Steelers can’t justify giving Ben Roethlisberger an extension at this point
By Tommy Jaggi
Ben Roethlisberger is not the player we grew up watching
I understand Steelers fans wanting to defend Ben’s honor. After all, he’s arguably the most important player in the history of a franchise that dates all the way back to 1933. However, keep in mind that the Roethlisberger we all know and love is not the same player.
His playstyle has taken a complete 180-degree turn. Instead of having his first reads come down the field and looking to extend plays, Big Ben is a one-read quarterback who is forced to get the ball out of his hands very quickly. Much of this has to do with the offensive line. But that can’t give him a pass for everything he has failed to do.
Ben used to at least have some mobility to his game. Now, you can’t name three quarterbacks who are bigger statues in the pocket. He literally offers nothing on the move at this point and his ability to connect with receivers down the field has been pitiful this year. According to Playerprofiler.com, Roethlisberger is 32nd in the league in both deep ball completion percentage and clean pocket completion percentage. His new ‘old man’ playstyle is simply not getting the job done.