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I know this truth...
Ben Roethlisberger deserves credit for handling his four-game suspension in 2010, just like he deserved blame for putting himself in that position to begin with. And the truth is that his use of that time -- getting individual work in -- could wind up benefitting his play for years to come.
That's coming from the coach, George Whitfield, who had Roethlisberger for that month away.
"Quarterbacks, especially at Ben's level, spend so much time working on the offense, working on game concepts, working on the entire ship," Whitfield said. "They rarely get a chance to work on the cockpit, so to speak, and go over those fundamentals and mechanics. If you don't do that on a regular basis, you can kind of drift away.
"Those four weeks was really about him, and that was the best use of his time to improve himself as a player. Then to come back, like he did, you're more of an asset upon your return."
Whitfield and Roethlisberger tried to simulate the Steelers' schedule the best they could during that time, practicing when the team practiced, watching film when the team watch film, breaking when the team broke, to mirror the process and create a seamless transition back to the team.
But the work was most certainly different.
Whitfield says the focus was on Roethlisberger being more efficient in getting the ball out on time, being better at bringing the ball back up in scramble situations to become more consistent with his launch point, and being more compact with his footwork in the pocket. And the coach could see the strides in Roethlisberger's 15 games (playoffs included) this year.
"It's his consistency," Whitfield said. "It's just how organized and consistent he was in terms of playing. There are times, especially during that (Sunday) night Ravens game, when he does things that can't be coached, can't be duplicated. But in some games, it comes down to how you're doing things in the cockpit, little things you notice, where I'd be like, 'Nice shot there.'
"It's small nuts-and-bolts pieces, but I'd says his consistency mechanically was noticeable."
Now remember, this is a 28-year-old quarterback with two Super Bowl titles, three conference titles, four division titles, and five playoff berths in seven years.
And he could still be ascending? Whitfield thinks so.
"That may shock people," the coach said. "But there are areas where, I don't want to say he can be better, but I'll put it like this: It's scary how good he can be. There are still more weapons within Ben's game, more phases to his game, it's pretty scary. He came in that September with a lot of things we worked on, and he could hone in on those and make them second nature.
"I don't think the NFL has seen the best elements of Ben. You look at it, and Kobe Bryant is in his 13th year, and there are still things he's doing better in his 13th year than he did in his 8th. … Ben's like that. He's still sharpening his game."
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