Ben Roethlisberger's teammates seem to think he'll be just fine this season. Perhaps we should start listening to them.
The latest endorsement came from Steelers captain Cam Heyward, who left no ambiguity about his feelings on Roethlisberger's current skill level. "Ben's still got the goods," Heyward said Tuesday on NFL Network's Good Morning Football. "Anyone who tells you otherwise, they haven't really looked at football."
Take that, Pro Football Focus number crunchers, who are giving Pittsburgh the worst chance to win the AFC North.
It's in vogue to trash Roethlisberger, given how he finished last season. The Steelers lost three games in December and he threw five interceptions in five contests. Roethlisberger tossed four picks in their embarrassing Wild Card Round loss to the Browns.
All the while, the Steelers were "seriously concerned" about his knee, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
And yet, the Steelers brought Roethlisberger back, and didn't draft a quarterback. NFL Insider John Clayton told the Fan last month he thinks Roethlisberger will play two more years.
It's apparent JuJu Smith-Schuster is confident in Big Ben's ability to feed him the football this season. Faced with lackluster interest in free agency, Smith-Schuster opted to sign a one-year deal with the Steelers.
On "NFL Total Access," Smith-Schuster said Roethlisberger's return convinced him to come back.
"What he's done for me for the last four years, I appreciate everything," Smith-Schuster said. "To have one more year with him and bet on himself, I'd rather play with him than the other options I had."
That's high praise, considering the Ravens and Chiefs were reportedly interested in his services. That means Smith-Schuster thinks there's more money to be made playing with Roethlisberger than Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson.
Talk about an endorsement.
It's easy to forget, but Roethlisberger was spectacular for the first 12 games of last season, throwing for 2,800 yards and 25 touchdowns. He accomplished all of that with the worst running attack in the league. Najee Harris should help in that department. He joins a vaunted group of skill position players.
Hopefully someone can block for them.
Roethlisberger is clearly still acting like the teams' unequivocal leader. This week, he took some of the rookies out to dinner, including Harris and Pat Freiermuth, who has the locker next to Roethlisberger.
It's possible Roethlisberger's teammates are just pumping him up, but would Smith-Schuster base his financial future solely on good feelings? Probably not.
Those who know Roethlisberger best are bullish about his status entering 2021. Maybe we should follow them instead of widespread cynicism.
