seven, eight or nine because they rotate so many guys. (They are a defense) that always stays fresh and always goes hard so it’s definitely going to be a challenge for our offensive line but I know they’re excited for that challenge.
Do you talk with your offensive lineman and have […]
93.7 The Fan: The Ben Roethlisberger Show
“For me it’s just about focusing on our team, on me, our players, and what we have here in Pittsburgh. I’m not going to get caught up in things going on in other cities and with other players because that takes away from us, and what we have to do to be the best football team we can be…I’m trying to be the best Pittsburgh Steeler and representative for Pittsburgh that I can be, to make my team proud, our owners, our fans. For me it’s all about how can I be the best I can be for my family – to my kids, to my wife – because that’s what I want to do, be the best football player I can be, but I also want to be the best husband and father I can be.” — Ben, on his mindset when asked about all of the recent NFL news and distractions.
Ben joined The Cook and Poni Show on Tuesday for his weekly appearance on the #1 Cochran Ben Roethlisberger Show:
He looked back at a disappointing Week 2 performance last Thursday at Baltimore and he is still hurting from it.
Ben took a severe hit early in the game from Courtney Upshaw that he said may have been one of the hardest hits he has ever taken. Maybe a close second to the one Bart Scott put on him in Baltimore in 2006.
“I’m hurting today as much as I was at any point I can think of in the last year. I lost my breath instantly and remember hitting the ground thinking, ‘Boy, that hurt a lot.’ I kind of pride myself on not taking those big hits, but I sure as heck didn’t see it coming.”
Ben said that having wide receiver Lance Moore back this week will give them options in a four wide receiver package, and that they will also try to work some new players into the mix, saying that the offense they want to be is the one they were in the first half against the Cleveland Browns.
“It’s no time to panic. It’s a time to focus and to make plays and play better football.”
When asked if he sensed a “level of worry” from the younger players, he said he […]
“Thanks again Ben!”
From an email we received on Thursday afternoon:
My name is Ronald Farrell and I am a Lieutenant with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office in Charles County Maryland.
Our agency was just notified that we were approved for a grant from Big Ben’s Foundation for the purchase of a K-9 for our agency. This means so much – that we are able to put another resource out to ensure the safety of our officers and citizens in our county.
This was also somewhat personal for me since it is my birthday today, and it does get hard to celebrate on such a traumatic date (September 11th), but this news brightens my day, and along with that, I have been a lifelong Steelers fan.
We are so grateful to Ben and his foundation for all the support for Law enforcement Agencies across the country.
Thanks again Ben!
*And thank you to Lieutenant Farrell, Assistant Commander, Patrol Operations for the Charles County Sheriff’s Office!
Photo: That’s PFC Behm and his K9 partner, Ryker on the left, and Cpl. C. Clevenger and his K9 partner, Eno on the right. They apprehended three suspects in a shooting that occurred in Charles County, MD in May of 2014.
First grant of the 2014-15 season for the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation
Today, Ben announced the first grant of the 2014-15 season from The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund.
The Foundation will be distributing a grant to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, southwest of Baltimore, MD where the Steelers will play the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, September 11th.
“We appreciate The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation for their generous grant. The foundation supports a great cause and tremendously helps many agencies all around the United States. Our K9s are important to us and to the citizens we serve. They help track missing people, locate fugitives and provide extra safety for officers who must confront very dangerous situations. We wouldn’t be able to do this without this grant funding.” — Sheriff Rex Coffey, Charles County Sheriff’s Office.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office will apply the grant funds to the purchase and training of a new dog to replace recently retired K-9 Atos, who served with the department for over eight years.
During the 2014-15 NFL season, The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation will be distributing grants to K-9 units of police and fire departments in the cities and surrounding communities of each regular season away game for the Steelers. The Foundation will also distribute several grants to the Pittsburgh area and will consider a grant to a non-NFL market city in the United States for each playoff game in which the Steelers compete. The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation invited police and fire departments across the country to submit proposals detailing their needs.
This marks the eighth season that Ben’s foundation has distributed grants to K-9 units. The mission of The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation is to support K-9 units of police and fire departments throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on support for service dogs in Pittsburgh.
Ben and his Foundation also strive to support Make-A-Wish.
The Foundation distributed $157,600 in grants to K-9 units around the country during the 2013 NFL season and has distributed in excess of $1.2 million since 2007.
You can learn more about Ben’s foundation here.
You can also see some great photos in Ben’s foundation album here.
Inside the Locker Room: Big Ben
Ben weighs in on this week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Are there any thoughts that you want to share regarding everything that is happening in Baltimore?
No, we’re in Pittsburgh. We’re getting ready for a game. Thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. But we’re going to control what we control and that’s the game (and) what we can do on Thursday night.
How does a team go about keeping the outside distractions outside and staying focused?
It’s just about your guys in the locker room. There are distractions and a lot of it comes from media, family, friends outside, but if you keep it tight in your locker room that’s the best way that I feel you go about it.
Do you notice any new tweaks with Baltimore’s defense this year?
They’re a real good defense. They’ve got a lot of the same faces that are great players and some new ones. This is not going to be easy for us, especially on a short week. Preparation is quick. It’s going to be a physical game we anticipate and not an easy one for our offense.
What was the difference between the first half and the second half against Cleveland? Was it them or is there something that you can improve on?
A little bit of both I think. They’re a good team (and) a good defense. And we maybe weren’t as aggressive in the second half as we were in the first half. You learn from it.
What do you mean when you say you weren’t as aggressive?
We weren’t as aggressive. It means a lot of things.
What’s the biggest challenge in playing in a short week?
Getting prepared, both mentally and physically I know for myself. A lot of guys are beat up, just typical soreness after a football game and then turning it around to a couple days later to play probably one of the most physical games you’ll play all year. Just mentally being able to get your body as ready to play as your mind is.
Is this the best rivalry in football?
I think so but I’m playing in it so it’s different as I’m sure a lot of other teams will say that theirs is. But for a football fan I think you have to love it because it’s usually […]