Fresh Starts Offer New Life In The NFL
It's no secret sports fans are drawn to winners. Evidence is everywhere, from Tiger Woods' popularity on the PGA Tour to merchandise sales of tradition-rich franchises such as the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Lakers to the recent surge of interest in international soccer hero and new MLS star David Beckham.
But while everybody loves a winner, it is the underdogs who often captivate the imagination. Overcoming adversity, grinding away when nobody else believes in you, never giving up: These are traits nearly every fan respects.
The NFL is full of players who have experienced tough times. As the 2007 season dawns, USA TODAY takes a look at some key players eager to take advantage of fresh starts in new environments and others getting their first shot at professional validation:
Ben Roethlisberger: Feeling a bounce after third-year crash
Yes, he's a winner, having quarterbacked the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory in Super Bowl XL less than two years ago. In his first two seasons, he posted a composite passer rating of 98.3, and the Steelers won 26 regular-season games in addition to their title.
But last year Roethlisberger never could get on track. A June motorcycle accident — he wasn't wearing a helmet — nearly killed him. An emergency appendectomy forced him to miss Week 1. When he returned, he felt stifled with an offense he considered too conservative. His passer rating plummeted to 75.4, lower than 20 other quarterbacks, and he threw a league-worst 23 interceptions.
Under new Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, Roethlisberger, 25, has a bounce in his step.
"Rather than Bruce coming to me and saying, 'This is the play, and we're calling it this,' he asked me, 'What do you want to call this play because you're the one calling it? It has to make sense to you,' " Roethlisberger says. "It was good to have a guy who is open-minded."
The Steelers could conceivably throw the ball less than last year, when they passed 523 times and ran 469. But they want to make their throws count for more.
"We're talking about opening up the offense this year, but we're not going to be throwing 80% of the time," Roethlisberger says. "There are 60-some plays in a game. If you get 30 throws in there, you utilize your weapons on the outside. You don't just make them block. You can use the backs out of the backfield; you can use your tight ends."
Pittsburgh will also employ the no-huddle offense, which the team experimented with last year. "We played against Coach Tomlin (then the Vikings defensive coordinator) last year (in preseason) with the no-huddle and went down the field and scored," Roethlisberger says. "I do remind him about that.
"But once we got into the season, we never did it. It was frustrating. Or if we did it, we'd do it on first or second down. Then on third down, we'd huddle. That got frustrating. I think Coach Tomlin is going to let Bruce coach, and Bruce is very smart."
The Steelers will also utilize three tight ends at times this year, and Roethlisberger approves. "It's great because they're not just blocking guys," he says. "They can go out; they're tall; they have great hands."
Wide receiver Hines Ward says: "We might have three tight ends on first down, or we might have four wide receivers. That's something they're not accustomed to here in Pittsburgh, where you play smash-mouth football — run on first and second down and try to convert on third down. That's how we tried to control the clock. This scheme is a ball-control offense through the air and ground. And we'll take our shots down the field. We're not going to be predictable."
Ward is excited, too, because Arians is the Steelers' former receivers coach, so he understands which routes his players run best.
"It's going to be an explosive offense," Ward says. "We have a lot of options. In Pittsburgh, the wide receivers tend to get overlooked. When you think of me, you think, 'Oh, he's the best blocker.' But I can run routes. I can catch the ball. I can score touchdowns. And in this offense, I will have my opportunities."
What's good for Ward is good for Roethlisberger.
"I've been itching for this," Roethlisberger says. "I like to throw the football. That's what I do."