Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger has nothing to prove
Why this became a thing, I do not know, but Ben Roethlisberger has nothing to prove and the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t need to be acting like he does.
Zack Kruse of Bleacher Report released a story this week highlighting the NFL players with the most to prove in 2018. On that list was a group of older veterans coming off subpar seasons, some rookies who may have gone higher than their potential takes them, and then there was Ben Roethlisberger.
For those who truly believe Big Ben is on his way out of Pittsburgh because of Mason Rudolph, I’m sorry. Where you got this information was wrong and you should not believe any of it.
Roethlisberger isn’t going anywhere. Not this year. Not next year. Not the year after that. When Ben decides his NFL career is over will be the only time Pittsburgh asks him to leave. Not when he throws three touchdowns in a game and the media is screaming for them to put in their rookie quarterback.
The notion is absurd. The reason behind Roethlisberger having to prove himself is because of lack of Super Bowl appearances and Mason Rudolph’s potential. Yes, the Steelers haven’t competed for a ring since 2010, but they’ve also faced teams like the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos on their playoff journeys.
If no championships were the case, handing Matt Ryan $150 million would not make sense and Kirk Cousins wouldn’t even be on a team. But they are, because this isn’t the NBA and these guys are playing against the greatest quarterback/coach duo in NFL history.
Ben’s timeline is on Ben, not anyone else. Rudolph has all the mechanics an NFL quarterback needs, but he’s playing behind a Hall of Famer that this team wants him to learn from, not replace.
Roethlisberger has nothing to prove. He’s playing some of the best football of his career and despite being 36, he’s acting just as young as he was 10 years ago.
Yes, there’s a new gunslinger in town and everyone is excited about it. But that doesn’t mean the quarterback situation is going to change. This is Ben’s team and it will remain Ben’s team until he says otherwise.
Next: Steelers 53 man roster prediction
Don’t listen to predictions of when Rudolph is behind center. If Roethlisberger wants another five years no one is going to stop him. The rookie can wait, because there’s been no signs of slowing down in Ben and there likely won’t be any before he calls it quits.