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hawaiiansteel
06-01-2010, 05:44 PM
Roethlisberger takes good first step

June, 1, 2010
By James Walker


http://i49.tinypic.com/103dixw.jpg



PITTSBURGH -- Steelers receiver Mike Wallace was streaking down the field Tuesday when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hit him in stride between two defenders for a big play.

"It always feels good to have one of the best in the game back with you," Wallace said after practice.

Roethlisberger -- and the Steelers -- completed the first step in the recovery process from arguably the most chaotic offseason in franchise history. After recently being cleared to practice, Roethlisberger rejoined the team Tuesday for organized team activities. It was his first practice since April 20.

The star quarterback will serve a conditional six-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy following the second sexual-assault allegation against him in less than a year. But everything seemed somewhat normal in practice considering the circumstances.

Roethlisberger looked happy and excited to be back, and so were his teammates. He worked with the first-team offense. He also joked with players and even head-butted his offensive linemen before team drills.

Add to the fact that Roethlisberger made several great throws rarely seen this offseason with Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch running the offense, and it was a good day overall for the embattled quarterback.

"It's another step," Steelers offensive tackle Willie Colon said. "We're all trying to get over this -- I think we're already over it.

"We want to get ready for the season. We got a lot of people we got to knock down, and our focus is being world champs again."

Another pleasant surprise for Pittsburgh was that "Big Ben" looked slim, particularly compared to his physique earlier this offseason. Roethlisberger, who didn't speak with the media, usually takes it easy in the offseason to recover from injuries. But based on his appearance Tuesday, it's clear that he has put in some work during his time away from the Steelers.

For the most part, Roethlisberger's throws were accurate. He missed a couple of timing routes here and there, which was expected. But Roethlisberger more than made up for it with long completions to Wallace, Arnaz Battle and Pro Bowl tight end Heath Miller. The throws to Wallace and Battle, in particular, were both ropes that made it nearly impossible for defenders to make a play.

It was a display of what Pittsburgh still has at quarterback. But it also showed what the Steelers will miss for a maximum of six games this year. Roethlisberger's suspension could be reduced to four games if he stays clear of trouble.

That leaves an interesting dilemma of how to divide snaps between four quarterbacks.

Leftwich, who had an excused absence Tuesday, has worked all offseason with the first team. Roethlisberger worked with the starters in his return, as he has for most of his career. And Dixon is waiting his turn to work with the starters because he wants to compete for the quarterbacking job in Week 1.

This is a challenge Pittsburgh's coaching staff will have to figure out. There are five more days of OTAs, which will conclude for the Steelers next week. But Pittsburgh also has to determine who gets the first-team snaps throughout training camp and who plays with the starters in the preseason.

"It's a tricky situation," Pittsburgh receiver Antwaan Randle El admitted. "But you basically have to come up with a plan and work it. It's going to be hard to juggle, but we'll see how it works."

But dividing snaps with Roethlisberger is a problem for another day. This week the team was happy to have its best offensive player back in the huddle and seems ready to move forward with its 2010 season.

"He's a man and everybody makes mistakes," Wallace said. "I just feel like he's the leader of our team. Any time he comes back we accept him for who he is."

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth

Djfan
06-01-2010, 05:58 PM
Kick butt, Ben!

RuthlessBurgher
06-01-2010, 06:02 PM
What's with the goofy bracelet on his throwing hand? I could see giving him an ankle bracelet :wink: , but a dude wearing what looks like 4 diamonds on his wrist while at practice???

SteelerfaninWV
06-01-2010, 07:36 PM
What if his bracelet had WWJD on it? Why is that goofy, what ever it says or means could be a reminder for him to get back to the straight and narrow. Its better to be supportive than nit pick. You guys on here sometimes are unbelievable.

hawaiiansteel
06-01-2010, 07:59 PM
at this point, no news is good news! :tt2



No news on day of Ben's return

By Bob Labriola - Steelers Digest
6-1-2010


http://i50.tinypic.com/21cgyhd.jpg


As for the news of the day, there was none.

In recent times, news has come to be confused with hype, and the phalanx of satellite trucks in the parking lot of the UPMC Sports Performance Complex on Tuesday promised to deliver bushels of that. But on the first day of June – as so often is the case in NFL cities at this point in the calendar – nothing really happened.

