QUOTES FROM PITTSBURGH STEELERS MEDIA DAY
DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS KEVIN COLBERT
(on how they handled the Ben Roethlisberger situation at the beginning of the season) “In any situation like that, not just specific to him, you have to sort through the actual event, what is fact, what is not fact. You have to measure the impact on the player, you have to measure the impact on your team and measure the impact on your fan base, your public, and try to make the decisions that are best for everybody involved. First and foremost, you have to be loyal to your player who has produced and given you some opportunities as well. So you are going to give him every benefit of the doubt. That’s where you have to do your homework and sort through all of the facts. You are going to have to weather some storms, as maybe perception will be different from what the actual facts are. You have to be willing as an organization to understand that and ride it out, because, in the end, the truth will come out. The real personalities of people will show through.”
(on the response about Roethlisberger from the organization) “At that point, I think my statement was ‘We don’t support or condone any behavior that is not conducive to what the Steelers believe in, but we also support the opportunity for that player to make right on the situation.’ I think over time, Ben’s proven who he really is, not only as a player — we knew what he was as a player — but everybody gets to see who Ben Roethlisberger is.”
(on how he has seen Roethlisberger grow) “I am not surprised about where he is as a player, or off the field, because Ben comes from a very good family. He was brought up right. Look, there are going to be mistakes everybody makes along the way, but, in the end, you get down to the core of who the person is, and you feel confident about that.”
(on Roethlisberger’s style of playing quarterback) “Ben’s a winner, and that’s the bottom line. He may be 15 of 21 for 180 yards, but he is making two plays that win the game. You always have to judge a quarterback on whether they are winners or not. Ben’s a winner. Even if he statistically doesn’t match up, did we win the game? There are going to be games where he doesn’t. There might be games where he might be 30 for 42 and 400 yards, and we don’t win, and that is not what we want.”
(on if Roethlisberger is a happier person) “I haven’t really noticed a lot of difference. To me, he’s the same person he was last year, and all the years, really. I only really see him in football environments; I don’t see him too much outside of that. I know when he is in a football environment, especially on gameday, he’s focused. That’s his world at that point.”
(on how the Steelers and Packers have similar approaches) “I’ve known Ted (Thompson) since he started with the Packers, because I was with the Lions at that point. We both did the same job, so we crossed paths often. I’ve scouted with Ted at colleges, seen him on the road, seen him at games and know him. I don’t what know they do on a daily basis, and they don’t know what we do, but I think there is a common thought process in both of our organizations.”
(on what he saw on the Packers’ Clay Matthews when he scouted him) “I think he was a prototypical 3-4 lineman. He really came into his own in his senior year at USC, and even USC wasn’t a true 3-4 at that point. They had some sets with Clay lined up as a true outside linebacker, which you don’t get to see too often in college football. When you looked at him as a senior, you saw a player who would be able to fit in a 3-4 real quick.”
(on Ziggy Hood) “With a 5-technique defensive end, you want a little taller guy, maybe 6-4, 6-5, so he can see around a 6-5 offensive tackle. Ziggy is really at the minimum height, so maybe some people didn’t think he could do it. With his power, strength and athleticism, we thought that over time, he was going to be able to do it. So far, he’s done pretty well.”
