Ben said that he won't commit to coming back next season..Implies he's open to retirement.

[polamalubeast]

[tube517]

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2017/...3LI8c.facebook

“I’m going to take this offseason to evaluate, to consider all options,” Ben told us. “To consider health, and family and things like that and just kind of take some time away to evaluate next season, if there’s going to be a next season.”

[polamalubeast]

I don't think Ben is serious.

Remember Brett Favre considered retirement in 2002 and he played until 2010!

[AtlantaDan]

Drama!

[polamalubeast]

[Born2Steel]

May be Ben's way of telling the FO to get serious about finding his eventual replacement. After the Giants game he told Eli, "I hope this isn't the last time". Eli looked a bit shocked at those words and responded with, "It shouldn't be". Just a weird exchange.

[AtlantaDan]

Or it could be Ben being Ben

Steelers beat writers have seen this movie for 13 seasons

[SteelMayhem72]

i think he will retire to be honest...his body language has been saying so

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[polamalubeast]

Ben=Favre

[Rotorhead]

If his heart is not in it anymore, maybe it is time to hang them up. Let's hope he can find the drive for one more ring next season though.

[polamalubeast]

[Edman]

What were we expecting at this point?

Dude will be 35 next month, has a family, and has taken a beating his entire career. Time is getting short. Shorter than we may think.

We'd better start looking sooner if not after next year. Wether Ben is serious or not, the reality that we may start moving on from him needs to be accessed.

[SteelerFanInStl]

Part of me wishes that he would retire just so some of the Yinzers can experience what this team is like without him.

[smokin3000gt]

I'm definitely surprised... I figured the only thing that would take him out of the game is injury. Hell, he hasn't stepped up as a true veteran until the last few years.

[polamalubeast]

[st33lersguy]

I think it is definitely time to start looking for a viable replacement in the draft (you won't find one in free agency, guaranteed). I don't think he'll retire this year, but it is highly likely that he won't be playing for longer than 2 years

[teegre]

The thing that gives credence to this is that after the AFCCG, BB slammed his receivers. When have you ever heard him call anyone out in that manner??? You could interpret BB's anger as realizing that that game might have been his last chance.

[tube517]

http://www.pennlive.com/steelers/ind...rt_river_index

Ben Roethlisberger blames coaches, teammates, also self


Is his "retirement" talk just anger and frustration over losing?

Is he getting tired of the physical beating and the stupid actions of his teammates? (Pot, end zone dancing, FB videos)?

Is this a threat to all the younger players and the WR's to play and act professionally and not do stupid shit?

[Moose]

I've said for the past few year's that the FO better start looking for a young QB to carry the clipboard and learn from Ben. What do they do .... hang on to that do nothing Jones. Well folks the window is closing fast and they better start listening to Ben because he's looking at retirement real close, plus he's only a hard hit and another concussion away from picking up his last check. Hey, he can sit next to Cowher real easily.

[steelreserve]

I don't think he'll do it this year, but just like with Polamalu, it's a great reminder - after next season, it could be any time.

Realistically, anything inside of 2-3 years would just crush us from a cap standpoint, so I think they would do anything possible to accommodate him.

I just hope he can be back for one more season where everybody starts out healthy, and nobody's smoking dope, and we're not down to AB plus a bunch of fourth-stringers, and nothing else stupid happens, so we can see what this team can actually do under a full season of somewhat normal circumstances. He'd be leaving a ton of what-ifs and unrecognized potential on the table of he walked away before that.

[The Bark]

I wouldn't blame him as I honestly think the window on winning another one is getting smaller and smaller. I personally don't feel as if he played the same, whether it was physically or because of playcalling, since the Buffalo game where he threw three interceptions. I might be wrong, but it seems that's about the same time Bell started to carry the offense.

[AtlantaDan]

Like another Ben radio show story before the week 3 loss in Philly?

Although Big Ben has only played in Philly once during his 13-year career, he remembers that game vividly, and that's mainly because he almost decided to quit football after the 15-6 loss in 2008.

During an interview with 93.7 the Fan, a CBS Sports Radio station, in Pittsburgh this week, Roethlisberger talked about how close he came to retirement after being sacked eight times and almost breaking his hand in the nine-point loss.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ro...ame-in-philly/

No doubt that Ben's career has a lot more yesterdays than tomorrows in it.

Might be a medical problem, strong disagreement with the coaches where Ben goes to AJR II to say he goes or I go, or like Heath Miller, Ben simply decides I have banked enough $$$ and want to enjoy the rest of my life.

But I would be surprised he walks away now while the Steelers are still, despite Sunday's beatdown, one of the top teams in the league. I say at least one more season while both Bell and Brown are no doubt going to be on the roster

[polamalubeast]

[Iron Steeler]

Dark ages are coming soon.

[polamalubeast]

We never know the future....Ben could retire in this off season as he could play another 5 years.

Remember that Brett Favre was thinking about retirement in 2002!

[teegre]

If he does indeed retire...

Forget about Romo or any other free agent. The rest of the team is young; so, I'd rather draft someone (Brad Kaaya, R2).

[fansince'76]

Figures. We finally just about finish rebuilding and we'll wind up with Kordell Stewart redux, which is kinda like handing the keys to a Ferrari to a 90-year-old woman.

Part of me wishes that he would retire just so some of the Yinzers can experience what this team is like without him.

Agreed, and it would serve many right.

The thing that gives credence to this is that after the AFCCG, BB slammed his receivers. When have you ever heard him call anyone out in that manner??? You could interpret BB's anger as realizing that that game might have been his last chance.

Yep, even when his OL sucked hind tit and he was getting murdered back there, he'd always take the blame for losses upon himself.

[Born2Steel]

I don't see bad times ahead. I just don't . Ben is a GREAT QB, you won't convince me otherwise. We have some of the most dynamic players around him. The Oline is playing better than I can remember in a long time. We had to 'fix' the secondary, and did a damn good job of it apparently. The future sure looks very bright at this point anyway. Dupree, Shaz, Hargrave, Tuitt, Heyward, make an impressive front 7, and I didn't even include JH due to his age. Even if Ben were to walk away today, things look very good for the future. Unless we get a noodle arm with no football I.Q. that loves to party and beat women, we can survive with a lesser QB. I was impressed with Mettenberger at TN to be honest. Landry Jones can back him up, add in some more quality depth here and there, and I think we'll be just fine. I lived thru the 80s, and I lived thru losing to the Browns. Those were the darkest days in Steeler history. And it only lasted 5 years.

[EzraTank]

May be Ben's way of telling the FO to get serious about finding his eventual replacement. After the Giants game he told Eli, "I hope this isn't the last time". Eli looked a bit shocked at those words and responded with, "It shouldn't be". Just a weird exchange.

I hope it's his way of saying to the FO build me a real defense and let's win a few more. The defensive game plan Sunday was a joke.

[teegre]

In light of all of this...

Jerald Hawkins had better be a damn good O-lineman .