Ben: “We feel comfortable with where we’re at”
From his Q&A with the media at Steelers.com:
Ben Roethlisberger has a suspicion as to how much he and the first-team offense might play on Saturday afternoon in Buffalo, but he isn’t certain.
In the wake of the Steelers losing center Maurkice Pouncey and the Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson to significant injury last Sunday at Heinz Field, Roethlisberger maintained previous plans might be altered.
“This is typically (the game in which starters play) the full half, maybe the first series of the second (half),” he said. “That’s the expectation going in.
“With what happened I don’t know if that’s going to change but that’s my expectation.”
Roethlisberger addressed a number of other subjects with the media this week, including:
Whether the offense needs additional preseason work:
“I don’t think so. I think we’ve shown enough, we’ve worked hard. The good thing about our offense is we have everybody back. We don’t have a lot of moving pieces and so we can get that work and just kind of pick up (in the regular season) where we left off from training camp.”
Whether players can take steps to avoid injuries in the preseason:
“As a competitor, my mentality, it’s hard for me not to just play my game. You have to consciously say ‘don’t do anything crazy here,’ get down, throw it away, whatever it is. You can say that but in the heat of battle it’s hard to do that.”
The offense’s theory that the only way it’ll be stopped is if it stops itself:
“That’s always been our mentality, (that) no one’s stopping us but us. I’m sure every offense in the league says that or believes that. We really feel that way, that no one stops us but us.
“We had that (against Green Bay). We had a couple penalties, we had first-and-25 and we overcame it. Both punts we had the first two series were off of plays that could have/should have been made, that should have kept drives going. And then the third series we went no-huddle and went down the field and scored.
“We feel comfortable with where we’re at.”
On Maurkice Pouncey’s durability:
“People talk about, is he injury prone? No, he’s just always in the play. He’s always around the ball because of his intensity. You don’t find too […]
Tune in on Thursday
Ben will be a call-in guest on ESPN’s Mike & Mike Show tomorrow morning at 8:05 AM!
You can watch their show on TV or listen on the radio from 6am to 10am.
Did you miss Ben’s interview with Mark Madden this afternoon?
You can listen to the podcast here.
Save the Date: Bid for Hope XIV
Once again, Heath & Katie Miller and Alan & Julie Faneca will share hosting duties for Bid for Hope, an event that raises money for breast cancer research.
“It’s amazing when you hear how many people know someone who has been affected by breast cancer. The percentage that each person will know somebody that is affected by this disease is alarmingly high. Whatever we can do to help with the research, help work towards a cure and help as many people as we can is important.” — Heath Miller, during last year’s fundraising event.
The foundation, “Glimmer of Hope” has raised over 3 million dollars for breast cancer research in Western Pennsylvania. Those funds have paid for innovative programs and Tomosynthesis mammography technology.
BID FOR HOPE XIV begins with a “Meet and Greet” autograph session with some of Heath’s teammates, followed by silent and live auctions, delicious tapas, with desserts & drinks served throughout the evening.
When: Monday, November 2nd, 2015
Where: Off the Hook Restaurant, 908 Warrendale Village Dr., Warrendale, PA
Tickets: $225 per person. You can purchase here.
“The fact that Heath and Katie stepped to the plate truthfully kept it moving and probably accelerated it even more to what it is today. Heath is a humble player. He embraced this the same way, in a humble fashion. Him being a part of it, us being able to use his name, people love Heath. He is so humble, so kind to people. He is a great player on the field and a quiet regular guy off the field.” — Diana Napper, founder of Glimmer of Hope.
The special guest emcee once again will be Bob Pompeani, Sports Director for KDKA.
Previous attendees have included teammates Big Ben, Brett Keisel, Troy Polamalu, Bruce Gradkowski, Matt Spaeth and Greg Warren.
For three years in a row Brett Keisel has presented Glimmer of Hope with a check from the sale of his pink Da Beard Gear t-shirts during October, a shirt specially designed to help the fight against breast cancer.
Purchase your tickets now, before they’re all gone!
You can download the event PDF here.
If you are unable to attend, but would like to make a donation – you can do so […]
Fan Story: Tee time at TPC Sawgrass
While in Florida last Friday for the pre-season game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Big Ben and his O.C., Todd Haley got up early and headed out to play a round of golf together at the beautiful TPC Sawgrass course in Ponte Vedra Beach, just outside of Jacksonville.