That Ben Roethlisberger had been cleared by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to return to team activities beginning this week had been known since last Thursday, and word filtered out early on June 1 that neither Roethlisberger nor Coach Mike Tomlin would be available to the media. Then, Byron Leftwich sucked the last legitimate newsy angle from the whole day by not being on hand for the workout, thereby eliminating the possibility of making something out of whether it would be Roethlisberger or Leftwich at quarterback with the first-team offense.

As it was, Roethlisberger essentially replaced Leftwich during the day’s drills, with no other changes to the previous Ben-less pecking order that had Dennis Dixon at quarterback with the 2s and Charlie Batch at quarterback with the 3s.

To sum up, there was no suspense as to when Roethlisberger was going to return, nothing to discern regarding the division of practice repetitions, and no comments from either Tomlin or Roethlisberger at the end of the day.

The only real test to which Roethlisberger was subjected was the eye test, and while he certainly looked to be slim and trim in the uniform of the day, he also looked like a quarterback whose timing and accuracy indicated he hadn’t done a whole lot of practicing of late with his teammates, which he had not, per the terms of the suspension initially levied by Goodell back in late April.

The demands of today’s round-the-clock news cycle will ensure that everything Roethlisberger will be reported, discussed, blogged and tweeted to death, but the reality is that from a purely football standpoint, nobody knows what to expect from a situation where a starting quarterback will be suspended – at least – for the first four games of his team’s regular season, and nobody knows how best to prepare him – and the rest of the team – for that eventuality.

Because the terms of any NFL suspension prohibit the player from having any contact with the team in terms of practicing, meetings, supervised individual workouts and the like for the duration, Roethlisberger is facing a minimum four-week absence from every aspect of his job come the start of the regular season.

Can repetitions in June OTAs, or in training camp, or in the preseason games for that matter, somehow compensate for those weeks? Is there such a thing as a preemptive treatment for rust?

The larger issue in all of this is the progress being made, and still to be made, by Roethlisberger with respect to the terms of his suspension and to make the necessary changes in his life to work himself back into the good graces of the NFL and the Steelers. To rehabilitate himself and his image.

But those are real-life things not to be judged in the media or on message boards, and progress in those areas certainly should not be expected to conform to news cycles or be expected to cater to the daily demands of sports talk radio.

As for the pure football significance of June 1 on the Steelers 2010 season, nothing happened. Film at 11.

http://www.steelers.com/news/article...e-491f1524fb17

NKySteeler
06-01-2010, 08:27 PM
but a dude wearing what looks like 4 diamonds on his wrist while at practice???

Maybe it's one of those new "balance" thingy-dos sold on late-night tv that supposedly improves balance, harmony, and tranquility... :lol:

Jigawatts
06-01-2010, 08:30 PM
but a dude wearing what looks like 4 diamonds on his wrist while at practice???

Maybe it's one of those new "balance" thingy-dos sold on late-night tv that supposedly improves balance, harmony, and tranquility... :lol:

You're all wrong. It's an official Jonas Brothers chastity bracelet.

JAR
06-01-2010, 08:47 PM
What's with the goofy bracelet on his throwing hand? I could see giving him an ankle bracelet :wink: , but a dude wearing what looks like 4 diamonds on his wrist while at practice???

It's a sorority sister repellent bracelet.

RuthlessBurgher
06-01-2010, 09:24 PM
What if his bracelet had WWJD on it? Why is that goofy, what ever it says or means could be a reminder for him to get back to the straight and narrow. Its better to be supportive than nit pick. You guys on here sometimes are unbelievable.

It's just odd for him to be wearing it during practice, like when Reggie Roby wore a watch during games. I wear a watch every day, but I take it off for sports.

Oviedo
06-01-2010, 10:08 PM
First step in a journey that only Ben can control. I'm betting he will be successful.

I'm sure it will disappoint some.

NKySteeler
06-01-2010, 10:32 PM
It's just odd for him to be wearing it during practice, like when Reggie Roby wore a watch during games. I wear a watch every day, but I take it off for sports.

I used to wear a watch during sex so as to "time" my prowess... Unfortunately, my "events" are now numbering the same as the amount of Steeler games each year... :HeadBanger .... Just kidding (seriously, never did that, but it just seemed funny).... :lol: .... Sort of....

