SteelCrazy
10-14-2010, 11:28 PM
The suspension and humbling of Ben Roethlisberger might be the worst thing that ever happened to Pittsburgh opponents.
Stripped of his captaincy, forced to self-evaluate and mature, Roethlisberger now has a real opportunity to be universally respected inside the Steelers locker room.
It's no secret that before the suspension many of Roethlisberger's teammates, particularly Hines Ward, tolerated Big Ben solely because of his talent. Roethlisberger's arrogance and immaturity turned off a good portion of the Steelers locker room.
Now you get the sense his teammates love him. Roethlisberger handled his suspension beautifully. Taking advice from ESPN's Merrill Hoge, a former Steeler, Big Ben has reinvented himself as the NFL player most appreciative of his opportunity to play on Sundays.
I half expect Big Ben to do the Ray Lewis pre-game dance before the Cleveland-Pittsburgh game on Sunday. Roethlisberger now reminds me of Lewis, the Baltimore linebacker who almost lost his freedom and career because of double-murder allegations.
Lewis had to make significant personal adjustments after avoiding a murder trial. He threw himself into football and became Ray-ven Lewis, the most respected player in the league. It's not surprising that Lewis and Roethlisberger are now friends.
The problem for Lewis and the rest of the league's non-Steelers is that a focused and beloved Roethlisberger could make the Steelers totally unbeatable.
With Roethlisberger in the lineup, the 2010 Steelers are potentially as good as any team we've seen in the free-agent, salary-cap era. I don't see a flaw. Their defense is dominant. Their offense can run the ball. They have solid special teams. Mike Tomlin is a young Bill Cowher. Their lone weakness was the passing game and pass protection. Big Ben cures both of those problems.
A lack of locker-room chemistry was the last hope for Pittsburgh opponents. But it sounds like all of the Steelers understand how much they need Roethlisberger and they are rallying around Big Ben.
It wouldn't surprise me if the Steelers won the rest of their games, and we ended the season debating whether their 15-1 campaign was superior to New England's 16-0 2007 season.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/big- ... ths-101410 (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/big-ben-roethlisberger-will-dominate-in-pittsburgh-steelers-return-jason-whitlock-truths-101410)
Stripped of his captaincy, forced to self-evaluate and mature, Roethlisberger now has a real opportunity to be universally respected inside the Steelers locker room.
It's no secret that before the suspension many of Roethlisberger's teammates, particularly Hines Ward, tolerated Big Ben solely because of his talent. Roethlisberger's arrogance and immaturity turned off a good portion of the Steelers locker room.
Now you get the sense his teammates love him. Roethlisberger handled his suspension beautifully. Taking advice from ESPN's Merrill Hoge, a former Steeler, Big Ben has reinvented himself as the NFL player most appreciative of his opportunity to play on Sundays.
I half expect Big Ben to do the Ray Lewis pre-game dance before the Cleveland-Pittsburgh game on Sunday. Roethlisberger now reminds me of Lewis, the Baltimore linebacker who almost lost his freedom and career because of double-murder allegations.
Lewis had to make significant personal adjustments after avoiding a murder trial. He threw himself into football and became Ray-ven Lewis, the most respected player in the league. It's not surprising that Lewis and Roethlisberger are now friends.
The problem for Lewis and the rest of the league's non-Steelers is that a focused and beloved Roethlisberger could make the Steelers totally unbeatable.
With Roethlisberger in the lineup, the 2010 Steelers are potentially as good as any team we've seen in the free-agent, salary-cap era. I don't see a flaw. Their defense is dominant. Their offense can run the ball. They have solid special teams. Mike Tomlin is a young Bill Cowher. Their lone weakness was the passing game and pass protection. Big Ben cures both of those problems.
A lack of locker-room chemistry was the last hope for Pittsburgh opponents. But it sounds like all of the Steelers understand how much they need Roethlisberger and they are rallying around Big Ben.
It wouldn't surprise me if the Steelers won the rest of their games, and we ended the season debating whether their 15-1 campaign was superior to New England's 16-0 2007 season.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/big- ... ths-101410 (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/big-ben-roethlisberger-will-dominate-in-pittsburgh-steelers-return-jason-whitlock-truths-101410)