fordfixer
04-21-2010, 05:34 PM
Steelers aren't likely to deal Roethlisberger
By Bob Cohn, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 77364.html (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_677364.html)
The Steelers are angry and embarrassed but are they willing to trade Ben Roethlisberger?
Or are there any NFL teams willing to part with a No. 1 draft pick or more for a quarterback who, while gifted, likely faces a suspension and poses public relations problems?
Either way, as Roethlisberger awaits word from the NFL on his fate, dealing the two-time Super Bowl winner appears difficult with the draft approaching Thursday.
But the possibility is always there that the Steelers could make a move if they received an offer they couldn't refuse.
"I think he's going to be our quarterback," safety Ryan Clark said. "I think that's why he's back here (participating in offseason workouts)."
Despite trade speculation the past week, Steelers director of player personnel Kevin Colbert said the team "hasn't changed our draft priorities at all" regarding its first-round pick. Those priorities, he said, do not include drafting a quarterback (or tight end).
The Steelers have four veteran quarterbacks on their roster, a list that grew by one Tuesday when they traded a seventh-round pick to Tampa Bay to bring back journeyman Byron Leftwich.
A Roethlisberger deal likely has been discussed within and outside the organization, former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick said, "but what's the offer? What would someone give up for a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback?"
As for the so-called "character" issue, Billick, a Fox and NFL Network analyst, said, "Character in the NFL is not a moral or ethical question, it's an economic question."
In other words, jettisoning an elite player carries some inherent risks.
"People say, 'OK, I've had enough,' " Billick said. "Have you really? If you're one of those people, let's revisit this in couple of years, when you're still looking for a quarterback, and you're in your third straight year out of the playoffs, and Ben goes off somewhere, and he's a good citizen and a productive player."
Although he will not face criminal charges for allegedly raping a 20-year-old college student in Milledgeville, Ga., Roethlisberger is expected to be suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as soon as today for violating the league conduct policy.
Publicly chastised by the district attorney investigating the case, Roethlisberger is the subject of a lengthy report by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that graphically paints an unflattering portrait of a once-popular athlete now steeped in controversy. Like their team, many Steelers fans have vented their anger and disappointment.
But Roethlisberger, 28, remains a proven commodity and an indisputable talent, which might explain why he likely will remain a Steeler and also why the St. Louis Rams — who hold the No. 1 pick in the draft — Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills and other teams with pressing quarterback needs have been mentioned as potential trade partners. In nearly every scenario, the conversation starts with the Steelers being offered a No. 1 pick and maybe more.
CBS and NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly said he has no idea if Roethlisberger will be traded (although he doubts it), "but I do know one thing. There's been no conversation with the Rams."
A former general manager in Washington and Houston, Casserly said he would not trade Roethlisberger. "But what you've got is a guy that's clearly immature," he said. "If I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt on his actions, he clearly needs to grow up and not only become a leader off the field but just a responsible person."
Mark Schlereth, an ESPN analyst and ex-NFL lineman, said he would be "shocked" if Roethlisberger were dealt.
"It's hard to find a quarterback, and he's been on two world championship teams," Schlereth said. "It's hard to find guys who can play, and Ben has proven he can play. Yeah, they're disgusted with him, they're angry with him, and he's gonna be suspended, but I'd be shocked if they cut bait."
Billick knows how hard it is to draft or otherwise locate a quality quarterback. He coached the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory after the 2000 season but was fired seven years later largely because first-rounder Kyle Boller never panned out. "If you miss on a quarterback, you end up doing games for Fox and the NFL Network," Billick said.
Asked if he wanted Roethlisberger to stay, veteran defensive end Aaron Smith said, "Wouldn't you? The man's a great quarterback. He wins games, and that's what we're in the business of doing. Winning games."
Former NFL executive Mike Lombardi wrote on the National Football Post that the Steelers should at least listen to offers. "Would the Bills call and offer the ninth pick overall?," he wrote. "Would the Raiders offer (the eighth pick)? It seems to me that if a team in need of a quarterback wants to deal with Big Ben's problems, it should put an offer on the table just enticing enough to gauge the Steelers' level of interest."
