Ben: Steelers Digest Player of the Week
From Steelers.com‘s Bob Labriola this morning:
“In one half of playing time against the Kansas City Chiefs at Heinz Field, Roethlisberger completed 13-of-19 for 166 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions for a passer rating of 113.0. And had Emmanuel Sanders been able to control the ball through the catch on what could have been a 34-yard touchdown, Roethlisberger’s numbers would have been even better. And on that particular play, the ball was perfectly thrown.”
You can read more from Mr. Labriola here.
From Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
If last season taught anything from the performance and production standpoint, it’s that … well, Ben needs to be Ben. It’s his offense. He’s the star, and this is how he’s most comfortable. He can’t be a couch covered in plastic to avoid the next spill. He can’t be bounded up in a box behind the line, required to release or relent within 2-3 seconds. He’s got to be used in the way he’s most effective, most intimidating.
Don’t underestimate that last point. In all the times I’ve interviewed the Steelers’ opponents on game week, Roethlisberger’s unpredictability dominated the conversation. Even when he was hurt. Even when the team was reduced to that one dimension. They feared the unknown.
You can read more from Mr. Kovacevic’s column here.
Favorite tweets during the game:
NFL on ESPN @ESPNNFL
Ben Roethlisberger is Houdini on a football field. #EscapeArtist
Dale Lolley @dlolleyor
Pure Roethlisberger there. Makes Hali miss, steps up in pocket, finds Dwyer for TD, takes big hit. #Steelers
Jeremy Mansfield @I_am_Jman
One thing for certain….@_BigBen7 is a beast. #Steelers #Chiefs
Mary Calabrese @luvsun21
@_BigBen7 Love your smile! It’s great to see your favorite QB love the game so much!
And one from a Chiefs fan:
Jesse Cordova @cordova_jesse
I don’t know if there is a more frustrating QB to watch your team play than Ben Roethlisberger
You can see photos from last night’s game, and one special photo taken by Merril Hoge before the team took the field, here.
Dulac: Steelers’ Roethlisberger enters the tutor era
“It’s definitely different. I wish I knew the offense even better than I do, just because I feel I know my answers will be even more right. I do the best I can to talk with Todd, to know the answers, so I can help these guys because they come to me and ask. And even if they don’t come and ask, even in practice, if I see something, I’ll come up to them and say, ‘Do this,’ or ‘I’m thinking do this.’ It helps to have that growth in this offense.” — Ben
From Gerry Dulac at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today:
In the second week of training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, rookie receiver Markus Wheaton ran the wrong route, causing Roethlisberger to throw the ball to the spot where Wheaton was supposed to be. As the No. 3 draft choice came back toward the huddle, Roethlisberger barked loud enough for all to hear, “If you don’t know the play, just ask.”
A feisty Roethlisberger?
No. Just a new one. A different one.
Kind of what the Steelers had been hoping to see from their quarterback, who is 31 and entering his 10th NFL season.
“He’s definitely got a chip on his shoulder,” offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. “Nobody liked the way we came down the stretch last year. He’s the quarterback, he’s at the controls. He’s in a great mental and physical place right now, and he just keeps getting better.”
For the first time since he entered the league in 2004, Roethlisberger is now the oldest and most-experienced quarterback on the team. He no longer has Charlie Batch or Byron Leftwich around in the meeting room to discuss the nuances of the offense and dissect and understand opposing defenses. They are no longer there on the sideline to discuss what is happening on the field during a game.
Roethlisberger is now the voice of experience, the player who is being asked the questions about the offense, not the player who might be seeking answers. He is the player responsible for making sure the new quarterbacks — Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones and John Parker Wilson — know what they’re doing and providing them with the right answers about the offense.
It is not by accident…
For more from Mr. Dulac’s column, click here.
Fan […]
Thursday: Talking O-line, Heath Miller & playing the Chiefs
The media caught up with Big Ben this afternoon after practice.
Some of the highlights from his interview:
How dependent are you guys on the running game this year?
We always want to be able to run the ball. It makes you more balanced and helps open up the pass and the play-action pass. So, it’s a big key for us. We’ve got guys that have been here and have done it – Isaac Redman, Jonathan Dwyer and Baron Batch. So, we hope we can get him [Le’Veon Bell] back as soon as we can, just as another guy.
Re: Having an edge this week as a team going into the game Saturday:
You want to win every game you play. That being said, I think the ones that start in a couple weeks are a little more important. It’s a good week for us, especially offensively. They have a real good defense and are going to present some looks that we haven’t seen in a while. It will be good work for us.
Do you still have a lot of faith in the offensive line?
Oh yeah, no doubt about it. My faith is at an all-time high with them. I’m not worried about that.
How come?
Because I know who they are and what they bring to the table.
We haven’t seen the starting five offensive linemen play together very much. Do you just have enough faith individually in them that it all adds up?
Yeah, because I see their work in practice, and I see their work in training camp. I see them in meetings and see the continuity that they have. It really instills a lot of confidence in me.