... Oviedo, I agree with you.... We need him to bust-out strong after his mandatory sit. ... The interesting point for me, as Bouchette pointed out, is who gets the snaps in camp? Do you give them to Ben before he sits for a month? Or do you give them to Lefty so as to get ready for the season's start?.... I gotta say at this point that Lefty should get the majority of the work.... Just one opinion, I'm sure....

StarSpangledSteeler
06-01-2010, 11:04 PM
Interesting that Leftwich missed today of all days. Very convenient to avoid the initial "Does Ben take the majority of OTA/training camp reps over Lefty?" questions. I'm sure those questions will be coming... just not today. Ease him back in.

Oviedo
06-02-2010, 07:55 AM
Interesting that Leftwich missed today of all days. Very convenient to avoid the initial "Does Ben take the majority of OTA/training camp reps over Lefty?" questions. I'm sure those questions will be coming... just not today. Ease him back in.

With both Ben and Lefty there I'm betting they split snaps with the "ones"

hawaiiansteel
06-05-2010, 06:47 PM
Roethlisberger pledges better lifestyle

Updated Jun 3, 2010 6:45 PM ET
PITTSBURGH (AP)


Ben Roethlisberger issued no apology. He didn't ask for forgiveness from his fans, and he didn't lobby NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to reduce his six-game suspension.

Miss any of the details from the Ben Roethlisberger saga? Come on in and take a closer look at the trials and tribulations of one of the NFL's biggest stars.

What the Steelers quarterback said Thursday in his first comments since being suspended April 21 by the NFL were revealing: He's ready to make major changes to a lifestyle that cast him as a role model for bad behavior by privileged pro athletes with a sense of entitlement.

"I've spent a lot of time evaluating and looking at my life both on and off the field,'' Roethlisberger said in brief remarks following a Steelers voluntary practice. "I think this is a time for me to kind of close the chapter of the last couple of years of my life and move on to a new one, kind of a new start. I'm kind of really excited about it.''

Roethlisberger, accused twice of sexual assault in the last two years, pledged to make smarter decisions during what he called "the second chance'' he's received to turn around his life. He also said he's working closely with Goodell to rehabilitate his lifestyle and repair an image that's been tarnished by his boorish behavior.

Roethlisberger, known for frequenting nightclubs with an entourage of friends, did not specify what changes he is making.

"Well, a lot of them are personal things, which is just something that I need to do,'' Roethlisberger said. "But it's been neat being able to really reevaluate my life and spend time with my family and kind of reevaluate and refigure what's important in life. ... It's a new chapter and I'm looking forward to it and it starts with football and I'm glad to be back out here.''

Roethlisberger did not apologize for his conduct in a Milledgeville, Ga., nightclub, where a college student accused him of sexually assaulting her March 5. But he said he has spent considerable time since then thinking about the type of person he wants to be.

"I've put a lot of thought into my life, the decisions that I've made in the past,'' Roethlisberger said. "I've been sitting at home thinking about things, and I've been working closely with the commissioner on ways to make changes, corrections. I'm looking forward to the second chance and the second opportunity — not just in football, because I think everybody knows what you're going to get (from me) in football, but in life. I think that's kind of what's more important.''

Roethlisberger offered no specifics about his dealings with Goodell, who ordered him to undergo an evaluation before clearing him to take part in the Steelers' final few spring practices. On Wednesday, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin also said he and the team were working closely with the quarterback.

Goodell has the option of trimming the suspension to four games if Roethlisberger does all the league asks him to do. The NFL has not revealed any specifics.

"(I'm) evaluating what I need to do, and be smarter when it comes to certain things,'' Roethlisberger said.

Previously, Roethlisberger's only comments since the Georgia incident were a statement he read April 12 in the Steelers' locker room after learning he wouldn't be charged and another he issued April 26 after being suspended.

On Thursday, Roethlisberger made brief remarks, then took two questions before a team publicist cut off his news conference. Neither question dealt with the Georgia incident, which led to no criminal charges but shamed the two-time Super Bowl winner and caused a dramatic drop in his popularity with the Steelers' sizable fan base.

While ticket sales weren't affected — the Steelers have sold out every home game since 1972 and have a substantial season ticket waiting list — the team acknowledged the Roethlisberger incident cast the long-admired franchise in a bad light.

To repair that, Roethlisberger is promising to be more accessible — he rarely talks to Pittsburgh reporters for more than five minutes a week, except on game days — and to be a better teammate. He also thanked the Steelers players who have answered countless questions about him while he himself was silent for six weeks.

