PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – On the day the Steelers started voluntary workouts one of the team's captains defended another for the off-season criticism he's received.
Defensive end Cam Heyward said he has heard enough of the talk that Ben Roethlisberger can't play anymore.
"We're just blowing it out of proportion," Heyward said Tuesday. "The dude went 11-0 to start the season. How many other quarterbacks did that?"
To answer that question, obviously none. Roethlisberger had a quarterback rating of 98.7 or higher in 8 of the first 9 games. In his final 7 games, only once did Ben reach a 98.7 rating, against Indianapolis.
"We lost to the Cleveland Browns, ok, so be it," Heyward said. "We fell off at the end, we still made the playoffs."
Roethlisberger's done that 11 times in his career in 16 full seasons in the NFL. He holds most of the Steelers career passing records and has said he's committed to 2021.
"I'm not going to say my quarterback is not able to do it," Heyward said. "I've seen this guy win Super Bowls on TV. I've seen him day-in and day-out compete."
"You just get frustrated because I know Ben puts in work. I know how much he cares about this team. If he was just here for the money, that's one thing. I don't think we would ever have to worry about that. When he steps in this building, he's 100% dedicated to this."
The 10-year teammate of Roethlisberger, Heyward had enough a few weeks ago defending his quarterback to those who ranked him low among current NFL QBs and other remarks about Roethlisberger.
"When I hear the badmouthing about him not being a great quarterback and that everyone is ready to elevate other quarterbacks," Heyward said. "What have they done? This guy is a proven winner, yet we are ready to discount him."
Heyward also believes a couple of free agent moves and adding in the draft should help Ben improve this season.
"Having a great balance is going to make him that much more dangerous" Heyward said. "I know our offensive line is in flux, but they are going to be better because they are learning a different system. We bring in another running back. Our receivers are a year older. We brought in another tight end. All of these different things can help Ben. I'm excited for them."
Heyward and Roethlisberger were both in attendance for the first day of OTAs.