Can the other TEs be like Heath Miller?
Heath is special. To me, he’s one of the best tight ends in the game. As we say with guys that leave here, we never ask guys to be anybody but the best they can be. So, we’re not asking David Paulson or David Johnson or any of the other guys to be Heath – just be the best they can be and do a great job of filling in until Heath is ready to come back.
You can watch video of Ben’s interview and read more here.
Viva Ben, viva el #7
The Regios de Acero Steelers, proud fan club of Steelers México, wants Ben to know that not only do they have his jersey on…but they “have his back” as well!
Los Steelers México deseamos que sepas que te brindamos todo nuestro apoyo y con orgullo llevamos puesta tu playera.
“Ben, everybody here in Monterrey, Mexico – The Regios de Acero Steelers fan club wish you and the team good luck for the 2013 season.” — Roger Saucedo, Regios de Acero Steelers
Los fans de los Steelers en México llevan la camisa de Ben con orgullo, dedicación y pasión.
“This season, my friends and I will make the trip to the home of the Steelers – Heinz Field in December for the game against the Bengals!” — Roger
To really appreciate these amazing photos, click here for the larger versions!
¡Gracias por enviar estas maravillosas fotos!
Monday: Ben’s interview with KDKA’s Bob Pompeani
Did you miss it? Have no fear, we have the goods here!
“A loss is a loss to me. I don’t care how much you lose by. You lose by one point and it still a loss and it still hurts just as bad. So, we look at it as a loss, not it could have been this way or it could have been that way because there is an element of luck involved this game. The ball needs to bounce your way, but how could we have not made it be close? How could we have scored more points? How could we have not let them score as many points? Whatever it is, that’s what we need to evaluate and figure out how can we change it so it doesn’t happen again?” — Ben
Ben sat down with Mr. Pompeani last week in Latrobe. The interview was shown this afternoon on KDKA-Channel 2 during the 5:30 PM broadcast:
Pompeani started the interview by asking if having a child will make him a better quarterback.
“It brings a different perspective to life. It definitely teaches you discipline and patience, so maybe it will translate to being a better football player,” Roethlisberger said.
With the amount of head injuries piling up in the game of football over the past few years, some are questioning whether or not to let their kids get involved with the sport. Roethlisberger said he would let his son play football, but he has one restriction.
“If he wants to, absolutely, he can do whatever he chooses to do – within reason obviously. But my only stipulation that I will hold back will be that you can’t play until fifth grade. That’s when I played. I think kids are playing full contact way too early now. First, second, third and they’re hitting in helmets and that stuff. That’s the only thing I’ll say – no until the fifth grade. Flag football before, fine, but no full contact until at least the fifth grade,” Roethlisberger said.
Last year, much was made about a supposed rift between Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley and Roethlisberger. However, Big Ben said that there were no issues and their relationship has grown over the past year.
“I think it’s great. I don’t think there was ever an issue. People […]
“Franchise QB takes the next step”
“It’s a totally different year and dynamic for him. Even though he was ‘the guy,’ he had a couple elder statesmen in the (quarterback) room that he always showed 100-percent respect to. Now, he’s not only ‘the guy,’ he’s the elder statesman. It’s a different dynamic for him which I think he’s relishing. We’re excited about that aspect of it.” — Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
From Mike Prisuta, Scout.com:
Ben Roethlisberger’s presence has been as obvious as it has been audible at St. Vincent College.
In the huddle, in the meeting room, even in the cafeteria, where Roethlisberger joked the other day about exiting the pocket on a bootleg just fast enough to stay ahead of a hard-charging Steve McLendon, Roethlisberger has been as at ease as he has been involved and in charge.
Apparently, the transformation of Roethlisberger from mere franchise quarterback to franchise quarterback/voice of veteran experience among the QBs agrees with him.
He’s been heard from daily out on the practice field, talking with not only the other QBs but also the running backs, the tight ends and especially with the wide receivers before, during and after drills, a few of which Roethlisberger has appeared to be running at times.
When something works, it’s discussed.
When something doesn’t work, it’s discussed.
The on-field chatter has been as consistent as the sunshine at St. Vincent.
Roethlisberger’s level of engagement in what’s been taking place here has been unlike any in his nine previous camps with the Steelers.
“In meeting rooms, individual drills, team drills, you’re seeing a lot different side of him than maybe you saw last year,” Haley said. “For example, (Thursday) he’s supposed to be in the no-huddle for six (plays); he’s politicking before practice to get eight. He’s excited about what he’s doing and what we’re doing and continuing to try to get this thing where we need to be.
“I know he’s a good thrower. More importantly, the decision-making, handling the no-huddle, handling some of the checks and things like that, he’s on top of his game.”
You can read more from Mr. Prisuta’s column here!
*Photo taken by fan Biggie Riley, BHR Photography. You can see more of her photos, and others who have shared theirs from training camp here!