Roethlisberger, often brusque and short in the past when talking to reporters, appeared friendlier and more outgoing.

"It's been a long time away, it's been hard, but I've been putting a lot of time and effort and working hard both on and off the field while I've been gone,'' Roethlisberger said. "I love football to death. I think it's meant more to be out here with my teammates and my brothers, my family if you will, (and) that's what's really been neat about getting back out here.''

While the Steelers have three more voluntary practices next week, they have other team activities scheduled for two of them, so their on-field work is all but over until training camp starts July 30. Roethlisberger is permitted to take part in camp and preseason games, but cannot practice once the season starts and his suspension begins.

"It's a new chapter and I'm looking forward to it,'' Roethlisberger said.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/ben- ... nce-060310 (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/ben-roethlisberger-wants-to-make-the-most-of-second-chance-060310)

Chucktownsteeler
06-05-2010, 07:43 PM
What's with the goofy bracelet on his throwing hand? I could see giving him an ankle bracelet :wink: , but a dude wearing what looks like 4 diamonds on his wrist while at practice???


I zoomed in on the bracelet and it had the following strange initials:

DTF

Chucktown

:wft

hawaiiansteel
06-12-2010, 02:49 AM
Cook: Steelers' Roethlisberger takes step in reformation

Friday, June 11, 2010
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/images/201006/20100610steelers9_160.jpg

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shares a laugh with Byron Leftwich during practice at the team's facility on the South Side Wednesday.



One day, a disheveled young woman, in a cold police interrogation room with her face blurred to protect her identity, is on tape accusing Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of unspeakable acts and taking what didn't belong to him. The next day, a boyish-looking Roethlisberger, in a bucolic setting at his family's farmhouse, is telling KDKA-TV sports anchor Bob Pompeani that he never intended "to gain the whole world and lose my soul." Has there ever been more jarring, contradictory video? I don't know about you, I'm on sensory overload.

It's easy to imagine Roethlisberger as a monster after watching the tape of a 20-year-old college student telling investigators that he raped her in the bathroom of a Milledgeville, Ga., nightclub March 5. Yes, her statement, which was released Wednesday along with dozens of recordings by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, had inconsistencies. Yes, she admitted to being intoxicated at the time of the alleged incident. And yes, Roethlisberger was not charged with a crime.

But there's no doubt Roethlisberger's actions that night were deplorable. Can you say creep?

But it was a much different Roethlisberger who showed up on our living room televisions Thursday, not just on KDKA at 6 p.m. but with WTAE-TV news anchor Sally Wiggin at 5. These were his first, much-anticipated, sit-down interviews since the unpleasantness in Milledgeville. He was contrite and apologetic. He appeared sincere, although the depth of that sincerity won't be fully determined for days, months, even years and then only by his actions. He was especially compelling when he described himself to Wiggin as "immature, young and dumb," and said, "I've made a lot of mistakes and I'm sorry for them. I've done dumb things. I know that. But those chapters in my life, I've closed that book ... It only matters what I do from here on out, That's what I'm excited about, showing people, proving to people, the fans, my teammates, my family, the [NFL] commissioner, everybody, who Ben Roethlisberger is and that Ben is here to stay."

I'll admit it, I looked at Roethlisberger in a slightly different light.

It made for must-see TV.

It also was just a small part of what will be an ever-developing story that's going on hiatus for seven weeks and resuming when the Steelers report to training camp July 30.

Roethlisberger still faces an incredible challenge in getting back his good name. Let me put it in football terms: His situation seems much more daunting than the one he faced when he and his offense were looking at a first-and-20 at their 12 with little more than two minutes left in Super Bowl XLIII and the Steelers down to the Arizona Cardinals, 23-20.

Daunting, indeed.

Still, there's no question Roethlisberger helped himself with these interviews. Even the small details were just right. The golf shirts he wore were more appropriate for the moment than a suit and tie would have been. His hair was cropped, but he had a day or two growth of beard, which is the way he always looks. It was as if Pompeani and Wiggin showed up separately at his door and were invited in for a nice little visit instead of formal interviews that had been arranged by his legal and public-relations teams. He came across as relaxed as he could be, considering the humiliating nature of the questions he had to answer. There were none of the forced tears you often see in these sit-downs.

Roethlisberger was smart to do one of the interviews with a woman. He faces an especially tough task winning back many of his female fans. He also was smart not to duck any questions, the one exception being the big one -- what happened in that bathroom? -- on the advice of counsel.

