Roethlisberger now states he's had a "little torn rotator cuff" since last November

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Some positives in this article and some not so positive. Like to hear that both Ben and Haley are open to each others ideas. But the quote above pretty much tells me Ben still wants to be Ben. I honestly think age and injury will eventually make Ben rethink his game. It might not be this season but it will happen and he will be better for it.

This is the biggest difference between Ben and Tom Brady. Brady always takes what the D gives him and moves on to the next play. Once Ben learns that not every pass has to be a 50 yarder, his game will rise that extra notch to elite status.

[williar]

I am lmao at this! Am I wrong for that?

[RuthlessBurgher]

I am lmao at this! Am I wrong for that?

I'm LMFAO...

[skyhawk]

Ben knows what he is doing....

Yep. And the rotator cuff thingy sounds like a little Ben drama going on. I like.

[NJ-STEELER]

My wife had to have rotator cuff surgery. She actually had a bone spur on her shoulder that was shaped sort of like a scythe (that thing the grim reaper carries), and it was actually cutting away at her muscle bit-by-bit when she would be moving her shoulder around. She had surgery to repair the rotator cuff and grind down the bone spur, which eventually grew back, and then she had to have the surgery all over again several years later. Sucks.

no one can predict scar tissue or say a surgeon accidently cutting a nerve. there's multiple reason why you dont do the surgery if you really dont have to

[D Rock]

The link on Yahoo's NFL homepage right now says:

"Big Ben tears rotator cuff"


sensationalist media? NEVER!

[Flasteel]

Here's a nice breakdown of the current situation with Ben's rotator cuff and a whole lot more. By the way, the guy asking Shefter all of the questions in the first video -Kevin Negandhi- is one of my closest friends...pretty cool to post a link with his interview here.

[url]http://espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp12/story/_/id/8228059/pittsburgh-steelers-ben-roethlisberger-looks-same-old-ben-training-camp[/url]

[hawaiiansteel]

Will Ben Roethlisberger’s Shoulder Get the Steelers Through The Season?

August 3, 2012 By LG



All the talk about a tear to Ben Roethlisberger’s shoulder could make Steelers fans a little nervous before the 2012 season even starts. The thing is, Roethlisberger doesn’t show any signs of having a shoulder injury. In LATROBE — at training camp Big Ben is throwing the ball just fine. Tight spiral after tight spiral, Roethlisberger continues to throw the ball down field and deep too. Not only is he throwing the ball deep he is dropping it right into the hands of his receivers. In other words, Ben Roethlisberger is looking great in camp.

The Steelers O-line is going to have to protect him better this season, after all Ben is no spring chicken anymore. After 8 season in the N.F.L. playing the kind of football Roethlisberger plays the body is going to be a little worn. If the Steelers can protect Big Ben once the season starts, he should be able to get them through another hard-fought season. That is what Roethlisberger does, he goes to war with his Steelers, and one way or another he usually finds a way to compete on a high level.

[URL]http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/will_ben_roethlisbergers_shoulder_get_the_steelers _through_the_season/11370316[/URL]

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger & Long-Term Health, Depth, And Future Plans

Aug 6th, 2012 by Dominic Di TollaSteelers



Allow me to be perfectly clear, I am not adopting a “sky is falling” mentality with the news of Ben’s rotator cuff and now his sprained ankle. Both ailments seem to be more minor than anything, and in the short-term (2012 and 2013) are likely not be enormous issues or issues at all. Yet with the news of Big Ben’s recent aches and pains, and considering the absolute bludgeoning #7 has taken on a yearly basis over his 8 seasons in the League, I still have to wonder:

Are the Steelers truly prepared for a scenario where Big Ben goes down for a significant period in 2012 or in the near future? Furthermore, will the franchise be fully prepared to replace Big Ben entirely if his career ends unexpectedly, and sooner rather than later?

Big Ben: 8 Years of Success Plus 8 Years of Pain

Ben Roethlisberger has made his mark as one of the most successful Quarterbacks of the last decade through his career so far. A 2X Pro Bowler, a 3x AFC Champion, and a 2x Super Bowl champion, only Tom Brady has more rings as a starting Quarterback, and only Eli Manning has as many as Big Ben. Not too shabby considering the parade of Quarterbacks Big Ben followed since Terry Bradshaw abruptly retired due to injury in 1983. But Roethlisberger’s success has come at a great cost in terms of what his body has been put through.

