3. 'I hope Big Ben can walk in 10 years'

[polamalubeast]

I thought this, from an NFC player who is an admirer of Ben Roethlisberger, was a wonderful viewpoint:

"A couple of us were talking before practice about how much we admire him. If every team had 22 of him, you'd never lose a game. He can play through injury and pain like no player I've ever seen. Never wants to stay out of a game and always wants to help his teammates by playing. He might be the toughest player in the NFL.

"I also wonder personally though what his life will be like down the road. I hope Big Ben can walk in 10 years. Part of me admires him. Really admires him. But I also hope he thinks about that future. Think about all of the damage he's had done to his body and how quickly he always seems to return. I just hope someone is always reminding him that he will have a lot of life left after he leaves football."


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2589900-mike-freemans-10-point-stance-3-reasons-the-nfl-is-such-a-mess-this-year

[86WARD]

I hate BleacherReport...

[tube517]

Clorox Report. Didn't read.

However, the title reminds me of Jerome Bettis. He was interviewed during the Super Bowl run and talked about coming back and having to barely get up in the morning and having to deal with it one more year. He could barely get out of his bed.

[Steelman]

Didn't read the article either.

Maybe someone can say otherwise, but I've never heard Ben talk this way, even now with a wife and kids. This kind of talk is so overblown. Compared to any player in the league with similar tenure, who hasn't absorbed damage? This is their profession, what they signed up for. Guys can walk away if they want to or feel the need to preserve their bodies. I don't get these "reports."

Hell, I've never played professional anything and I've suffered plenty of injuries that have affected my quality of life. If anything, these guys are better off than me due to the abundance of top-notch medical personnel and treatment around them.

[steelreserve]

Quarterbacks are not the ones who can't walk. You want running backs and linemen. The guys who take punishing hits on EVERY play, not a few well-publicized ones a year.

[Craic]

I think many are missing the perspective here. It was an NFC player reflecting on a conversation he and a teammate of his were having. There's quite a lot of respect given, and the whole thing about him walking in ten years was more of a player's concern for another player.

[Count Steeler]

I think many are missing the perspective here. It was an NFC player reflecting on a conversation he and a teammate of his were having. There's quite a lot of respect given, and the whole thing about him walking in ten years was more of a player's concern for another player.

He may actually start getting the respect he deserves. What was he? like 31st on this years top 100 list? He is top 5.