Pittsburgh Steelers fan chimes in on the discussion of Ben Roethlisberger remaining at quarterback.
On October 23rds edition of Moving the Chains, an NFL Radio program on SiriusXM radio, the topic of the Pittsburgh Steelers came up from a fan’s call. He called in wanting to talk about all the naysayers who have piled on Ben Roethlisberger’s performance so far this season, expressing some interesting points which, to a degree, made perfect sense.
When he called in, he mentioned an interview with Troy Polamalu and how he wished he could see number 43 go back out on the field and play. Then he morphed the segment into Ben Roethlisberger. He was very adamant about what he said next, showing he is an authentic Steelers’ fan to the core. He spoke about all of the fans that have piled on Big Ben about his level of play.
Yes, Ben Roethlisberger’s level of play is not to the degree it has been in years past. If you have him on his fantasy football team, you have probably noticed he is not putting up the same amount of fantasy points he did in 2018. Those are all fair criticisms. However, what he said next would have struck a chord with any Steelers fan.
He continued, like Troy Polamalu, Big Ben will one day, sometime soon, no longer be able to step onto the field and play. Regardless of who replaces him, they will be trying to fill some big shoes when that time comes. There is no doubt that there will be a Steelers fan alive that will say “if only Big Ben were still playing if only he could strap on the pads one more time.”
That is true. When Troy Polamalu, Jack Lambert, Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, or any other Steelers’ great retired fans have all said the same thing at one time or another. When Ben Roethlisberger finally retires, Steelers’ fans will say the same thing over and over, if only!
Big Ben has earned the right to keep playing for Steelers
In his overall thesis, this fan stated if Big Ben decides to go out on the field using a walker, he is entitled. He has brought the Steelers two championships, played in a third, and is in the top ten of nearly every major quarterback statistic. If he chooses to continue to step on the field, he has earned that right.
You Know he’s right. Big Ben has earned the right to stay on the roster as the Steelers quarterback so long as he wants the position. Considering his play is not a detriment to the teams’ performance, how could you ever bench him. Sure, if at some point it comes to the issue that whoever plays behind can perform better and win more games, then perhaps.
Hopefully, Roethlisberger will have retired at that point. Sometimes players play beyond their time, and their teams need to cut them. Ben has not gotten to that point, not yet anyway, and it’s hard to see Big Ben going out in a situation like that. Plus it’s hard to envision many scenarios in which the Steelers would bench him.
So ok, Big Ben can shoulder a certain amount of blame for the team’s offensive performance; some of his passes have been off-target, or Ben and the receiver may not have been on the same page. Nonetheless, he has led the Steelers over 17 seasons and has played more games than any other Steelers’ player.
Big Ben has earned everything he has accomplished as a member of the Steelers, and the only other quarterback who has achieved anything close to that Big Ben has is Terry Bradshaw. After his retirement, how many fans wished we could have him back as the field general for how many years after. Fans will say the same thing after Ben finally retires.
Be thankful every time you see Number Seven step on the field as someday you will not, and the first thing out of anyone’s mouth will be “If only!”