Although we don’t run into as many people at the office or on the street these days, chances are if you did this week the conversation involved the impending demise of the once unbeaten Steelers and especially quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after two straight losses .
“Man, he looks old all of a sudden!”
“He can’t throw; his arm is shot!”
“Forget his arm; what about his knee?”
But Ben himself says he’s not concerned; that reports of his demise are greatly exaggerated.
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“I’m not so worried about the arm,” insists Roethlisberger, “my arm feels really good I think it’s more just about the rest of the body. It’s kind of a week-by-week thing, the accumulation, the toll of the hits, the pounding, the grinding, being 38 years old, all those things kind of add up,” pointing out that the recent condensed schedule hasn’t exactly helped.
“Typically this time of year my elbow would be getting worn down and I don’t feel that right now so I’m very encouraged by that,” he says, adding that he is working with the medical staff to make sure he doesn’t push it too much so he has enough left for the playoffs.
So Ben says his arm is okay but what about his knee that was sandwiched 6 games ago in Dallas and that Jason LaCanfora report on CBS last weekend that people in the Steelers organization are concerned more about the knee than the elbow?
“I saw that report, I don’t where it came from,” says Roethlisberger who is used to denying national reports. “I would love to know who that was or who told him. I’m 38 years old, I’ve played football (in the NFL) for 17 years, I’ve had multiple surgeries,” implying that he’s bound to be sore.
Ben did admit that his knee was feeling it going into the Washington game and he did pop up on the injury report that week.
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“I was definitely having issues with my knee, landed on it, had something going on with it,” he says, “my knee actually feels pretty good this week especially after playing on an artificial surface which typically makes it kind of ache so I actually feel pretty good.”
And, no, he’s not ready to “hang it up” after using that throwaway line following a poor showing in Buffalo; not that any of us had taken him seriously.
“Some of that was frustration,” Roethlisberger admits, “so I’m going to go out there and give it everything I have to get this team back on track because I think this is a special team.
“The season is not over; I want everyone out there to just take a deep breath. I know it’s kind of crazy out there (after 2 losses) but take a deep breath and get ready to go this week.”