Great Interview: Ben Speaks Out On Wallace, Haley & Plaxico

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Steelers QB Roethlisberger Speaks Out On Wallace, Haley & Plaxico

August 7, 2012



PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger joins Vinnie & Cook for a live exclusive interview on Sportsradio 93-7 The Fan.

Ben sheds some light on how the offense is coming together under new offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Roethlisberger says right now he doesn’t think fans will see a difference in the offense.

“You may see some fullback, you may see things like that, but I don’t think that’ s a big change, putting an extra guy in there to pound the ball,” he said.

He’s excited about his new young offensive linemen.

“The key is always staying healthy for every position, but especially our line. I felt that we always had a good group, but we didn’t – we just can’t seem to keep everybody healthy, but right now I think we’ve got eight or nine guys that are playing so well together and they’re meshing, they’re gelling.

“It doesn’t matter how you put them in, who you’re putting in different spots, it just seems like they’re making it work and to me, DeCastro’s playing great, Mike Adams is playing great, but Trai Essex and Ramone Foster are maybe having the best camp so far.”

Ben says it feels weird that he is the elder statesman of the offense, but says he enjoys watching the young guys grow and mature.

Ben misses having Mike Wallace in camp, but he knows Wallace will show up in shape and ready to go.

“Mike’s training hard. He’s training with his helmet on, just like he would be here, so he’s doing a lot of things.”

Ben also has a message to Steeler fans who think the offense won’t miss a bit without Wallace.

He also reacts to Plaxico Burress possibly returning to Pittsburgh.

Listen to the full interview by clicking on the link below:

[URL]http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/08/07/steelers-qb-roethlisberger-speaks-out-on-wallace-haley-plaxico/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter[/URL]

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Roethlisberger chats post-practice

Posted by Teresa Varley on August 7, 2012


Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger talked after practice on Tuesday, addressing a variety of topics. The following is what he had to say.

How is the offense going?

So far so good. We’re making progress every day. I guess we’ll see in a couple days when we go against a different defense.

How is your relationship with offensive coordinator, Todd Haley?

Good. It’s the same as the offense. Every day, we’re learning. We’ve been able to tweak things and communicate with each other.

What is it like making the transition to Haley?

It’s different. Different doesn’t mean good or bad. It’s just different. I think we’ve worked hard in both the spring and here to really get a head start and really get going on this offense. I think our relationship is good, and I think we’re really coming along with the offense.

How much of a role have you played in the Mike Wallace situation?

I’ve talked to him quite a bit. His birthday was the other day so I called and wished him a happy birthday. I’m just excited for the day he gets in here.

Do you think you could play as long as Tom Brady?

Only God knows. He’s as good as it gets, so he can play as long as he wants.

Do you feel like you have a lot of time left in your career?

For anybody that’s covered this sport or played this sport for long enough, you know you are one play away [from the end]. It’s too hard to sit and talk about how long you can play when I just focus on one play. Obviously, we’d all love to play for a long time but we just never know when our time’s up.

How has your transition been this spring?

It’s going great. We’ve learned a lot and we’ve learned fast.

How different is your preparation for a preseason game?

For me it’s different than usual because normally I wouldn’t be as focused on it, but I am because it’s something new. I want to really be focused on my plays, however many there are.

Re: Your coaching role with the younger guys:

I’ll do whatever I can. I do that anyway during regular games. I just always try to help out however I can.

Are you excited to see how the young guys on the offensive line are going to protect you and open holes?

Absolutely. Those are my guys. I think we’ve got a great group of guys that are playing great right now. I think they’re as excited as anybody to go out against some other competition.

Do you agree with Haley that things are going well?

Yes. I think we’ve made progress every day. We’ve gotten a little bit better. It’s been good.

What do you see from your young receivers fighting for a roster spot?

I see a lot of potential. I see guys that can make great plays at times and other times make some mental mistakes that they don’t need to be making. They stay on each other and all the receivers are pushing each other. So they’ll keep getting better I’m sure.

How is the running game going to be different, going from Rashard Mendenhall to Isaac Redman?

We’ve got a lot of backs that do a lot of different things. That’s going to be the fun part. I think Redman is ready to show everybody that he’s a feature back. It’ll be fun to get him on the field and see what he can do.

[URL]http://blog.steelers.com/2012/08/07/roethlisberger-chats-post-practice/[/URL]