Lombardi said the club would be picky. "The Steelers are angry," he wrote, "but they're not stupid."
By Bob Cohn, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 77364.html (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_677364.html)
The Steelers are angry and embarrassed but are they willing to trade Ben Roethlisberger?
Or are there any NFL teams willing to part with a No. 1 draft pick or more for a quarterback who, while gifted, likely faces a suspension and poses public relations problems?
Either way, as Roethlisberger awaits word from the NFL on his fate, dealing the two-time Super Bowl winner appears difficult with the draft approaching Thursday.
But the possibility is always there that the Steelers could make a move if they received an offer they couldn't refuse.
"I think he's going to be our quarterback," safety Ryan Clark said. "I think that's why he's back here (participating in offseason workouts)."
Despite trade speculation the past week, Steelers director of player personnel Kevin Colbert said the team "hasn't changed our draft priorities at all" regarding its first-round pick. Those priorities, he said, do not include drafting a quarterback (or tight end).
The Steelers have four veteran quarterbacks on their roster, a list that grew by one Tuesday when they traded a seventh-round pick to Tampa Bay to bring back journeyman Byron Leftwich.
A Roethlisberger deal likely has been discussed within and outside the organization, former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick said, "but what's the offer? What would someone give up for a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback?"
As for the so-called "character" issue, Billick, a Fox and NFL Network analyst, said, "Character in the NFL is not a moral or ethical question, it's an economic question."
In other words, jettisoning an elite player carries some inherent risks.
"People say, 'OK, I've had enough,' " Billick said. "Have you really? If you're one of those people, let's revisit this in couple of years, when you're still looking for a quarterback, and you're in your third straight year out of the playoffs, and Ben goes off somewhere, and he's a good citizen and a productive player."
Although he will not face criminal charges for allegedly raping a 20-year-old college student in Milledgeville, Ga., Roethlisberger is expected to be suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as soon as today for violating the league conduct policy.
Publicly chastised by the district attorney investigating the case, Roethlisberger is the subject of a lengthy report by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that graphically paints an unflattering portrait of a once-popular athlete now steeped in controversy. Like their team, many Steelers fans have vented their anger and disappointment.
But Roethlisberger, 28, remains a proven commodity and an indisputable talent, which might explain why he likely will remain a Steeler and also why the St. Louis Rams — who hold the No. 1 pick in the draft — Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills and other teams with pressing quarterback needs have been mentioned as potential trade partners. In nearly every scenario, the conversation starts with the Steelers being offered a No. 1 pick and maybe more.
CBS and NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly said he has no idea if Roethlisberger will be traded (although he doubts it), "but I do know one thing. There's been no conversation with the Rams."
A former general manager in Washington and Houston, Casserly said he would not trade Roethlisberger. "But what you've got is a guy that's clearly immature," he said. "If I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt on his actions, he clearly needs to grow up and not only become a leader off the field but just a responsible person."
Mark Schlereth, an ESPN analyst and ex-NFL lineman, said he would be "shocked" if Roethlisberger were dealt.
"It's hard to find a quarterback, and he's been on two world championship teams," Schlereth said. "It's hard to find guys who can play, and Ben has proven he can play. Yeah, they're disgusted with him, they're angry with him, and he's gonna be suspended, but I'd be shocked if they cut bait."
Billick knows how hard it is to draft or otherwise locate a quality quarterback. He coached the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory after the 2000 season but was fired seven years later largely because first-rounder Kyle Boller never panned out. "If you miss on a quarterback, you end up doing games for Fox and the NFL Network," Billick said.
Asked if he wanted Roethlisberger to stay, veteran defensive end Aaron Smith said, "Wouldn't you? The man's a great quarterback. He wins games, and that's what we're in the business of doing. Winning games."
Former NFL executive Mike Lombardi wrote on the National Football Post that the Steelers should at least listen to offers. "Would the Bills call and offer the ninth pick overall?," he wrote. "Would the Raiders offer (the eighth pick)? It seems to me that if a team in need of a quarterback wants to deal with Big Ben's problems, it should put an offer on the table just enticing enough to gauge the Steelers' level of interest."
Lombardi said the club would be picky. "The Steelers are angry," he wrote, "but they're not stupid."