From on field injuries which have included his throwing shoulder, head, knee, and foot, to off-field injuries like his motorcycle crash six years ago, it is somehow a miracle that Big Ben has lasted as long as he has, played in as many games as he has, and done so much behind terrible to inexperienced Offensive Lines for most of them. To me, his performance in 2010 with a broken face and a broken foot against Baltimore to win the division was nothing short of outstanding. And while football is a team effort and everybody involved in that game deserves a tip of the cap, only a special type of Quarterback with a pair of brass balls could take an illegal swipe to the face from a player like Haloti Ngata and not back down.

Big Ben’s tolerance for pain however is a bit of a double-edged sword, as he might be willing to play though injuries which require rest and time to heal and could be made worse through pushing it. Take the news of his injured shoulder for instance. Do you readers not think that with news about his shoulder that the opposition will not be gunning for Big Ben even more every week with this type of information?

I mean, while the Offensive Line has been upgraded by the addition of players like Mike Adams and David DeCastro, the oldest starter on the Offensive Line is Willie Colon who is 29, and Maurkice Pouncey is the second longest tenured starter at three years. Sure the Line will be improved from a talent standpoint, but a gelling and adjustment period will have to take place, and Big Ben could be the recipient of some nasty hits in the process. I just hope that new Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley can game plan around this weakness unlike his predecessor who thought that 5 and 7 step drops were just delightful with patch-work Offensive Line in front of his franchise Quarterback. But until we see this Offense in action in the regular season over an extended period we will just have to wait.

As much as I would like to see Big Ben play another 8+ years in the League though, it probably will not happen. The older that #7 inevitably gets, combined with the pounding which he has taken and the more hits he will eventually absorb in the future, he will likely not be able to play into his 40′s like a Brett Favre. Then when you consider the severity of some of the significant injuries and beatings he has taken over the years, it is hard to see Roethlisberger playing well into his mid to late-30′s at a high level if at all. If this is indeed the case and Big Ben is eventually forced to the sidelines for reasons similar to these in the near future, and the Steelers must look within if “big tree falls and big tree falls hard,” can Pittsburgh still play winning football?

Current Backup Situation

To their credit, both Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich (the two QB’s which have the #2 and #3 jobs on lockdown) have done a decent job when asked to play during their careers in Pittsburgh. Batch has a 5-2 record and has gone 120 for 208 for 11 TD’s and 8 INT’s from 2002-2011, while Leftwich has done a decent job (2 TD’s passing 1 rush) in the 6 games which he has played from 2008, 2010-2011.

But while Batch and Leftwich have performed admirably during their few chances with the team, they do have numerous questions surrounding them, and might not be the long-term answers as backups for big Ben. Health and age might be the biggest issues facing both players as both have experienced injuries of their own, and both are at the end, or nearing the end of their careers.

The soon to be 38-year old Batch missed the entirety of the 2008 season with a bum collarbone, and missed the last half of 2009 with a wrist injury sustained in an Overtime loss to Kansas City. Leftwich, 32, has been banged up even more than Batch the last two years though. Byron sat out most of the 2010 season with a knee injury suffered in the preseason when he was believed to step in during Big Ben’s suspension, and did not play at all last year after suffering yet another preseason injury when he broke his arm in a nasty situation.

While both veterans will be on board for the 2012 season, and should hopefully be healthy, both players are not guarantees to stick around past this year due to their contract situations. Batch and Leftwich will be Unrestricted Free Agents before the 2013 season begins, and are thus only signed through 2012. Thus, if salary cap issues befall Pittsburgh yet again (they likely will) and veteran roster purges eventually take place, either Batch, Leftwich, or both could be on their way out of town if the team cannot afford to keep them.

If one or both of these veteran backups is gone or is injured again, Colbert & Co. in my opinion have to at least consider drafting a Quarterback to develop behind Big Ben next April or at least in the following one. While they do not have to go after one on Day 1, the thought of finding an adequate backup for Randy Fichtner and Todd Haley to mold over the next few seasons, and possibly play in case Roethlisberger gets hurt should at least cross the Steelers brass’ minds.

