LATROBE, Pa. -- Ben Roethlisberger strolls into his 16th NFL season at 37 years old. During that stretch under center for the Steelers, he's started 214 games and taken 501 sacks — third-most all-time. He's suffered concussions, a foot fracture, a shoulder separation, an MCL sprain, a torn meniscus and various other injuries as a result of the wear-and-tear of life as an NFL quarterback.

All things considered, Roethlisberger should probably expect to start feeling the effects of Father Time.

He's not.

"I’d like to think that my arm is just as strong [as when I was a rookie]," Roethlisberger was telling reporters at Saint Vincent College. "I really spend a lot of time with my trainer working on my shoulders and back and things for throwing. I’d like to think that my arm hasn’t dropped off."

To Roethlisberger, getting older and taking some damage has actually forced him to make some necessary improvements to his game. While the pain is never ideal, he views certain bumps and bruises as a blessing in disguise.

"And really, as you get older, you have to work on mobility and things like that, so a lot of stuff we’ve been working on is kind of short-area, in-the-pocket-type movement," Roethlisberger added. "So truthfully, physically, I feel as good as I have. Obviously, the knees and things wear down a little bit as you get older, but I still feel sharp mentally too, so that’s important.”

It's not just lip service. Last year, Roethlisberger set career highs and led the league in completions (452) and yards (5,129). He also set a personal best with 34 touchdowns, trailing only Patrick Mahomes (50), Andrew Luck (39), Matt Ryan (35) and Russell Wilson (35) in that category. While he appears to somehow only now be hitting his peak as a quarterback, he was quick to admit one area in which his rookie self would smoke 37-year-old Roethlisberger.

“I’m not quite as fast — not that I was ever really a blazer," Roethlisberger joked.

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