Steelers TE Vance McDonald has ‘never seen’ Ben Roethlisberger like this

Steelers tight end Vance McDonald recently spoke with Steelers fans. Here’s why he believes Ben Roethlisberger has never been better.

When Steelers tight end Vance McDonald was traded to Pittsburgh in 2017, he saw a younger, healthy Ben Roethlisberger who was coming off three straight Pro Bowl appearances and about to make his fourth in a row.

The Roethlisberger-led team finished 12-3 that year and thought they would ultimately lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round of the playoffs, Pittsburgh was one of the most dangerous teams in the league.

Apparently, the old Ben Roethlisberger is back.

Recently, McDonald spoke on a Steelers fan call where he was asked numerous questions about the upcoming sesaon. His first was specifically about Roethlisberger. Here’s what Vance had to say about his quarterback this year:

"“Ben’s had a ton of success at his position, he’s been doing it for a long time. I’ve never seen Seven like this … He has a fire under him, and he is so hungry to not only get the season rolling but to win it all. Looking back on it now, obviously it was horrible having him out last year, but it has been so cool to see the transition through fighting through the elbow injury, having surgery in the offseason, talking to him through that, and now seeing him out there a couple days here at camp, and he’s rifling the ball around… It is amazing to have that ‘Seven’ that I’ve heard of, that I’ve seen when I first got here, to have it back, it’s been so cool."

McDonald clearly didn’t beat around the bush with his statement. Rather, he gave the fans an answer they’ve all been waiting to hear: Ben is back.

Though McDonald obviously wasn’t around back in Roethlisberger’s Super Bowl years, he has seen a few very solid seasons from Big Ben. Between 2017 and 2018, McDonald watched Ben throw for 9,380 passing yards and 62 touchdowns while leading his team to a 21-9-1 record during that span, according to Pro Football Reference.

Why Steelers fans have a reason to be excited

With former Pro Bowl tight end Eric Ebron now in the mix for Pittsburgh, McDonald may never see another statistical performance like the one he experienced in 2018 (50 receptions, 610 yards, 4 touchdowns), but he doesn’t seem worried about it. Instead, he’s just excited to have the ‘Seven’ that he’s heard of back in action.

There have been many predictions about what Pittsburgh’s record could end up being in 2020 with opinions that typically range from 8-8 to 12-4. Most recently, an article from Bleacher Report predicted the Steelers finishing 10-6 this year.

Admittedly, in my game-by-game prediction early this offseason, I predicted the Steelers to finish 9-7. However, that was before I heard teammates raving about the new and improved Ben Roethlisberger. If he truly does return to his 2017 self this year, Pittsburgh fans could be in for a treat in 2020.

Obviously, the success of the Steelers sesaon will hinge on the health of Roethlisberger. But all signs seem to indicate that he’s healthier than he’s been in years with a new fire lit underneath him. Let’s hope Pittsburgh can go far because of it in 2020.