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Big Ben, ex-coach at odds
PITTSBURGH - Don't expect a tearful reunion at midfield between Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and former Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt Sunday in Arizona.
While he hasn't publicly ripped Whisenhunt, now the head coach of the Cardinals, it's been obvious from a number of statements he's made about the new offense that Roethlisberger was unhappy with Whisenhunt.
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"I just saw physically in the pocket there were some things you could just sense he wasn't as confident (about) as he was the year before," Whisenhunt told reporters in March.
"A lot of that I think was because of recovering from the injuries and having some doubts of whether he was 100 percent healthy or not."
Whisenhunt said even though Roethlisberger said he felt fine at the time, he was not.
"When we started the season, even in training camp, it didn't seem like it would have an effect," Whisenhunt said. "But, at the end, and when you look at it again, I am convinced it did. Not because of his health, he is a tough kid and he did a good job coming back and being prepared. But from the standpoint of being in the pocket and facing the rush, certainly there was some trauma with him that maybe we all underestimated, and I think it took him longer to get over that than we all thought."
Roethlisberger denied that was the case Wednesday and admitted he wasn't pleased with Whisenhunt's comment.
"I just didn't feel it was accurate," Roethlisberger said.
But there is no denying Roethlisberger is playing better this season than he did last year. Roethlisberger threw seven interceptions in his first three games back after the appendectomy last season - all Steelers losses. He's turned things around this season, with six touchdown passes and just one interception.
"I think it's just being smart," Roethlisberger said. "Last year, I really felt like I knew the offense really well and so maybe I tried to do too much, feeling like I knew too much. This year, I feel like I know even more, but I'm just not forcing it."
Whisenhunt has taken notice.
"He's a darn good player," said Whisenhunt, who helped Roethlisberger win NFL offensive rookie of the year honors in 2004 and a Super Bowl in 2005.
"I'm sure much like we want to compete against a good football team, he wants to compete against us. I think that he's really playing good football this year and it will be a challenge for us."
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin met with Roethlisberger briefly Wednesday and told the quarterback not to try too hard to show Whisenhunt and the Cardinals how far he's bounced back from his 23 interceptions in 2006.
It must have had some effect. Roethlisberger backed off his previous statements about how much more comfortable he felt in Bruce Arians' offense this season as opposed to the one Whisenhunt ran.
"I'm not going to bash anything about last year or any other year because we won a Super Bowl and were very successful," Roethlisberger said. "Of course, I'm going to be happy with the system that I'm in right now."
But there is still little doubt Roethlisberger feels he has something to prove to Whisenhunt.
He hasn't spoken with Whisenhunt since he took the head coaching position in Arizona. In contrast, Roethlisberger said Wednesday he and former quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple - whom Tomlin chose not to retain - still speak a couple of times per week.
"I certainly didn't mean to offend or upset Ben," Whisenhunt said of his statement at the combine. "I was asked a question and I tried to answer it honestly. I've always admired Ben with the way he's been able to fight back from injuries. He's one of the toughest players I've been around with some of the things that I've seen him go through. I certainly wasn't making a comment about anything with what he did last year. I understand that Ben maybe thought that I was saying some things that I shouldn't about him. I certainly respect that."
And he also has a great deal of respect for Roethlisberger, though there is no doubt he still believes the motorcycle accident affected the quarterback's play last season.
"The way he was at the start last season in (minicamp) and the offseason is what I see right now," Whisenhunt said. "He's very efficient. He looks confident in the pocket and certainly has made some plays out of the pocket and throwing it down the field. (Those are) a lot of the things that make Ben the good quarterback that he is. He's playing with confidence. He worked hard in the offseason from what I understand and Ben's always worked hard when I've been around him and I'm happy for that success, hoping that he doesn't have great success against us. But he's playing good football."
Odds and end zones
Wide receiver Hines Ward (knee), center Sean Mahan (knee) and tight end Matt Spaeth (thigh) did not practice Wednesday. Cornerback Ricardo Colclough (back) was limited in practice. ... For Arizona, wide receiver Anquan Boldin (hip), offensive tackle Levi Brown (ankle), and center Al Johnson (knee) did not practice.
