Roethlisberger has point to make
Steelers quarterback determined to put disastrous season behind
LATROBE - Ben Roethlisberger has been handed the keys to the Pittsburgh Steelers offense, and while time will tell whether the club becomes a race car or a jalopy, the fourth-year pro appears to be on top of his game just a few days into training camp at Saint Vincent College.
Roethlisberger is in a rush to put last season behind him. The quarterback, who survived a horrific motorcycle accident, emergency appendectomy and a concussion in just a few months, led the NFL with 23 interceptions in 15 games, said he is in the best shape of his life.
And he'll certainly need to be ready as he works with new head coach Mike Tomlin, new offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, new quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson and a new, yet-to-be-named, center. Roethlisberger might need some time to adapt.
"Ken's kind of learning the system with us, so that helps," Roethlisberger said. "And he's kind of a buffer between the coordinator, the head coach and me. ... I'm anxious to see how things will work out.
"[But] we're not changing who we are. We're going to be a physical team on offense, as well as defense, and we can be physical in the run game as well as the pass. But I think you'll see more of a balanced offense, some stuff spread out, as well as some pound-it running with four tight ends."
While Roethlisberger probably would like to throw the ball more often, he knows he'll have to do whatever it takes to help the club win. It's all part of Roethlisberger taking on an increased leadership role. He showed that immediately when he ran with his offensive lineman on opening day, even though he was exempt due to excellent attendance during spring workouts.
"I'm just trying to be a leader," Roethlisberger said. "I saw that my linemen were going to run, and I wanted to run with those guys and just be out there with them. And it worked out pretty well."
Veteran wideout Hines Ward says that with the departures of vocal players like Jerome Bettis and Joey Porter, the club has more lead-by-example guys now.
"Ben's not afraid to speak up, and that's what you want from your starting quarterback," Ward said. "We still have Larry Foote on defense. He talks as much as anybody. But guys like James Farrior, Troy [Polamalu] and Casey Hampton, they're some of the best players in the game. And they mostly lead by example, but other guys will step up when they need to."
Right tackle Max Starks noted that Roethlisberger already was a leader.
"He's a take-charge guy, but you expect that from your quarterback," Starks said. "And you expect a guy in his fourth NFL season to be that way, so Ben's just getting in his comfort level. And we'll follow him."
Tomlin has said that he'll pick team captains this year and that it won't be a vote by the players. Roethlisberger would like to be one of them.
"It would be a great honor," Roethlisberger said. "It's a little different when your team picks it, but it's always a great honor to be a captain, especially with a team like this and all the past captains and tradition here."
While Anderson's presence is a constant for Roethlisberger and the other quarterbacks on the field and in the classroom, he believes the biggest change will be in getting all the nuances straight in Arians' new offense. But, Roethlisberger added, it's mostly the terminology that's different.
Tomlin believes that his star quarterback has something to prove this season, and Roethlisberger amplified that point.
"I have to prove it to myself," Roethlisberger said. "You can say you have to prove things to the fans and the media and everybody else, but I'm just trying to go out and prove to myself that I can do it and that my career's not over and last year was a fluke. It was a bad year, and we were still 8-8 with a bad year. So, I think we can come out and do better, and I can do better."
So much did Roethlisberger want to put 2006 in the past that he took just two weeks off after the season and then got back to work. He was running and throwing and lifting weights, instead of taking more than a month to recover, and that strenuous program has Roethlisberger in peak physical condition, he said.
"I did a lot of cardio, some light weights and never really stopped a lot," Roethlisberger said. "So, I'm in great shape, and I'm ready to go."
And one can almost hear that engine revving.