Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played what is likely his final game at Heinz Field on Monday night, a 26-14 win.
The 39-year-old was a major topic of conversation Tuesday, and appearing on Merloni & Fauria Ben Volin of The Boston Globe deemed him an underachiever.
“I do think he underachieved," Volin said. "He’s with one of the most stable organizations in the NFL. To their credit, [Mike] Tomlin this year wrapped up 15 consecutive years without a losing record. That’s incredible. The Steelers were always in the mix, always in the playoff hunt, and yet time and again they choked in January. And he hasn’t been to the Super Bowl since he lost to the Packers in 2010. They never put up a huge fight against the Patriots. They always got their butts kicked by the Patriots in the postseason. Yeah, he’s going to go down as an all-time great, he’s going to go into the Hall of Fame, probably first ballot. Two Super Bowl wins, but it feels like it could have been so much more, if only he had taken better care of himself. He’s got the traditional trajectory of a quarterback — he’s 39 years old and he’s [limping] his way to the finish line. His numbers [Monday] night are a reflection of a guy who doesn’t want to stand in the pocket and take the hits. He just wants to get rid of the ball as soon as possible and just dump it off and that’s been his problem.
“Tom Brady has shown us, and not just Brady, but Phillip Rivers, Drew Brees, you can be an effective quarterback into your 40s if you just take care if yourself, and Ben never did.”
Listen to Volin's full take in the clip below, begins around 2:00 mark.
