After the head coach basically says that you are killing your team, I would bet that Paxton Lynch gets a nod before Rudolph. That was a huge diss on one of your players.
7-5 and we found our QB for the rest of the season
- Thread starter Coach
- Start date
After the head coach basically says that you are killing your team, I would bet that Paxton Lynch gets a nod before Rudolph. That was a huge diss on one of your players.
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2015
- Messages
- 1,342
- Reaction score
- 1,016
- Points
- 113
Or like every Tomlin hater, you’ve developed your own narrative, without any evidence to the support it. Cleaning his glasses? Really?
Those who’ve actually been coached by him or who are actually involved with the game tell a different story, as does his track record. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Sent from my iPhone using Steeler Nation mobile app
Last edited:
Deadhorse drive is alive and well here in this thread. Giddy up little horsey giddy up.One shoots down the others opinion because there is no facts, but his opinion isn't lined with facts either. Debating an unknown is one thing, but then trying to make an opinion a fact based on absolutely nothing is another thing. Using the players like Tomlin angle is silly too. Plenty of fired coaches were loved by their players. It lends nothing to competency. The bottom line is the man is a good coach . But not necessarily the right coach to bring another trophy home to Pittsburgh. We can play duck duck goose all we want but this is where we sit now. We have seen plenty of good and plenty of bad. So not out of the realm to think he didn't X and O a player on a specific play. He really isn't known for that to be the area he thrives in.
Sent from my moto g(7) power using Steeler Nation mobile app
Sent from my moto g(7) power using Steeler Nation mobile app
Last edited:
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2014
- Messages
- 10,239
- Reaction score
- 7,003
- Points
- 113
I listen to the Tunch/Wolf show and I always hear how Tomlin is preaching situational football in practice and on the sidelines during games. Now one thing I know is you rarely if ever hear anything negative come out of their mouth's in regards to Tomlin and or the team. So it is almost a take to leave kind of thing.
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2014
- Messages
- 10,239
- Reaction score
- 7,003
- Points
- 113
Paxton's only plays if we have injuries at the QB spot.
Tunch and Wolf rarely say anything negative about anyone on the Steeler team, coaches or players.
If you watch the first Browns game, Tomlin has the defense on the sideline going over whatever with them, they come out on that series and give up a TD drive. It goes both ways.
There is no narrative, chief. I call it like I see it. And what I saw was a rookie quarterback continuing to throw the ball away (like he'd been doing all day) when he should have been instructed not to do so during the 2-minute warning.
You've gone ahead and blamed it on Duck, which is your prerogative, as a card-carrying Tomlin Nuthugger.
p.s. Regarding the sunglasses...ever heard of the word "hyperbole"?
Don't you think that if Tomlin had been preaching the football situation to Duck in this particular circumstance, the guy would have indeed taken the sack just a few moments later?
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2014
- Messages
- 11,345
- Reaction score
- 14,541
- Points
- 113
Duck runs too quickly and Rudolph not quick enough. Rudolph has much more arm talent. Last week was the first game the WRs actually made some plays for the QB. The passing success was mostly on the WRs because Devlin threw up quite a few 50/50 balls.
I do think the Steelers will give Rudolph another shot.
I do think the Steelers will give Rudolph another shot.
I think Duck’s ability and willingness to throw from different angles is really beneficial. Rudolph’s over the top throwing motion is really long and he doesn’t get the throw off nearly as quick IMO.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2014
- Messages
- 24,906
- Reaction score
- 11,518
- Points
- 113
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65833106/usa_today_13736959.0.jpg)
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2015
- Messages
- 15,544
- Reaction score
- 3,801
- Points
- 113
A Steeler defender talks about Duck in practice.
Dupree said in an interview that "Duck be killing us in practice, man". Yes--this is only practice, but if there is truth to what Durpee is saying, he's doing this against a very good first string pass defense.
While Dupree's words were nice, Fitzpatrick's or Haden's opinion would mean so much more to me as the DB's coverage in practice is closer to a game simulation, whereas the pass rush in practice is a bit of a joke, where rusher can't touch a QB.
I thought back, when was a last time a rookie free agent at quarterback won 2 games or more in the NFL. Still don't know. Likely 30+ years.
