While the coronavirus pandemic has interrupted the lives and routines of most people around the world, it hasn’t really affected the continued rehab of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger just yet. During a Wednesday morning interview on DVE Radio, Roethlisberger discussed how his normal rehab regiment is continuing despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“You know, I’m doing everything that I would be doing right now, right?” Roethlisberger said Wednesday morning. “There’s nothing different I would be doing if there was not this virus out there. So, I’m still throwing three days a week and working out five days a week, like doing all that stuff.”
Roethlisberger, however, did talk Wednesday morning about how a continued virus pandemic into the post-draft phase of the offseason could impact his rehabilitation some.
“The only part that is going to potentially be a hindrance, if you will, is like getting out there and getting kind of live reps, you know what I’m saying?” Roethlisberger said. “Like, obviously not getting hit, but the OTA mini-camps, the throwing to receivers on the move, a defenders arm so you kind of have to fit into a tight window, some of those kind of things are the things that I’m going to miss. But also, I’ve been doing this for a long time and so hopefully I can just rely on that when it comes time.”
While Roethlisberger did resume throwing several weeks ago, he’s now not having to throw to a scarecrow or tire in his backyard right now due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“My trainer’s here,” Roethlisberger said. “Ryan Switzer comes and works out in the gym and so we work out at opposite times, so we’re not putting arms around each other. So, we’re throwing at a distance and doing stuff like that. I throw to my trainer and so it’s not quite scarecrows or tires, but I’m getting throws in.
“So, I’m doing everything that I would be doing. I’m going to throw here in another about an hour and a half and I’m going to throw again this week. So, I’m excited to get out there. It’s almost like, you know, it’s like, ‘Oh man, I’m throwing today.’ It’s funny how excited I get to throw again.”
On the surface, it seems like Steelers wide receiver Ryan Switzer has been a constant contact with Roethlisberger for most of the offseason. The two, along with their wives, were in attendance together at a West Virginia basketball game back in the middle of February. Additionally, Switzer also posted video of him and Roethlisberger snowtubing together in early March.
We’ll ultimately have to wait and see if the entire NFL offseason program is wiped out by the coronavirus. If that’s the case, it will be interesting to see if Roethlisberger is able to get most of the Steelers wide receivers together for some sort of throwing and makeshift practice session at some point during the spring and summer. For now, it looks like training camp might ultimately be the first time that Roethlisberger gets to throw in a live setting, something he hasn’t done since suffering his elbow injury in the first half of the Steelers Week 2 game last season.
