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Unorthodox handoffs and some snaps from a formation that isn't used very often.
Those are adjustments Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers might make as the star quarterback plays the rest of the season with a broken right thumb.
Roethlisberger threw Monday for the first time since getting hurt in a Nov. 13 game at Cincinnati. The only thing he could say definitively following practice is that the injury won't keep him from playing Sunday night in Kansas City.
"It hurts first off just to grip the ball. It's something you've got to get used to," Roethlisberger said of the injury on his throwing hand. "Coach (Mike Tomlin) told me not to throw (yesterday), but I was like, 'I want some snaps, I want to throw some.' Obviously I didn't take any under center snaps but I wanted to get a few reps in, at least get the feel for it. It's early to really tell too much. We're just going to take it day by day, and I can promise you I'll be out there."
Roethlisberger practiced on a limited basis Monday, the first time the players went through drills since last Wednesday. He wore a glove and a splint on his right hand, and those may not be the only measures Roethlisberger takes to protect the thumb that he also broke during the 2005 season.
He said he may use his left hand when giving the ball to the Steelers' running backs, depending on how difficult and painful it is to do so with his strong hand.
Also, Roethlisberger said he took snaps out of the pistol Monday.
It is the same formation the Steelers used at times last season when Roethlisberger played through a broken bone in his right foot. Snaps are not taken directly from center in the pistol — the quarterback isn't as deep as when he is taking snaps out of a shotgun — and the running back lines up next to the quarterback.
"At all costs we try to avoid that because it's tougher on the back to see around me," Roethlisberger said the pistol formation, "but if that's how we have to get through some practice and plays, we'll do that."
Working around Roethlisberger's injury beats the alternative — or the situation Chicago is in after Bears quarterback Jay Cutler broke his thumb and likely ended his season.
Cutler hurt his thumb while making a tackle following an interception. Roethlisberger said Cutler's injury won't give him pause if he has to play defense because of a turnover.
"There's no way I can sit there and say, 'I've got to make this tackle. Oh wait, Jay got hurt ...' No, it's just go after them and get them down," Roethlisberger said. "Hopefully you don't have to make a tackle -- that's the first problem."
Steelers players may not be doing much today; it's their day off. They resume practice tomorrow, when the emphasis will shift to Kansas City.
Free safety Ryan Clark said practice yesterday helped ease the Steelers players back into their routines following the bye.
"I think it's good to get everyone back in the building," Clark said. "The biggest thing for us is just getting back in the groove of not having a weekend of playing football this weekend. Those guys are going to have those reps to build upon to watch on film where we've been off."
Read more: Big Ben's broken thumb begets adjustments - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review [url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_768519.html#ixzz1eRfCPmiH"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1eRfCPmiH[/url]
Those are adjustments Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers might make as the star quarterback plays the rest of the season with a broken right thumb.
Roethlisberger threw Monday for the first time since getting hurt in a Nov. 13 game at Cincinnati. The only thing he could say definitively following practice is that the injury won't keep him from playing Sunday night in Kansas City.
"It hurts first off just to grip the ball. It's something you've got to get used to," Roethlisberger said of the injury on his throwing hand. "Coach (Mike Tomlin) told me not to throw (yesterday), but I was like, 'I want some snaps, I want to throw some.' Obviously I didn't take any under center snaps but I wanted to get a few reps in, at least get the feel for it. It's early to really tell too much. We're just going to take it day by day, and I can promise you I'll be out there."
Roethlisberger practiced on a limited basis Monday, the first time the players went through drills since last Wednesday. He wore a glove and a splint on his right hand, and those may not be the only measures Roethlisberger takes to protect the thumb that he also broke during the 2005 season.
He said he may use his left hand when giving the ball to the Steelers' running backs, depending on how difficult and painful it is to do so with his strong hand.
Also, Roethlisberger said he took snaps out of the pistol Monday.
It is the same formation the Steelers used at times last season when Roethlisberger played through a broken bone in his right foot. Snaps are not taken directly from center in the pistol — the quarterback isn't as deep as when he is taking snaps out of a shotgun — and the running back lines up next to the quarterback.
"At all costs we try to avoid that because it's tougher on the back to see around me," Roethlisberger said the pistol formation, "but if that's how we have to get through some practice and plays, we'll do that."
Working around Roethlisberger's injury beats the alternative — or the situation Chicago is in after Bears quarterback Jay Cutler broke his thumb and likely ended his season.
Cutler hurt his thumb while making a tackle following an interception. Roethlisberger said Cutler's injury won't give him pause if he has to play defense because of a turnover.
"There's no way I can sit there and say, 'I've got to make this tackle. Oh wait, Jay got hurt ...' No, it's just go after them and get them down," Roethlisberger said. "Hopefully you don't have to make a tackle -- that's the first problem."
Steelers players may not be doing much today; it's their day off. They resume practice tomorrow, when the emphasis will shift to Kansas City.
Free safety Ryan Clark said practice yesterday helped ease the Steelers players back into their routines following the bye.
"I think it's good to get everyone back in the building," Clark said. "The biggest thing for us is just getting back in the groove of not having a weekend of playing football this weekend. Those guys are going to have those reps to build upon to watch on film where we've been off."
Read more: Big Ben's broken thumb begets adjustments - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review [url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_768519.html#ixzz1eRfCPmiH"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1eRfCPmiH[/url]
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