“It’s family. The Pittsburgh Steelers are family, from the Rooneys down. It means a lot because there’s a lot of love from the Rooney family to the coaches to the players and the players back to the Rooneys.” — Ben

More from Ben’s interview with Mike Prisuta at Steelers.com:

The Steelers organization and the franchise quarterback are on the same page as it relates to Ben Roethlisberger’s immediate and long-term future.

General Manager Kevin Colbert said today he doesn’t see “a circumstance where Ben won’t finish his career here.”

And Roethlisberger doesn’t want to envision one.

“That’s always been what I’ve said, too,” Roethlisberger acknowledged this afternoon at Saint Vincent College. “I said it last year when the erroneous NFL Network reports came out (about Roethlisberger being unhappy in Pittsburgh and being expected to ask the organization to explore possibilities of a trade in the offseason).

“I want to be here.”

Steelers President Art Rooney II reiterated on Friday the team’s “intent” to sign Roethlisberger to a long-term contract extension after the upcoming season, and he said the Roethlisberger camp has been informed of the Steelers’ plans.

“We wanted to make sure they were understanding that we do want to make a commitment, that we do want to address Ben’s contract next year,” Rooney told Steelers.com. “It’s not a situation where we’re saying we want to put it on hold. We did assure him that next year is the time frame in which we want to address it.”

It’s an arrangement with which Roethlisberger is more than happy to take his chances.

“Every time you step on the field it’s a gamble, whether you’re in a contract year or you just got a contract or whatever, because it’s a very violent, physical sport. But you know what? We play it, we know the risk. We just go out and give it everything we have.

“We can’t worry about getting hurt or playing safe. I’m not going to get rid of the ball any quicker this year because I’m thinking about not getting hurt. I’m going to give it everything I have like I always do.”

If things eventually work out as Roethlisberger and the Steelers plan, he will have started and would ultimately finish his career with the same franchise.

“It would mean a lot,” Roethlisberger said. “It would mean […]

“Ben’s at that point in his career where he’s got big-time focus and has an awesome personal life with the growth of his family. He’s just in a good place. We’re expecting big things from him.” — Coach Tomlin

From Jim Corbett, USA Today:

In this summer of Johnny Football, two-time Super Bowl-winning Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is somewhat forgotten in the shadow cast by Cleveland Browns rookie national media magnet Johnny Manziel, who has yet to throw a preseason pass.

Roethlisberger shrugs the potential slight off the way he would a blitzer perhaps because he has never worked harder in an offseason to have the best season entering his 11th season.

“It doesn’t bother me because I’d rather slide under the radar,” Roethlisberger told USA TODAY Sports Monday when asked about the spotlight on Manziel. “I’ll let them have all the attention and we’ll just go to work. We just want to be the best team we can be. And we’ve got the them (Cleveland Browns) Week 1.”

In 10 seasons, Roethlisberger has led the Steelers to four division titles, three AFC Championships and two Lombardi Trophies.

Yet Roethlisberger consistently is ranked behind Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and others despite owning a 105-51 career record, including 10-4 in the playoffs.

Roethlisberger owns franchise records with his 63.3 completion percentage, 219 touchdowns, 34, 105 passing yards.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get that credit,” Roethlisberger said. “It will probably be when I’m done. People will look back and say, ‘Wow, he was better than we gave him credit for.’


You can read more from Ben’s interview here.



And check out this video from Ken Laird at TribLIVE Radio, today:

“Roethlisberger at work with Lance Moore, J. Brown, Wheaton, & Moye during Steelers camp drill today”

…at Steelers training camp!


Some big laughs, a few fist bumps, some high fives, and then it’s time to get serious!

But not too serious, as this youngster found out! Beware the BIG GUY chest bump!



You can see more photos from camp here!

And if you have any to share with us, we’ll post them here! Just email them to us at bigben7website@gmail.com.


*Thank you to fan Denise Marie for that first photo!

“I’ve always said it’s up to the good Lord and Mr. Rooney when I’m done.” — Ben.

From Will Graves at the AP:

There are days when Ben Roethlisberger can feel every single hit he’s absorbed during a decade as one of the NFL’s most fearless quarterbacks.

And there are days when the Pittsburgh Steelers star sees the young faces surrounding him in the huddle and it seems like he can play forever.

Yet at age 32 with small flecks of gray in his stubble, Roethlisberger knows he’s in the second half of a career that already includes two Super Bowl rings. While he understands the NFL is a business, Roethlisberger has no plans to entertain the idea of taking his business somewhere other than Pittsburgh.

Not now. Not next summer. Not ever if Roethlisberger has his way. And as far as he knows, his boss — Steelers president Art Rooney II — feels the same. Until that changes for either side, concern over his status is nothing more than misguided speculation.

“I have faith that the Steelers will do what we need to do when it’s time and that’s putting people on the field through free agency, trades, draft everything to make us the best team we can possibly be,” Roethlisberger said.

If he sounds like a grown-up, maybe that’s because he is.

The hard-partying 20-something is now a married father of two who takes his son to Pittsburgh Pirates games and is already thinking about where 1-year-old Ben Jr. and infant daughter Baylee, born in March, will one day attend school.

His priorities have changed. His drive has not.

Coming off consecutive 8-8 seasons that at times left him equal parts frustrated and mystified, he is focused but upbeat.

During a meeting Friday night shortly after the Steelers reported for training camp at Saint Vincent College, Roethlisberger made it a point to let his teammates know he hardly views himself as a one-man show.

“I said ‘Listen, there’s going to be a lot of talk about this being Coach Haley’s offense or my offense. This is our offense,'” Roethlisberger said. “It’s not just one person. The ownership is equal for everybody.”

It’s why he spent the offseason working on improving his arm strength even though he is already one of the strongest quarterbacks in the league. Wide receiver Lance Moore […]

It didn’t take long for Brett to respond when he saw the jersey his friend was wearing:

“Now a husband and father of two children, Roethlisberger is 32 and entering his 11th season. This is the fourth quarter of a career that could place him in elite company.” — Rob Rossi, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

More from Mr. Rossi’s column this weekend as the Steelers enter training camp:

Roethlisberger arrived at camp in the best shape of his career. He’s not the first to do so, but Roethlisberger looks like he has overhauled everything, especially eating and workout habits.

When was the last time Roethlisberger didn’t accept the burden of typically insane expectations for the Steelers? When was the last time he tossed a teammate or assistant coach under the bus? When was the last time somebody said something bad about his actions on or off the field?

When was the last time he wasn’t what Pittsburghers expect of a Steeler?

Unless we’ve been watching an amazingly scripted stage play the past three years, Roethlisberger has grown into a humble, hard-working leader of this proud franchise.

Roethlisberger is going to retire as a Steeler. He may retire as the Steeler of his generation or a Steeler for any generation.

The quarterback with 29 winning drives in the fourth quarter has the ball. We’re watching a career-defining comeback.


You can read the rest here.



And Alan Robinson, also from the Tribune-Review, has the “Tweets of the Day”:

Alan Robinson ‏@arobinson_Trib
One reason @_BigBen7 prefers to remain #Steelers player rest of his career is he wants to raise kids in Pittsburgh.


Alan Robinson ‏@arobinson_Trib
@_BigBen7 absolutely convinced he’ll win another Super Bowl or Super Bowls. Can tell he won’t be satisfied unless he does. #Steelers