Wednesday’s Q&A with the media
“I know that I can play better football. I believe in myself. I know that no matter what’s going on, I’m going to fight my butt off to get a win. If that’s the way that I need to lead right now by showing these guys that I’m going to do everything I can to win a football game, then I’ll keep doing that.” — Ben.
From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:
Ben Roethlisberger is a bit bruised this week after suffering a hip injury against the Packers, but while he might be feeling some aches and pains, he isn’t making excuses.
Roethlisberger isn’t pointing to the injury to explain any issues with his play, knowing that he just has to continue to perform better each week.
“It’s pretty sore. It’s just something we’ve all got to deal with when we play this game of football,” said Roethlisberger on Wednesday morning, also indicating his plan is to play on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. “I’m not going to make excuses, but as a quarterback there’s so much involved in your lower body. People probably think as a quarterback or as a thrower it’s how’s your arm doing. Your arm is a small part compared to the whole package, just your core, your lower body.
“I’ve got to find ways to be better with my lower body, going back and watching the game. A lot of the throws that I missed were missed because my lower body wasn’t in sync. Over striding, not stepping towards my target. Things that mechanically I know I can fix and need to fix. Obviously when you’re dealing with pain it’s harder to get through those things, but nothing I can’t get through and I’ll work to get through.
“I think there is some compensating that happens when you can’t drive into a throw, but once again I’m not going to make excuses. I’ve been doing this a long time, played through lower body injuries before so that’s things I need to get better with.”
He is hoping it starts Sunday against the Broncos, a team that is coming off a loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but sporting a 3-1 record.
“We know it’s early. We played some good football teams,” said Roethlisberger. “We feel like we’re making some progress and we just have to find a way at the end of the […]
Week 4: Steelers 17, Packers 27
Notable Quotes:
“We’ve had some down years. It has probably never started like this. What a challenge for us. I think this is going to test us all. That we need to look in the mirror and we need to figure out what path we’re gonna take. And I know what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna come out tomorrow and give it everything I have and do the same thing this week and get ready to go. I just hope and pray that everyone else in that locker room does the same thing. Because I think potentially it can be easy to quit in a situation like this, and I don’t think that we have that in this locker room. But you’ve gotta get ready to go.” — Ben.
“I’m human, I have feelings. I was on the sideline. I got upset with myself because I make those plays…A game like this in a critical time and moment … I’m not mad at the team, I’m not mad at the play-calling, I’m not mad at Ben making a throw. It’s all on me. That’s my quarterback. I’m always going to have his back, whether I make a play or not. I just know that he’s going to ride or die for everyone on the team& in the locker room.” — JuJu Smith-Schuster, when asked about throwing a tablet down in frustration on the bench (that was caught by a CBS cameraman.
Roethlisberger joined a group that includes Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Philip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers.
Roethlisberger has spread the wealth with his touchdown passes, going to a total of 53 players.
Roethlisberger threw a career-high 34 touchdown passes in 2018 and added 33 touchdown passes in 2020. Four times he has thrown for more than 30 touchdowns in a season, including 32 in 2007 and 2014. The only time he didn’t throw for double-digit touchdowns in his career was in 2019, when his season was cut short after Week 1 due to an elbow injury.
While we wait for the game to start…
“I wanted to do something special for a personal friend of mine – we live in Wisconsin, and my friend, Mike Arntz is a lifelong Steeler fan – pretty tough to do in the land of Cheeseheads (see his pontoon boat). Below is the story describing what he did, donating 70% of his liver for his ailing nephew. In my eyes, Mike is a hero.” – Dr. Kent Vandehaar, Chippewa Falls, WI
“I was amazed that he was willing to do this for me,” Tyler said.
And Mike?
“I really never had any hesitation about the whole thing,” he said, recalling that he knew it was the right thing to do and imagined the regret he would have felt if he found out later he was a match and anything happened to Tyler while awaiting a deceased donor liver.
His friend Kent said that Mike is one of the nicest people you will ever meet and, “a true living hero in my eyes.”
We had to agree with Kent. Mike makes Steeler Nation proud!
