PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn’t say for sure he was going to play Sunday against Denver. Admitting his hip injury from Sunday is causing some pain.
“It’s pretty sore,” Roethlisberger said Wednesday. “If I showed you the picture, it’s a little black and blue. Just something we all have to deal with playing this game of football.”
Roethlisberger had a pectoral injury last week and played through that. Does he think he will be able to go in the game just a few days away?
“That’s the plan,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s always the plan to do everything I can to get out there.”
Roethlisberger said after the game he dropped his elbow a few times on a couple of throws; causing it to go off target. In reviewing, Ben says it’s more he was overcompensating for his hip injury and he’s working on making those adjustments.
“I’ve got to find ways to be better with my lower body,” Roethlisberger said. “Going back and watching the game. A lot of the throws that I missed were because my lower body wasn’t in sync. Over-striding, not stepping towards my target. Things mechanically that I know I can fix and need to fix.”
“When you are dealing with pain, it’s harder to get through those things. Nothing I can’t get through and I will work to get through.”
While Roethlisberger wouldn’t say when the injury happened, just that it was on a hit playing football. The stats would back it affecting him as the game wore on. Roethlisberger 9 of 14 for 104 yards and a touchdown in the first half in Green Bay. Second half, he was 17 of 36 for 128 yards and an interception.
“I’m not going to make excuses, as a quarterback there is so much involved in your lower body,” Roethlisberger said. “People probably think as a quarterback or as a thrower, how is your arm doing? Your arm is honestly a small part compared to the whole package. It’s your core, it’s your lower body.”
A 13-time captain, Roethlisberger said he will be an example to the team of fighting through injuries and inconsistent play to find a way to turn this around.
“I know that I can play better football,” Roethlisberger said. “I believe in myself. I know no matter what is going on, I’m going to fight by butt off to get a win. If that’s the way I need to lead right now, by showing these guys I am going to do everything I can to win a football game. Then I will keep doing that.”