Yes, Roethlisberger said he got caught up in the Big Ben persona and forgot about his Christian upbringing and the right way to treat people. "This has brought me back to being Ben Roethlisberger," he told Wiggin.

No, Roethlisberger said he doesn't have a drinking problem. (I'm not sure I'm buying that one.)

Yes, Roethlisberger realizes he let down his teammates, theSteelers' organization and Steelers fans by getting suspended for at least the first four games of the NFL season. He also realizes he let down the many kids who wear his No. 7 jersey and look up to him.

No, Roethlisberger isn't worried about his game suffering because of his off-field difficulties. "I love who I am on the field and I think most fans would agree they like that," he told Pompeani. "That's not the person who needs to change. It's the person off the field ...

"I know people may say, 'Let the actions speak.' Just give me the chance to show that you'll see a new Ben."

This was just a start for Roethlisberger, a small first step in the right direction. Actually, it was a little more than that. After the sad, troubling events of March 5, it was about as good as he could have hoped for on June 10.

Can Roethlisberger make it all the back, not just as a star quarterback, but as a decent, respected person in the community? I have my doubts, but I learned a long time ago not to write the man off.

You remember how Super Bowl XLIII turned out, right?


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10162...#ixzz0qcQDFKCL

feltdizz
06-12-2010, 12:12 PM
Yes, Roethlisberger said he got caught up in the Big Ben persona and forgot about his Christian upbringing and the right way to treat people. "This has brought me back to being Ben Roethlisberger," he told Wiggin.


:Clap :Clap :Clap

Once again Ben proves the "Ben homers" wrong. This is what I like about Ben... he isn't afraid to admit his mistakes... whether it's off the field or on the field he always takes full responsibility.

I wonder how the chosen few will twist his own words into a lie or general statement.

stlrz d
06-12-2010, 01:29 PM
Yes, Roethlisberger said he got caught up in the Big Ben persona and forgot about his Christian upbringing and the right way to treat people. "This has brought me back to being Ben Roethlisberger," he told Wiggin.


:Clap :Clap :Clap

Once again Ben proves the "Ben homers" wrong. This is what I like about Ben... he isn't afraid to admit his mistakes... whether it's off the field or on the field he always takes full responsibility.

I wonder how the chosen few will twist his own words into a lie or general statement.

Heh. If he said something that didn't fit your beliefs you'd be saying he was coached to say all that and that it was all BS.

feltdizz
06-12-2010, 07:46 PM
Yes, Roethlisberger said he got caught up in the Big Ben persona and forgot about his Christian upbringing and the right way to treat people. "This has brought me back to being Ben Roethlisberger," he told Wiggin.


:Clap :Clap :Clap

Once again Ben proves the "Ben homers" wrong. This is what I like about Ben... he isn't afraid to admit his mistakes... whether it's off the field or on the field he always takes full responsibility.

I wonder how the chosen few will twist his own words into a lie or general statement.

Heh. If he said something that didn't fit your beliefs you'd be saying he was coached to say all that and that it was all BS.

So you know what I will say? Proof please?

The point is Ben is taking ownership of his shortcomings and people like you were always jumping on guys who had opinions about Ben that he just confirmed.

Steelgal
06-12-2010, 08:28 PM
Yes, Roethlisberger said he got caught up in the Big Ben persona and forgot about his Christian upbringing and the right way to treat people. "This has brought me back to being Ben Roethlisberger," he told Wiggin.


:Clap :Clap :Clap

Once again Ben proves the "Ben homers" wrong. This is what I like about Ben... he isn't afraid to admit his mistakes... whether it's off the field or on the field he always takes full responsibility.

I wonder how the chosen few will twist his own words into a lie or general statement.

Heh. If he said something that didn't fit your beliefs you'd be saying he was coached to say all that and that it was all BS.

So you know what I will say? Proof please?

The point is Ben is taking ownership of his shortcomings and people like you were always jumping on guys who had opinions about Ben that he just confirmed.

I don't think any of us every said Ben was a choirboy. He's made terrible decisions in his personal life that is resulting in a league suspension. But having an opinion on him and others calling him a rapist (not stating you did this) is another thing entirely. I know I'm tired of the over-the-top remarks from those who would rather believe a drunken, sorority girl and her friends than our own quarterback.