On Thursday night, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was in attendance for the Thursday Night Football matchup against the New England Patriots at Acrisure Stadium. What he saw was a poor display of quarterbacking from the Black and Gold once again, which helped sink the Steelers in a 21-18 loss to the Patriots.
A few days later, one former quarterback Roethlisberger had many great battles with played just his second game since coming off the couch and lit up the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense, leading the Cleveland Browns to a huge win in the AFC playoff picture.
With the Steelers missing second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett due to an ankle injury that required surgery and having to lean on veteran Mitch Trubisky down the stretch as the Steelers fight for a playoff spot, there has been plenty of speculation regarding a potential Roethlisberger comeback, especially after watching 38-year-old Joe Flacco come off of his couch and light it up for the Browns.
Roethlisberger’s good right where he’s at, though.
Appearing on the latest episode of his podcast “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger,” the future Hall of Fame quarterback stated that while his arm feels good, his legs can’t say the same, shooting down any semblance of talk about a potential comeback, adding that the Steelers have not called him.
“No, I’m good. No, the Steelers have not called me,” Roethlisberger said, shooting down any speculation, though it was in a joking manner while discussing the number of quarterbacks that have gone down with injuries. “The wing feels great. The legs? No good.”
That’s not all that surprising for Roethlisberger. At the end of his career in 2021, the arm strength wasn’t the issue for Roethlisberger. He could still rip the ball when he wanted to. It was the lower body and the mechanics of that lower body that was rather banged up that really sapped him of his abilities.
He just couldn’t move in the pocket, and when he stopped being able to truly move in the pocket, avoid pressure, and extend plays, he stopped being Big Ben, unfortunately.
Granted, he’s had some time off to rest up those knees, drop some weight, and avoid the day-to-day grind that was the NFL and his overall play style.
Still, there will be no comeback in the future for the old gunslinger.
Sitting in the pocket wouldn’t be a problem for Roethlisberger, assuming there wouldn’t be any pressure. He can still make all the throws. It’s playing against pressure, being able to protect himself, and potentially being able to extend plays that are the problem.
“I can sit in the pocket. Just don’t let me get out of the pocket,” Roethlisberger added.
It sure is a fun thought for many, thinking about Roethlisberger coming back and saving the Steelers down the stretch, especially with the way Flacco has come off the bench and is playing for Cleveland. It’s just not happening, though. Roethlisberger has a ton of wear and tear on his body, and with the way the Steelers offensive line has performed at times this season in pass protection, it would be pointless to put a sitting duck like Roethlisberger back there.
Great to hear his arm feels good, though, especially after elbow surgery in 2019. But his career is done and gone. Just a few more years until he’s enshrined in Canton.
