I got to thinking the other day how sad it was to see Johnny Unitas in a Chargers uniform, Joe Namath and his knee brace in a Rams uniform, Franco Harris dressed as a Seattle Seahawk, for goodness sakes!
Those greats never belonged on those teams, especially because by that time none of them still belonged in the NFL. Then I thought it would have been worse had they still been trying to play in the same uniforms they wore when they were Hall of Fame players.
And I got to thinking all that because that’s what we’re seeing right now with Ben Roethlisberger. It’s time to move on.
We heard an emotional Ben Roethlisberger telling Maurkice Pouncey “I didn’t want it to end this way” on NFL Films after the playoff loss to the Browns when he knew it had been Pouncey’s last game. As it turns out it should have been Ben’s last game, as well.
In a way – like about 20 million ways – you can’t blame him for returning. Even at a “reduced” rate, this season will help support another generation of Roethlisberger’s. But while he going out on his – and the team’s – financial terms, Ben is not going out on is competitive terms.
Oh, he is trying. I will never accuse Ben Roethlisberger of not trying to win. So since he giving it his best it’s painful to admit that his best simply isn’t good enough anymore.
Physically, he is not what he once was and watching him throw the week after the pectoral injury was painful in itself. That was reflected in his play against Cincinnati. Am I allowed to say his arm looked a lot better in practice leading up to the Green Bay game? Well, I just did.
His arm strength didn’t really hurt him that much against the Packers. You could say he was just a little too strong on the passes he missed to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Both could have gone for touchdowns. A great NFL QB hits both of them; a good QB hits on at least one of them which obviously could have made a difference.
The biggest problem – and it’s really a mystery – is what I wrong with Ben’s decision-making? A QB in his 18th season is supposed to get better in that regard, not worse. His dump-offs on three straight fourth down attempts - at the end of the Cincinnati game then twice in Green Bay – defy description.
Those are not check-downs because he didn’t even look at other receivers who were either open off the line (Pat Freiermuth in Green Bay) or were at least going to be positioned in the end zone after a couple of seconds (3 or 4 players vs. Cincy).
I still maintain that the biggest problem on offense is inexperienced and substandard line play and it’s going to take a while for me to change my opinion. But watching the game in Green Bay reinforced the observation that surfaced at the end of the Bengals loss – Roethlisberger is a big part of the problem.
While the bar was set pretty low the first three games, I thought that the line was much improved against the Packers. Rather than blaming the OL for not helping the quarterback, it was the QB who needed to do more with the time that he was given.
You don’t have to venture too far between the lines to detect that Mike Tomlin isn’t happy with his veteran QB, either. “We had some opportunities today; we just didn’t hit enough of them,” Tomlin said.
“When asked if he meant the missed connections with JuJu, no between-the-lines interpretation was necessary. “You guys know which ones I’m referring to,” Tomlin answered tersely. “We’ve got to have those plays, particularly when we’re not playing as well as we’d like.”
The damning quote was when the coach was asked what was going on with those fourth down plays when the passes were thrown not just short of the first down mark but short of the line of scrimmage. “You’d have to ask him (Roethlisberger),” Tomlin said. “Obviously, when we go for it on fourth, it’s our intention to get the line to gain.”
Ben’s answer was, well, confusing. “We had a few of them tonight. I’d hate to give you an answer without knowing exactly what happened, what the play call was or what specifically it was,” he said. “It could be any of the factors. I’m not really sure, sorry.”
Roethlisberger has been fairly up front so far – “I’ll point the thumb” “It’s on me” “I’ll look in the mirror” – and admits he needs to be better. But, at this point, can he?
For those who say the Steelers can’t bench a Hall of Famer it’s not like they’d be benching a guy who is playing like a Hall of Famer.
This isn’t 2017. Plus, they have moved on from great players before, albeit in the off-season.
It’s a tough choice but somebody has to make to make it and, in my eyes, the sooner the better. I don’t necessarily think that Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins will give the team a better chance to win right now but this is more about what’s best for the organization starting in 2022. A head start at the most important position can’t hurt.
This doesn’t – and shouldn’t - tarnish Roethlisberger’s legacy. It’s time for Steelers to move forward. There will still be a big Pittsburgh party in Canton in 2027.