Ben - Rooney Tues meeting

[steeler_george]

was reported Ben and Rooney had a positive meeting today...

wonder what was discussed?

[whatever]

Tomlin retiring?

[pittpete]

[Steelwolf]

Here we go...lol

[Chucktownsteeler]

He is definitely back and also extended 1 year. Time will tell if he plays both years.

[SteelBucks]

I know the board (and Pittsburgh in general) is split but I’m happy about this.

[SteelBucks]

He is definitely back and also extended 1 year. Time will tell if he plays both years.

I figured they would extend him and push money out of 2021 and into 2022.

[Captain Lemming]

Tomlin retiring?

Only if they were TRYING to make Ben to do the same.

[Starlifter]

not surprising. Franchise QB's are hard to come by - even when they're winding down. Now we'll see how serious Ben is about competing one last year because it will take a massive rework on his contract to free up enough cap space to surround with a competitive team.

[Moonie]

I know the board (and Pittsburgh in general) is split but I’m happy about this.

I am too. He played well last year. The guy is always a winner (even when he's throwing the game away!).

[NorthCoast]

I figured they would extend him and push money out of 2021 and into 2022.

Beyond a huge paycut it's the only way to reduce his cap hit. I hope they have it written into the contract that this will be his last playing season. I think if he is a June 2022 cut it can count against the 2022 cap.

[Chadman]

So long as it’s not entirely on Ben’s shoulders to win, I believe he is the best available QB option for the Steelers next season and a chance of actually being better next year than this past one. The lack of balance and the lack of wins in the trenches combined for a poorly balanced offense. All this showed is that Ben can’t physically carry the team. We are now entering a new Steelers window, where the Defense is the strong part and the Offense just has to not let them down. If the Steelers can run the ball, Ben can QB this team. He might even have a couple of seasons in him so long as his legs and arms don’t give out.

[steeler_george]

So long as it’s not entirely on Ben’s shoulders to win, I believe he is the best available QB option for the Steelers next season and a chance of actually being better next year than this past one. The lack of balance and the lack of wins in the trenches combined for a poorly balanced offense. All this showed is that Ben can’t physically carry the team. We are now entering a new Steelers window, where the Defense is the strong part and the Offense just has to not let them down. If the Steelers can run the ball, Ben can QB this team. He might even have a couple of seasons in him so long as his legs and arms don’t give out.

Chadmna, I agree almost everything you said.
The thing I might disagree with is having healthy, more confident Ben back, an uptick in a creative offensive coordinating with motion & unpredictable, a younger and stronger on the OL, and a stronger running game, the offense might be the better side of the football considering what we are potentially losing on defense. Dupree, Hilton, Sutton, Williams, Williamson, and Alualu.

There is going to be a lot of holes there, with the focus on revamping the offense, this D is going to take an even bigger step back next year, even though Bush will be back.

[NorthCoast]

So long as it’s not entirely on Ben’s shoulders to win, I believe he is the best available QB option for the Steelers next season and a chance of actually being better next year than this past one. The lack of balance and the lack of wins in the trenches combined for a poorly balanced offense. All this showed is that Ben can’t physically carry the team. We are now entering a new Steelers window, where the Defense is the strong part and the Offense just has to not let them down. If the Steelers can run the ball, Ben can QB this team. He might even have a couple of seasons in him so long as his legs and arms don’t give out.

Really going to come down to how Canada can design an offense that fits the limitations of Roethlisberger and still get some kind of balance. Fichnter obviously failed badly at it. Kinda feel bad for Canada being sidled with an aged QB, but OK Arians did it with Brady. The big question for me is whether Roethlisberger continues to struggle with downfield throws. Otherwise I see the SOO (same old offense) happening.

Maybe a possibility he gets benched if he doesn't play well and the offense struggles??

[Chadman]

Don’t underestimate the importance of the amount of dropped catches last season to how the team offense played out.

Additionally, I’d argue the Steelers didn’t really have a field stretching WR on the roster. And the OL struggles limited the time Ben had to throw. There are many moving parts to fix, but it will ultimately come down to the OL allowing balance in the run game. RayRay McCloud running some deep patterns and a sure handed TE to combat catch the middle of the field could very well change how the passing games looks.