Thanks to a transaction made late last week by a team the Pittsburgh Steelers will face in 2013, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will likely have to deal with a player who has been his kryptonite since he came into the league.
On Friday, the Detroit Lions signed cornerback Rashean Mathis, and according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com; the former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back is already working with the first-team defense.
Mathis, who played 10 seasons in Jacksonville prior to him not being brought back this past offseason, had his best games with the Jaguars against the Steelers as he has recorded six interceptions and returned three for touchdowns in the six games he\’s played against the black and gold.
As far as Roethlisberger, specifically, Mathis has picked him off five times in four games, and that says a lot as the former second-round draft pick only has 32 career interceptions in 139 games played including the playoffs.
The Steelers will face the Lions at Heinz Field in week 11 and you can bet Roethlisberger is aware of the damage Mathis has done against him. While kryptonite is really just a fictitious material, Mathis is real, and he\’s been able to make Roethlisberger look human more than just a few times. Perhaps now that he wears Honolulu blue, he will no longer be as powerful as he was against the Steelers when he wore teal. If the change of colors doesn\’t hurt him, hopefully Roethlisberger has built up an immunity to him over the years.