Final Thoughts

This franchise made arguably its worst mistake (outside cutting Johnny Unitas) when it passed on Dan Marino in 1983 and did not consider the consequences of ignoring the team’s future at the most important position on the field. Whether the franchise thought Terry Bradshaw had a lot left in the tank, the combo. of Mark Malone and Cliff Stoudt was good enough, or they just really needed a Defensive Tackle, they passed on Marino and the 80′s eventually became a decade of purgatory for the franchise.

As I stated before, I am not saying that the Steelers should use their First Round pick in next April’s draft on a Quarterback. There are enough holes on this roster with either zero players at the position (tall, field-stretching WR), or do not have significant depth with any experience (Safety, Outside Linebacker) behind them. This is a team in a transitional phase which for the next couple of seasons must address holes being left by veterans at important spots and those holes should be addressed as the Front Office sees fit.

I do however believe that the Steelers led by Colbert & Co. should seriously consider adding a Quarterback to groom to the roster next season or in 2014 which can challenge Batch, Leftwich, or both for the #3 job during his first Training Camp and the #2 job the following season. There is no telling what can happen on “Any Given Sunday,” and if Big Ben is unable to answer the bell at some point during this season and beyond, the Steelers would be best served to cover all of their bases. Overall, I just hope the Steelers are at least mulling over and adequately preparing for “Life after Ben,” and can act accordingly over the next few seasons just in case.

[URL]http://nicepickcowher.com/2012/08/06/steelers-ben-roethlisberger-long-term-health-depth-and-future-plans/[/URL]

[hawaiiansteel]

Big Ben’s Rotator Cuff Injury May Be Bad News For Mike Wallace, Steelers

Posted on August 7, 2012 by JJ


Yes, I know Mike Wallace isn’t in camp. Holdouts happen in the NFL, especially during training camp, so I won’t get worried about that until we reach Week Three of the preseason.

But there is something else that does worry me about Wallace’s production this season–the news that Ben Roethlisberger has had a minor tear in his rotator cuff that occurred in Week 9 of last season.

Rotator cuff tears aren’t something that get better on their own. You just have to hope that they don’t get worse. All reports out of training camp this summer say that Roethlisberger looks good, and that the injury doesn’t seem to be slowing him down. But I could help but think, does that explain Wallace’s second-half swoon last year?

After eight weeks of the season last year, Wallace was arguably the best wide receiver in the AFC. He had 43 catches for 800 yards with five touchdowns. He was catching roughly five passes for 100 yards a game while still averaging 18.6 yard per catch.

From Week 9 on, Wallace was just a solid, if unspectacular, receiver. There were lots of theories thrown out for Wallace’s slow disappearance from the Steelers’ offense, you probably heard several of them on the Steelers Lounge podcasts. But now, we may have an explanation for the problems.

For the remaining 9 games of the season (counting the playoffs) Wallace had 32 catches for 419 yards with three touchdowns. He averaged only a little over three catches for 47 yards a game while averaging 13.1 yards per catch.

MIKE WALLACE’S BIG PLAY DROPOFF

Rec. Yds 40+ Plays

Before Roethlisberger injury 43 800 6

After Roethlisberger injury 32 419 1

Now it’s only a supposition, but it makes some sense that part of Wallace’s dropoff came because Roethlisberger didn’t have as much comfort going deep or arm strength to pull it off because of the injury.

Wallace had six plays of 40+ yards during the first eight games of the season. He had one after Roethlisberger’s injury.

I’m don’t think in any way that’s the only reason–teams were also clearly working very hard to make sure Wallace didn’t get behind the safeties–but it does potentially explain a lot.

If you take away the deep ball, Wallace goes from being one of the most frightening players in football to a useful, but containable No. 2 receiver. So I’ll be very interested to see how Roethlisberger looks throwing deep this preseason, whether Wallace is in camp or not.

[URL]http://www.steelerslounge.com/2012/08/big-bens-rotator-cuff-injury-bad-news-mike-wallace-steelers/[/URL]