
Ben Roethlisberger looks to be heading into possibly his final season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He signed a one-year deal with the Steelers in the offseason, but he lost some key veterans on the team who he looked up to. Maurkice Pouncey and Vance McDonald have both decided to retire in the offseason. Ben called Pouncey's retirement one of the hardest things he had to deal with in the offseason. He said Pouncey was one of the best teammates he has ever played with on the football field.
Ben Roethlisberger leaning on Veteran Players: “We had guys on that team that were veteran leaders, that were the voices that kept me from having to come in right away and saying, ‘hey, this is my team. This is how I do it”, Ben said. “I think that’s one of the key things to being a leader, is knowing who you have around you, knowing how to speak to guys, how to motivate guys, how to communicate with guys”.
It looks like Ben Roethlisberger is maturing even more although his career is winding down. This was one of Ben Roethlisberger's downfalls earlier in his career. He would tend to do foolish things on and off of the football field. Ben would call out players through the media instead of pulling them aside to talk to them in person. Two wide receivers he had an issue with were Antonio Brown and James Washington. During Washington's time as a rookie, Ben Roethlisberger wouldn't even speak to him. That is when Washington went to the coaches about Ben Roethlisberger. These are the types of things Ben is working on.
Ben Roethlisberger on communicating: “I learned that as I got older. I learned how to communicate with guys, how to lead guys”, Ben explained. “Each guy in my line or on a team needs to be led, communicated with, differently. So when you come in as a rookie, if I would’ve come in hollering at these guys, like ‘this is my team’, they would’ve, I don’t know what would’ve happened. They would’ve put me in my place pretty quick”.
No one is going to put Ben Roethlisberger in his place, but if Ben is acting like a dick to them they will shut down. The game of football is a team game and not just Ben Roethlisberger's team. It would be best if Ben Roethlisberger started to teach many of these young players how things work in the NFL. That would be a good start. Take them under your wing and teach them how to communicate, motivate, and be a team player.
It is great to see Ben Roethlisberger finally see the light and I think if he goes out on a positive note his legacy in Pittsburgh will remain intact. Regardless Ben Roethlisberger has brought the City of Pittsburgh two Super Bowl Championships. I think Ben Roethlisberger should be a First-Ballot Hall of Famer and I believe Ben Roethlisberger had one helluva career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It will be fun to watch his last season (or seasons) with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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