Dupree said in an interview that "Duck be killing us in practice, man". Yes--this is only practice, but if there is truth to what Durpee is saying, he's doing this against a very good first string pass defense.
While Dupree's words were nice, Fitzpatrick's or Haden's opinion would mean so much more to me as the DB's coverage in practice is closer to a game simulation, whereas the pass rush in practice is a bit of a joke, where rusher can't touch a QB.
I thought back, when was a last time a rookie free agent at quarterback won 2 games or more in the NFL. Still don't know. Likely 30+ years.
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2015
- Messages
- 15,544
- Reaction score
- 3,801
- Points
- 113
Nope. I think Duck will fishing out the year and start in a playoff game. If something were to happen where he gets hurt or benched, I want to see what Lynch has.
how do you know Duck even likes fishing??? and why would he go before a playoff game?
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2014
- Messages
- 3,752
- Reaction score
- 4,850
- Points
- 113
Wow....you prognosticating playoffs? But you said the coaches suck, are dim witted, and don’t do anything to help the team.
Typical....
Sent from my iPhone using Steeler Nation mobile app
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2014
- Messages
- 10,687
- Reaction score
- 10,823
- Points
- 113
That poor duck is being molested and doesn't even know itIs that from training camp? Anyways what matters is how he plays in actual games.
Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Steeler Nation mobile app
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2014
- Messages
- 6,145
- Reaction score
- 3,926
- Points
- 113
I’m not ruling Rudolph out as our heir apparent as he has the size and arm. We have two more years with Ben and then if Rudolph has shown he can take over he will. If not, he won’t be here and we will use a very high pick on a QB.
Now I’ve been calling for Duck since Rudolph got knocked out. He has been gun shy, with happy feet, and throwing off balance. Now you couple that with his already late decision making and it’s a recipe for disaster. I have been seeing clean pockets get bounced out of instead of stepped up into with eyes down the field. Now Hodges has done the same stupid thing, but he does it less frequently. Also, Hodges throws his receivers open and anticipates the receivers break or cuts. Rudolph still has to see them then throws and lots of time that’s too late.
The first preseason game I saw Hodges he actually reminded me of Baker Mayfield. Like or hate mayfield he was the first overall pick. But size, arm, and moxie all remind me of Mayfield. I have some hopes he might be our replacement QB after Ben retires, as well.
Sent from my iPhone using Steeler Nation mobile app
Now I’ve been calling for Duck since Rudolph got knocked out. He has been gun shy, with happy feet, and throwing off balance. Now you couple that with his already late decision making and it’s a recipe for disaster. I have been seeing clean pockets get bounced out of instead of stepped up into with eyes down the field. Now Hodges has done the same stupid thing, but he does it less frequently. Also, Hodges throws his receivers open and anticipates the receivers break or cuts. Rudolph still has to see them then throws and lots of time that’s too late.
The first preseason game I saw Hodges he actually reminded me of Baker Mayfield. Like or hate mayfield he was the first overall pick. But size, arm, and moxie all remind me of Mayfield. I have some hopes he might be our replacement QB after Ben retires, as well.
Sent from my iPhone using Steeler Nation mobile app
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2014
- Messages
- 15,092
- Reaction score
- 17,086
- Points
- 113
I wouldn't rule Rudolph out either, however, there hasn't been a moment this year where I thought that he looks like a guy who could lead the Steelers to another championship. Between the concussion and getting his head bashed in by Garrett, Rudolph seems to have a lost year in terms of play on the field. I'm not as confident with Ben playing two more years. I just hope that he can come back with full arm strength after the injury. We've seen that Eli Manning is done and Philip Rivers looks done as a quality starter as well. There's no guarantee Ben comes back next year as a guy who can lead a team to the playoffs.
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2014
- Messages
- 6,145
- Reaction score
- 3,926
- Points
- 113
I knew Rudolph was a project, and as I look at his body of work there’s definitely negatives this year, but there’s also positives.
Negative- late decisions which leads to sacks or poor throws. Footwork needs work as it leads to arrant throws. Pocket awareness needs to be worked on and stepping up when a rusher gets pushed up the arc, and then needs to know the ball has to either be thrown in the next 1.5 seconds or needs to sprint for yards.
Positives- more touchdowns than ints. Decent deep ball. When he uses proper footwork and makes quick decisions flashes NFL ability.
Bottom line he is still a work In progress.
I’m actually grateful Ben got hurt early rather than later. If he got hurt now 2020 would be in question. Seems like the quick decision after the crappy start was to ensure Ben’s future with surgery rather than hope rehab and time would work.
They haven’t said what it was but my thought is bone spurs and tennis elbow. If that’s the case come March he should be able to really throw a football and by training camp be 100%. Though they probably go the cautious route with him.
Sent from my iPhone using Steeler Nation mobile app
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2014
- Messages
- 24,906
- Reaction score
- 11,518
- Points
- 113
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65842131/1186269631.jpg.0.jpg)
The year without the quarterback: How the Steelers have navigated Ben Roethlisberger's absence
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette logo
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
Got a news tip? 412-263-1601
localnews@post-gazette.com
DEC 7, 2019 7:00 AM
Bushy-bearded Ben Roethlisberger sat down on a Gatorade jug, headset on, Microsoft Surface tablet in hand, and waved over Devlin Hodges from a couple seats down the bench.
It was early in the second quarter Sunday against Cleveland. Hodges had just rolled out to his right and thrown the ball away on third-and-8, wasting a near-perfect blitz pick-up by his offensive line and running back Jaylen Samuels. After a Jordan Berry punt, the old Pittsburgh gunslinger and the new one chatted for about a minute, then went their separate ways.
“Just talking ball,” Hodges recalled a few days later. “It’s always good to get some insight, especially from a guy like Ben who’s been in this system and knows this system better than anybody. Usually when he says something, it’s pretty accurate.”
ADVERTISEMENT
A couple drives later, Roethlisberger sat with Diontae Johnson, explaining some route concepts and coverage schemes to the team’s rookie wide receiver, the one who has only had a game and a half of action with the winningest quarterback in franchise history.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) runs into the end zone for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers getting a crash course in defending running QBs
Last week, when Hodges replaced Mason Rudolph, the Steelers became the only NFL team this season to have at least three quarterbacks start multiple games. This week in Arizona will mark the first time in Roethlisberger’s career that the Steelers will need two quarterbacks who don't wear No. 7 to start three times or more in a season. There have been the years with Landry, with Vick, with Batch, with Leftwich, but an unprecedented season-ending injury has meant uncharted territory for the Steelers to adjust to as a team.
“It starts and ends with him a lot of times — with everything,” tight end Vance McDonald said. “Whenever you get rid of that and eliminate that, yeah, everything’s going to be different. I mean, jokes, cutting up, just the overall temperament of the locker room and everything else. Everything changes, for sure.”
Different vibes
ADVERTISEMENT
One of the first things Alejandro Villanueva noticed? The music.
“Oh, yeah. You hear the music that’s playing over there?” Villanueva asked on a recent Wednesday, sitting across the way from some post-practice tunes playing in a defensive area of the locker room. “You can't play music with Ben.”
“Yeah, that wouldn't be happening,” cornerback Mike Hilton said with a smile. “It’s a little different, but maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.”
Villanueva mentioned other “certain rules” that kept the team where it needed to be, searching for the right way to put it.
Steelers running back Benny Snell Jr. fights off Browns linebacker Mack Wilson Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, at Heinz Field.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Rookie Benny Snell has been the Steelers' backfield closer. Why not their starter too?
“Ben knew exactly what had to happen for us to be good,” Villanueva finished. “And I think, to a degree, he was the only person in the building who knew what had to happen, so he had a lot more say and authority on certain issues. For us on the O-line, it was perfect, because we just had to follow him.”
But that pace car has been in the shop for most of this season. When Roethlisberger first went down just before halftime of Week 2 and needed surgery to repair his right throwing elbow, there was suddenly a major void, on and off the field. As he rehabbed, in the early stages of his recovery, Roethlisberger wasn't around on a day-to-day basis, wasn't on the road trips or even in the team facility on the South Side all that much.
When he stopped by at practice, it was noteworthy. It was a reminder of what life used to be like for anyone who had gotten used to being part of this offense.
“Ben always brought that good, old, experienced kind of energy — cracking a lot of jokes, keeping it light,” right guard David DeCastro said in November.
A couple weeks earlier, before his own season ended with a back injury, Ryan Switzer was at practice talking with fellow wide receiver Johnny Holton. Two days before, Roethlisberger had popped in for a rare appearance about a month out of surgery.
Switzer told Holton how he was missing out. Sure, he spent the spring, training camp and preseason with the Steelers, but he didn't really see “in-season Ben,” and still hasn’t.
“It’s something special to witness that man when he’s doing what he does best,” said Switzer, who added that he probably sees Roethlisberger outside of football more than most teammates. “Like when we ripped off six straight last year, the things Ben was doing …”
During that win streak in 2018, Roethlisberger threw for more than 300 yards three times. The Steelers have yet to have a 300-yard passer this year.
After an offseason in which Roethlisberger’s leadership was called on the carpet — or, in the case of Antonio Brown’s sit-down interview with ESPN, a lavish marble floor — and his role in the franchise questioned by outsiders, he hasn't had opportunities to quell those doubts. But depending on whom you ask, the jury’s not out. Not when it comes to what really matters most when you assess what the Steelers lost this season in Roethlisberger.
“I would say it’s more in here. It’s more off the field,” said McDonald, whose locker is next to Roethlisberger’s. “On the field, obviously, we miss him. But it’s easier, I think, to cope with that. … You end up missing him and his personality and his presence in the locker room. Just in between meetings, or in meetings, for me personally, that’s where you miss him more.”
“Nah, it’s more on the field,” said center Maurkice Pouncey, as staunch a defender of Roethlisberger as anyone throughout his career. “[Shoot], we don't care. Every franchise quarterback is different, but on that football field, they make every throw.”
A new role
One of the next things Villanueva noticed? The guys he’s blocking for are starting to seem younger and younger; first Rudolph, then Hodges.
“I think Ramon [Foster] and I say that because we’re getting older,” Villanueva, 31, said of himself and his left guard after Hodges started for the first time in Los Angeles. “I think that when we hang out with our teammates and we see the topics that they pick and the things that they care about, we feel like we’re a little bit distant, in that sense. We’re used to Ben, who’s somebody who’s tough to be replicated in his demeanor and who he is and how he plays football.”
At 37, Roethlisberger is by far the oldest and longest-tenured player in the organization. Foster, 33, is next in line. So in a way, it’s almost as if Roethlisberger is looming over everything, even when he’s not there in-person.
“His presence is always felt, whether he’s here or not,” receiver Tevin Jones said.
“It really doesn't feel like there’s too much off,” receiver James Washington said, “but you can definitely tell that experience really isn't here right now.”
“It’s the small things that you really don't notice until he’s not doing it anymore,” linebacker Bud Dupree said.
Sure, that might include whatever guidelines he has for locker room decorum. But it’s also his pregame routine of greeting every player while they stretch during warmups, going one-by-one to give a quick handshake and word of encouragement. “You’ve got my back,” is what he tells Villanueva.
For running back James Conner, whose locker also neighbors Roethlisberger’s, it’s the brief chats anytime they're in at the same time.
“Especially with him being right next to me, the small conversations, we don't have that [this year],” Conner said. “But he's out rehabbing, trying to get better so he can make this comeback for us.”
To an extent, Roethlisberger’s comeback has already begun. He only played six quarters in 2019 but has now spent the past six games with his teammates and coaches on the sideline. Mostly, he’s working here and there with the quarterbacks, and his overall involvement is fluid.
“Obviously, his experience puts him in a different category in terms of input and ideas,” coach Mike Tomlin said Thursday. “But we challenge all our quarterbacks to be active participants in game day, even ones that aren't playing.”
Tomlin called it “not anything unusual” for Roethlisberger to pull aside a younger player, and that “we’ve got coaches on the field” for more in-depth instruction. But Roethlisberger has been “really good talking with the quarterbacks,” according to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner.
“I think all the players feel really self-confident when he’s around,” Fichtner said, “because he’s going to give you confidence. He always has. It’s been great.”
But he also has challenged players, publicly and privately. Ultimately, it drove a wedge between Roethlisberger and Brown. For Washington, who’s now breaking out in his second season, his rookie year was cast in an interesting light when Roethlisberger said, “You're not going to be out there if you're not going to make those plays for us,” on his radio show after Washington dropped a possible touchdown in Denver.
If that edge is missing this season, for better or worse, no one is saying.
“You talk about a quarterback with that much experience, he’s able to talk to us, to keep us up when we’re down and just stay positive,” JuJu Smith-Schuster said. “When you hear it from a coach, it’s kind of like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it before.’ But from him, it’s a Hall of Fame quarterback telling you what’s good, what we see out there and how he can help us improve our game, which is awesome.”
Johnson, who, like Smith-Schuster this year, has battled inconsistency and injury as a rookie, views Roethlisberger as “an extra set of eyes out there, for Randy and us.”
“Ben practically calls the whole offense when he’s in,” said Johnson, who was even out for the one preseason game Roethlisberger played in August. “He knows it like the back of his hand. He’s been in the league for a long time, so just the way he throws the ball and how he sees the game back there, and how he prepares every week, I’m kind of looking forward to getting to play with Ben a little more next year.”
What the future holds
But next year will have to wait. The Steelers still have four regular season matchups and, they hope, a postseason run to navigate without their face of the franchise and highest-paid player.
Roethlisberger figures to remain both of those things until he retires. But presently, the Steelers are getting a glimpse into what life will be like without him. It hasn't always gone smoothly offensively, but to a man, the Steelers insist it has resulted in more leaders than ever stepping up to that responsibility.
“Not a lot of guys have won without Ben,” co-captain Cam Heyward said. “We’re starting to make our own identities. But when he comes back around, hopefully he feels even more comfortable and more confident going forward.
“As veterans, we’ve got to be the glue. In years past, we’ve relied on Ben so much.”
Without him, Heyward, Pouncey and Foster have been the elder statesmen on the roster. But Foster pointed out that younger players have emerged, too, to hold others accountable, from Vince Williams to Bud Dupree to T.J. Watt.
There’s little doubt that over the years, Roethlisbeger has become one of the most polarizing figures in Pittsburgh sports. We’ll never know how 2019 would've been different with him, but just about everyone can agree it’s been strange without him.
“A little weird, simply because he’s not here,” Foster said. “I’ve said time and time before, we all got spoiled by him being around. Now, it’s like, you’ve got to focus on what you have in front of you, how you’re going to operate and how you're going to win.”
Seeing Roethlisberger back in the mix a bit more lately has given Foster “a breath of fresh air, like, ‘Yep, there he is.’” If anything, it’s just that beard that might take a little getting used to.
“He says he’s going to grow it until he can't grow it anymore,” Foster said with a laugh. “So, we’ll see what he looks like, I guess, in May of next year.”
That’s when OTAs begin, and we’ll all know how the year without the quarterback turned out by then.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette logo
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
Got a news tip? 412-263-1601
localnews@post-gazette.com
DEC 7, 2019 7:00 AM
Bushy-bearded Ben Roethlisberger sat down on a Gatorade jug, headset on, Microsoft Surface tablet in hand, and waved over Devlin Hodges from a couple seats down the bench.
It was early in the second quarter Sunday against Cleveland. Hodges had just rolled out to his right and thrown the ball away on third-and-8, wasting a near-perfect blitz pick-up by his offensive line and running back Jaylen Samuels. After a Jordan Berry punt, the old Pittsburgh gunslinger and the new one chatted for about a minute, then went their separate ways.
“Just talking ball,” Hodges recalled a few days later. “It’s always good to get some insight, especially from a guy like Ben who’s been in this system and knows this system better than anybody. Usually when he says something, it’s pretty accurate.”
ADVERTISEMENT
A couple drives later, Roethlisberger sat with Diontae Johnson, explaining some route concepts and coverage schemes to the team’s rookie wide receiver, the one who has only had a game and a half of action with the winningest quarterback in franchise history.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) runs into the end zone for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers getting a crash course in defending running QBs
Last week, when Hodges replaced Mason Rudolph, the Steelers became the only NFL team this season to have at least three quarterbacks start multiple games. This week in Arizona will mark the first time in Roethlisberger’s career that the Steelers will need two quarterbacks who don't wear No. 7 to start three times or more in a season. There have been the years with Landry, with Vick, with Batch, with Leftwich, but an unprecedented season-ending injury has meant uncharted territory for the Steelers to adjust to as a team.
“It starts and ends with him a lot of times — with everything,” tight end Vance McDonald said. “Whenever you get rid of that and eliminate that, yeah, everything’s going to be different. I mean, jokes, cutting up, just the overall temperament of the locker room and everything else. Everything changes, for sure.”
Different vibes
ADVERTISEMENT
One of the first things Alejandro Villanueva noticed? The music.
“Oh, yeah. You hear the music that’s playing over there?” Villanueva asked on a recent Wednesday, sitting across the way from some post-practice tunes playing in a defensive area of the locker room. “You can't play music with Ben.”
“Yeah, that wouldn't be happening,” cornerback Mike Hilton said with a smile. “It’s a little different, but maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.”
Villanueva mentioned other “certain rules” that kept the team where it needed to be, searching for the right way to put it.
Steelers running back Benny Snell Jr. fights off Browns linebacker Mack Wilson Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, at Heinz Field.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Rookie Benny Snell has been the Steelers' backfield closer. Why not their starter too?
“Ben knew exactly what had to happen for us to be good,” Villanueva finished. “And I think, to a degree, he was the only person in the building who knew what had to happen, so he had a lot more say and authority on certain issues. For us on the O-line, it was perfect, because we just had to follow him.”
But that pace car has been in the shop for most of this season. When Roethlisberger first went down just before halftime of Week 2 and needed surgery to repair his right throwing elbow, there was suddenly a major void, on and off the field. As he rehabbed, in the early stages of his recovery, Roethlisberger wasn't around on a day-to-day basis, wasn't on the road trips or even in the team facility on the South Side all that much.
When he stopped by at practice, it was noteworthy. It was a reminder of what life used to be like for anyone who had gotten used to being part of this offense.
“Ben always brought that good, old, experienced kind of energy — cracking a lot of jokes, keeping it light,” right guard David DeCastro said in November.
A couple weeks earlier, before his own season ended with a back injury, Ryan Switzer was at practice talking with fellow wide receiver Johnny Holton. Two days before, Roethlisberger had popped in for a rare appearance about a month out of surgery.
Switzer told Holton how he was missing out. Sure, he spent the spring, training camp and preseason with the Steelers, but he didn't really see “in-season Ben,” and still hasn’t.
“It’s something special to witness that man when he’s doing what he does best,” said Switzer, who added that he probably sees Roethlisberger outside of football more than most teammates. “Like when we ripped off six straight last year, the things Ben was doing …”
During that win streak in 2018, Roethlisberger threw for more than 300 yards three times. The Steelers have yet to have a 300-yard passer this year.
After an offseason in which Roethlisberger’s leadership was called on the carpet — or, in the case of Antonio Brown’s sit-down interview with ESPN, a lavish marble floor — and his role in the franchise questioned by outsiders, he hasn't had opportunities to quell those doubts. But depending on whom you ask, the jury’s not out. Not when it comes to what really matters most when you assess what the Steelers lost this season in Roethlisberger.
“I would say it’s more in here. It’s more off the field,” said McDonald, whose locker is next to Roethlisberger’s. “On the field, obviously, we miss him. But it’s easier, I think, to cope with that. … You end up missing him and his personality and his presence in the locker room. Just in between meetings, or in meetings, for me personally, that’s where you miss him more.”
“Nah, it’s more on the field,” said center Maurkice Pouncey, as staunch a defender of Roethlisberger as anyone throughout his career. “[Shoot], we don't care. Every franchise quarterback is different, but on that football field, they make every throw.”
A new role
One of the next things Villanueva noticed? The guys he’s blocking for are starting to seem younger and younger; first Rudolph, then Hodges.
“I think Ramon [Foster] and I say that because we’re getting older,” Villanueva, 31, said of himself and his left guard after Hodges started for the first time in Los Angeles. “I think that when we hang out with our teammates and we see the topics that they pick and the things that they care about, we feel like we’re a little bit distant, in that sense. We’re used to Ben, who’s somebody who’s tough to be replicated in his demeanor and who he is and how he plays football.”
At 37, Roethlisberger is by far the oldest and longest-tenured player in the organization. Foster, 33, is next in line. So in a way, it’s almost as if Roethlisberger is looming over everything, even when he’s not there in-person.
“His presence is always felt, whether he’s here or not,” receiver Tevin Jones said.
“It really doesn't feel like there’s too much off,” receiver James Washington said, “but you can definitely tell that experience really isn't here right now.”
“It’s the small things that you really don't notice until he’s not doing it anymore,” linebacker Bud Dupree said.