To say that Steelers fan Jim Goggins was thrilled to be Ben’s caddy would definitely be an understatement:
Ben was great. Super, super nice and a really good golfer. It was great having him at Sawgrass. Hopefully he has a chance to come back when he has more time to enjoy the round and the experience.
And for the golfers in Steeler Nation: Ben reached the island green 17th hole and made par, barely missing the birdie putt. Coach Haley birdied 17, the most famous hole in golf. Now there’s the old saying about ‘never beating your boss on the golf course’, but if there was one hole that Coach would have liked to beat Ben on, it would have had to be the 17th at TPC Sawgrass.
Being a lifelong Steeler fan I’m slightly biased – but it was an honor and pleasure caddying for Ben….and I don’t know if he wants it, but I do have his scorecard, lol. — Jim Goggins.
Jim also wanted me to add that the two had “plenty of time to play the course and get back for the team meeting”!!
*Thank you for sharing your photo and your story with us, Jim!
Steelers Nation Unite: Big Ben answers your calls
From the Steelers Nation Unite website today:
Two-time Super Bowl champion and franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took time after Thursday’s practice session to answer questions from Steelers Nation Unite members during a Weekly Huddle fan forum conference call.
A variety of questions and topics arose during the event, with much of the focus on the record-breaking performances by the offense in 2014, and where Roethlisberger sees opportunities to grow even further.
There were also numerous opportunities for Roethlisberger and the fans to take a trip down memory lane and reflect on some of the amazing accomplishments as he heads into his twelfth season as a Steeler.
Speaking about his most memorable moment, it was hard for him to pin down just one.
“It’s hard to not say winning a Super Bowl and throwing that pass to Santonio Holmes in the back of the endzone because we feel it goes down as one of the greatest plays ever. It’s hard to beat that,” Roethlisberger said.
“Winning a Super Bowl in Detroit for Jerome Bettis and being there a couple weekends ago for Jerome at the Hall of Fame – those things are pretty special moments, as well.”
There was also a chance for Roethlisberger to think back to his first season in the black and gold and figure out what still stands out from that special rookie season.
“We got so far and went to the AFC Championship Game, and that was fun. But I think my favorite moment was my first actual start down in Miami during the hurricane and that crazy weather. I think everyone remembers it. Playing on that infield, it was a close game and I just remember how hard it was raining. The night before at the hotel there was no power so we were having our meetings with flashlights. I just think that was a memory I’ll never forget.”
The conversation wasn’t all football, though, as Roethlisberger addressed a fairly common question fans are usually interested in finding out the answer to – what would he be doing if he hadn’t made it in the NFL?
“I went to school for education so probably I’d be a teacher and a coach,” said Roethlisberger. “If I wasn’t doing that, I’d probably want to be like James Bond.”
And even though the preseason is only halfway […]
Wednesday’s chat with the media
From Steelers.com this evening:
Re: Long camp and if it was good to work with the younger guys and fine-tune things:
It’s always good to get out here with new guys and work things out. We had to be here for an extra week, but it’s a good time. We get here and we get together.
Re: Aaron Rodgers throwing 19 times his last game and if you want a heavy workload:
I think it will be based on production and depends on how we play. I have no idea how long I am going to play. I will go until Coach Tomlin says I am done. I know that I will hope it’s productive however long that is.
Re: Appreciation for Rodgers:
I think he is one of the best in the game. I don’t think there is any argument about it. The way he goes about his business and the athlete that he is and player that he is, it’s undeniable.
Can the offense get better?
I think we can be better without the numbers being as good. If numbers are good and we are winning, then that’s a great thing. But we can be better. We can eliminate mistakes. We can be crisper. We can be more consistent. If we can do that then usually that should translate into winning football games.
So far how has the offense been this camp?
It’s been a good start to camp. But it’s just that. It’s just a start. We have to get out there and face those real bullets and get out there against other teams and their defenses, and play four quarters. It’s a long season. We will take it one game at a time.
How are Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown?
[They are] pretty darn good. Obviously I was blessed to play with a Hall of Famer [Jerome Bettis] but the way that those two guys go about their business and bust their butt and work, and then it carries over onto the field on Sunday. It’s hard to argue about those two.
Brown seemed frustrated with not getting the ball. Have you heard that from him before?
I hear it from everybody.
You can read more & watch video from his interview here.