To teammates, Roethlisberger looks better than ever

[polamalubeast]

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Ike Taylor could see it two weeks ago in practice, as Ben Roethlisberger prepared for his first game back from his suspension.

The footwork. The crispness of his delivery. The accuracy of his throws. The quality of the passes being completed against one of the better defense's in the NFL -- and that included those that came at the cornerback's own expense.

Taylor has been Roethlisberger's teammate for all seven seasons the quarterback has spent with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has studied his game long enough and closely enough to establish a standard by which to measure his performance. And it's a fairly lofty one given that Roethlisberger was under center for both of the Steelers' Super Bowl victories since 2005 and that before this season, even amid the bad behavior that would lead to him being suspended for the first four games, Roethlisberger was easily among the top five quarterbacks in the league.





"Ben, man, you look better than I've ever seen," Taylor told him. "Even (better than) in training camp, when everybody was saying you looked good."

So it hasn't come as any surprise to Taylor, or anyone else on the Steelers who has had a close-up view of Roethlisberger's workouts, that his return is going exceptionally well.

After a little bit of a slow start against the improving Cleveland Browns in Week 6, he showed the familiar form that makes him so good. On Sunday, with the Miami Dolphins shutting down the Steelers' running game, Roethlisberger responded the way an elite quarterback should by throwing for 302 yards and two touchdowns. He effectively ran the no-huddle offense for the first time this season. He also lunged for what was initially ruled a touchdown, but later became a fumble that the Steelers, in a controversial ruling, were able to retain to set up the winning field goal in a 23-22 victory.

"I still left quite a few things out there," Roethlisberger said. "I'm disappointed in myself, but with that being said, a win's a win."



The Steelers were 3-1 without Ben Roethlisberger, but their offense has been much improved with him.

Steelers with and without Roethlisberger
............................ Pass yds....Pass TDs....... Total yds.............. W-L
Without (4 games) 136.0.........0.75 ..................269.5 ..............3-1
With (2 games) ......273.5........ 2.5 ...................363.0............. 2-0

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http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d...tter-than-ever

[SMR]

Great read sir! Thanks for that.

[Galax Steeler]

I still think he is shaking the rust off from his suspension and should get better. He has better weapons this year then he has ever had.