Sure, that might include whatever guidelines he has for locker room decorum. But it’s also his pregame routine of greeting every player while they stretch during warmups, going one-by-one to give a quick handshake and word of encouragement. “You’ve got my back,” is what he tells Villanueva.
For running back James Conner, whose locker also neighbors Roethlisberger’s, it’s the brief chats anytime they're in at the same time.
“Especially with him being right next to me, the small conversations, we don't have that [this year],” Conner said. “But he's out rehabbing, trying to get better so he can make this comeback for us.”
To an extent, Roethlisberger’s comeback has already begun. He only played six quarters in 2019 but has now spent the past six games with his teammates and coaches on the sideline. Mostly, he’s working here and there with the quarterbacks, and his overall involvement is fluid.
“Obviously, his experience puts him in a different category in terms of input and ideas,” coach Mike Tomlin said Thursday. “But we challenge all our quarterbacks to be active participants in game day, even ones that aren't playing.”
Tomlin called it “not anything unusual” for Roethlisberger to pull aside a younger player, and that “we’ve got coaches on the field” for more in-depth instruction. But Roethlisberger has been “really good talking with the quarterbacks,” according to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner.
“I think all the players feel really self-confident when he’s around,” Fichtner said, “because he’s going to give you confidence. He always has. It’s been great.”
But he also has challenged players, publicly and privately. Ultimately, it drove a wedge between Roethlisberger and Brown. For Washington, who’s now breaking out in his second season, his rookie year was cast in an interesting light when Roethlisberger said, “You're not going to be out there if you're not going to make those plays for us,” on his radio show after Washington dropped a possible touchdown in Denver.
If that edge is missing this season, for better or worse, no one is saying.
“You talk about a quarterback with that much experience, he’s able to talk to us, to keep us up when we’re down and just stay positive,” JuJu Smith-Schuster said. “When you hear it from a coach, it’s kind of like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it before.’ But from him, it’s a Hall of Fame quarterback telling you what’s good, what we see out there and how he can help us improve our game, which is awesome.”
Johnson, who, like Smith-Schuster this year, has battled inconsistency and injury as a rookie, views Roethlisberger as “an extra set of eyes out there, for Randy and us.”
“Ben practically calls the whole offense when he’s in,” said Johnson, who was even out for the one preseason game Roethlisberger played in August. “He knows it like the back of his hand. He’s been in the league for a long time, so just the way he throws the ball and how he sees the game back there, and how he prepares every week, I’m kind of looking forward to getting to play with Ben a little more next year.”
What the future holds
But next year will have to wait. The Steelers still have four regular season matchups and, they hope, a postseason run to navigate without their face of the franchise and highest-paid player.
Roethlisberger figures to remain both of those things until he retires. But presently, the Steelers are getting a glimpse into what life will be like without him. It hasn't always gone smoothly offensively, but to a man, the Steelers insist it has resulted in more leaders than ever stepping up to that responsibility.
“Not a lot of guys have won without Ben,” co-captain Cam Heyward said. “We’re starting to make our own identities. But when he comes back around, hopefully he feels even more comfortable and more confident going forward.
“As veterans, we’ve got to be the glue. In years past, we’ve relied on Ben so much.”
Without him, Heyward, Pouncey and Foster have been the elder statesmen on the roster. But Foster pointed out that younger players have emerged, too, to hold others accountable, from Vince Williams to Bud Dupree to T.J. Watt.
There’s little doubt that over the years, Roethlisbeger has become one of the most polarizing figures in Pittsburgh sports. We’ll never know how 2019 would've been different with him, but just about everyone can agree it’s been strange without him.
“A little weird, simply because he’s not here,” Foster said. “I’ve said time and time before, we all got spoiled by him being around. Now, it’s like, you’ve got to focus on what you have in front of you, how you’re going to operate and how you're going to win.”
Seeing Roethlisberger back in the mix a bit more lately has given Foster “a breath of fresh air, like, ‘Yep, there he is.’” If anything, it’s just that beard that might take a little getting used to.
“He says he’s going to grow it until he can't grow it anymore,” Foster said with a laugh. “So, we’ll see what he looks like, I guess, in May of next year.”
That’s when OTAs begin, and we’ll all know how the year without the quarterback turned out by then.