stillers4me
11-04-2010, 05:06 PM
By ALAN ROBINSON, AP Sports Writer 42 minutes ago
PITTSBURGH (AP)—One month after returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/pit/), Ben Roethlisberger (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/6770/)(notes) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/6770/news) is an average quarterback.
By his standards, even if not by anyone else’s.
He has five touchdown passes after three starts, compared to three a year ago, but his attempts and yardage are down. Then again, so are his interceptions. He’s played one excellent game, one average game and one admittedly substandard game, winning two of the two of them.
“I’m leaving plays out there,” said Roethlisberger, who grades his play at about a C. “I think there’s a lot of room for improvement.”
While they won’t say so, he’s probably right about where the Steelers (5-2) expected him to be—on the field—following the four-game suspension that left him unable to play or practice from Sept. 3 through Oct. 3. They knew he would miss some passes, would need time after returning to get his timing and precision back.
“I think he’s going to continue to play better as he continues to get into situations and knock the rust off,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “The standard is to win a football game for us. I am less concerned specifically with how he plays and how he plays alone.”
Off the field, the two-time Super Bowl winner is exceeding expectations. Teammates say he’s never looked more energized while going through the daily grind of playing the sport.
He’s often the first player on the field for routine practices. He also seems less put out by the daily rituals than can quickly become boring to a player with his cache, such as the endless meetings, the constant interviews, the tape-watching and information-processing. No longer does Roethlisberger treat it like one big bore.
“He’s like a little kid,” wide receiver Hines Ward (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/4323/)(notes) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/4323/news) said......................http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-steelers-bensmonth&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
PITTSBURGH (AP)—One month after returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/pit/), Ben Roethlisberger (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/6770/)(notes) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/6770/news) is an average quarterback.
By his standards, even if not by anyone else’s.
He has five touchdown passes after three starts, compared to three a year ago, but his attempts and yardage are down. Then again, so are his interceptions. He’s played one excellent game, one average game and one admittedly substandard game, winning two of the two of them.
“I’m leaving plays out there,” said Roethlisberger, who grades his play at about a C. “I think there’s a lot of room for improvement.”
While they won’t say so, he’s probably right about where the Steelers (5-2) expected him to be—on the field—following the four-game suspension that left him unable to play or practice from Sept. 3 through Oct. 3. They knew he would miss some passes, would need time after returning to get his timing and precision back.
“I think he’s going to continue to play better as he continues to get into situations and knock the rust off,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “The standard is to win a football game for us. I am less concerned specifically with how he plays and how he plays alone.”
Off the field, the two-time Super Bowl winner is exceeding expectations. Teammates say he’s never looked more energized while going through the daily grind of playing the sport.
He’s often the first player on the field for routine practices. He also seems less put out by the daily rituals than can quickly become boring to a player with his cache, such as the endless meetings, the constant interviews, the tape-watching and information-processing. No longer does Roethlisberger treat it like one big bore.
“He’s like a little kid,” wide receiver Hines Ward (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/4323/)(notes) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/4323/news) said......................http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-steelers-bensmonth&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter