Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger finds himself back in a familiar spot thanks to what he said earlier this week: back in the headlines.
Roethlisberger stated on his “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast Monday that he feels that the Steeler Way has been lost a little bit on the team. Those comments sent shockwaves through Steeler Nation. Some agree with his assessment. Others don’t. Even more aren’t exactly sure how to feel about the comments.
Now, Roethlisberger finds himself drawing the ire of other talking heads. Tuesday, it was ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith firing away at him, stating that his hands aren’t clean when it comes to a potential lost tradition.
Then, on Thursday, former NFL wide receiver and Fox Sports analyst Keyshawn Johnson, appearing on Undisputed with Skip Bayless, came after Roethlisberger.
“Now you’re looking at it and you saying, ‘Well, Ben is basically saying Mike Tomlin isn’t the guy for the job.’ It’s amazing. It’s amazing. It is so amazing that all of a sudden you [Steelers] don’t look like you are getting ready to do anything, and now, Mike Tomlin is not the guy for the job, basically, is what you’re saying,” Johnson said regarding Roethlisberger’s comments, according to video via the Undisputed YouTube page. “Because they have lost a tradition. If you say they have lost a tradition, that’s because Mike Tomlin is the coach, is what you’re saying. That’s all you’re saying.
“It’s almost like some coded language there. Just say it if that’s what you really truly believe. If you really truly believe that Mike Tomlin is not the answer, then just say it. Don’t dance around it. Because I don’t think anybody would agree with Big Ben on that one.”
That’s certainly one way to look at it.
Roethlisberger’s comments definitely didn’t come off as a veiled shot at Tomlin, but that’s the way that Johnson, co-host Michael Irvin and Bayless seem to be taking it. That’s their opinion and they can run with it.
What it came off as though was Roethlisberger questioning the leadership in that locker room on the offensive side of the football.
Here is what Roethlisberger said on his podcast, for clarity:
“I said, and one of the leaders at the time kind of got on me for saying that I felt some guys on the team aren’t in it for the team, they’re in it for themselves. Well, now some of the guys on the team are saying the same thing. So maybe I wasn’t too far when I said that. I know that I’m retired, I’m not in the locker room, I get it. It just feels like that. It just feels like something that’s been lost on this team a little bit. It just feels like the Steeler Way is just not.”
There are leaders on the defensive side of the football who understand the Steeler Way, like Cameron Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt. But there is not that leader on offense, and it’s a problem.
That didn’t necessarily come off as a shot at Tomlin, though it might be able to be viewed that way since Roethlisberger was talking about the culture inside the locker room on the offensive side of the football, and that lack of culture, leadership and togetherness on the offensive side of the football ultimately falls on the head coach.
Of course, Roethlisberger has said in the past that the Steelers, specifically former GM Kevin Colbert and Tomlin, didn’t want him back after the 2021 season, so maybe he is taking a veiled shot with his words and is still holding a grudge. I wouldn’t put it past him.
It just doesn’t feel as though Roethlisberger was trying to take a shot at Tomlin though. But it sure has created some great discussions in the days following his comments.