“We gave Mike his shoe – we set it up as a visit from some of his racquetball buddies – we all showed up in our Packer stuff and cruised around the lake in his Steelers pontoon. I’m the one in the white hat. He was in awe at the present! Thanks to Ben for bringing awareness to organ donation!” — Kent
“Ben, I just want to thank you so very much for all you have done! My friend Kent Vandehaar contacted you and let you know about my being a HUGE Steelers & Ben fan […]
Wednesday’s Q&A with the media
“We’re a group that is close I believe. We’re a group that has to believe in each other, which I think we do. And we’re a group that is not going to panic.” — Ben.
From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:
Starting fast.
It’s something the Steelers offense hasn’t been able to do the way they would like so far this season, in particular last week against the Bengals when their first two drives were three-and-out, and the third one also a three-play drive, ended by an interception.
Ben Roethlisberger said it’s on him to get the offense going faster, something he admits he was told by his college coaches at Miami (Ohio).
“Traditionally, I’ve never really been a fast kind of start guy. My college coach, Coach (Terry) Hoeppner, used to say the same thing. He would say we have to get you started faster in practices and games. I need to start faster.
“I know the coaches are doing a great job of scripting things, whether it’s screens or getting the ball out. Plays you really like. As an offense we need to start faster, but it starts with me. I need to get better with that because that’s kind of the key to a successful day, starting fast.”
Roethlisberger said he doesn’t know why he starts slow, but that he needs to change it now.
“I wish I knew. It’s been a long time since I’ve had coach tell me those things, but I just got to be better. I don’t want to say we need to start fast. We do. But it starts with the guy who has the ball in his hands.”
It’s easy to say start fast. It’s harder to do sometimes. Roethlisberger is involved with the scripting of the first plays on offense, but it doesn’t always mean it will turn into a fast start.
“I think the way they do the top 10 or the beginning script is each coach kind of picks their 5-10 favorite plays and they kind of talk about it and formulate it and they bring it to me Saturday morning. We look at it and talk about it and make some last-minute tweaks and adjustments.”
Roethlisberger pointed to an array of issues on Sunday against the Bengals that led to the slow […]
A message to Steelers Nation
I am so honored to team up with ‘Big Ben’ Roethlisberger to tackle a great cause!
When Ben wore my ‘Different’ shirt to training camp a few weeks ago and it caused so much attention, we knew we should take the opportunity to shine a light on something way bigger than a T-shirt. Honored to partner with Light of Life Rescue Mission, who has been on the ground making a huge difference in the lives of homeless citizens in Pittsburgh for a years.
For every shirt we sell, two meals are being donated to Light of Life Rescue Mission! — Micah Tyler.
.@_BigBen7 loves his city and wants to make a difference. And he loves his @Steelers teammates and coaches so it was cool the first #DifferentShirt that anyone bought to support @lightoflife was from Ben himself for everyone in the #Steelers organization! https://t.co/jE8wnK8bbd pic.twitter.com/Q94MkquNzU
— Micah Tyler (@MicahTylerMusic) September 25, 2021
Wednesday’s Q&A with the media
You know we’re not panicking. It’s only the second week. We’re 1-1, we lost to a team that’s 2-0 and it was a one score game till the end. It feels like a bad feeling, a bad loss, but we understand it’s real early in the season. Everyone in our division has the same record, so we’re going to get ourselves together and get ready to go. — Ben.
From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:
Ben Roethlisberger smiled when asked if it hurts when he laughs after injuring his left pectoral muscle against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
I actually can do that okay.
But there was pain on Sunday after he suffered the injury, something he isn’t certain how it happened, but knows it came early on.
I don’t know how it happened. I just know it happened early in the game. Typically when I reach for something outside the framework from my body, or trying to push up, get up off the ground or something like that. I haven’t thrown a ball since the game. You have a lot of adrenaline going during the game.
The Steelers return to the practice field on Wednesday, and Roethlisberger didn’t indicate what it will take for him to feel comfortable to play this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field.
Today’s only Wednesday, so we have a lot of time to get ready to go.
Roethlisberger took his share of hits against the Raiders, with two sacks but also a handful of other blows, something he knew could be the case with the Raiders pass rush.
We knew going in they had a good rush, high motor guys who were going to get after it. You have to prepare for that. But we all need to be better to eliminate hits, to have a better run game, to have more big plays, to be more efficient. It’s on all of us to help with those things. I tell the guys, no one has to be great. If we’re all good, then collectively we can be great. Offense is such a group effort. It takes literally all 11 guys every play to make it work. When one guy’s a little off here or there, it can affect the whole thing. We’re just going to keep learning and growing and figuring out how we can try and get […]