Big Ben eyes resurgence for Steelers
PITTSBURGH – Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn’t give the Steelers much to be thankful for in the month of November.
The Steelers’ quarterback had a great start to the month, throwing six touchdown passes in a 43-23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens Nov. 2 to complete a three-game stretch in which he tossed 14 TD passes and no interceptions.
But Roethlisberger threw four touchdown passes and five interceptions in Pittsburgh’s remaining three games in November as the Steelers limped to a 2-2 record in the month.
Now, at 7-5, the Steelers need Roethlisberger to warm up in December, starting with Sunday’s critical game at Cincinnati (8-3-1), which sits in first place in the AFC North.
“He hasn’t been as accurate as he has been,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin of Roethlisberger. “Some of it is due to some pressure created in the pocket. Some of it is due to game circumstance. Some we lacked cohesion in some instances. None of those things happen in a vacuum when you’re talking about quarterback play. It’s usually unit-play oriented. He can play better, we all can play better, and we’re looking forward to doing it this week.”
Roethlisberger was particularly bad in the first half of a 35-32 loss to the Saints last Sunday, completing just 8 of 22 passes and overthrowing open receivers on several occasions.
At various times, Roethlisberger has looked out of sync with a receiving corps that leans heavily on younger players, including second-year receiver Markus Wheaton and rookie Martavis Bryant.
At others, such as against the Saints, the quarterback has appeared off, overthrowing open receivers.
Roethlisberger admitted on his weekly radio show on KDKA-FM that his mechanics weren’t correct in the first half against the Saints.
“When you’re looking at accuracy, or inaccuracy, mechanics are the first place you look,” said Tomlin. “Sometimes, outside forces can affect mechanics. There were certain instances, particularly in early stages of the game last Sunday, where he was high on some throws. He couldn’t step into some throws, the pocket was collapsing on him a little bit, and it didn’t allow him to have the proper throwing mechanics, which affected his accuracy.”
Roethlisberger was sacked just once by the Saints but New Orleans did pressure him early in the game with some blitzes before the line settled down. Roethlisberger did bang his throwing hand on linebacker Curtis Lofton late in the first quarter and said he had some numbness in his pinky and ring finger due to the contact, but wouldn’t use that as an excuse for his poor play.
“I’m sure every quarterback has had that happen every game,” said Roethlisberger, who has not missed a start in the past two seasons. “Does it hurt? Yeah. Did it affect my throwing? No.”
Tomlin didn’t think Roethlisberger’s hand was an issue, either.
“Virtually every Sunday things happen where he goes through some pain or discomfort, or is dealing with something physically, and I don’t make it an issue unless it is one,” said Tomlin. “He didn’t make it an issue, so we kept our conversations on where we normally keep them, which is what we needed to do as a group. I knew that if it was a real issue for him in terms of jeopardizing his ability to perform that he would talk to me about it, or the doctors would.”
Regardless of the aches and pains that affect all players at this point in a season, the Steelers might need a superhuman effort out of Roethlisberger if they hope to earn a spot in the AFC playoffs, but they will need something consistently better than they’ve gotten over the past month.
He remains on pace to shatter every significant passing record this season, even though his touchdown passes have come less frequently in recent weeks.
The Bengals, who have allowed an NFL-low 11 touchdown passes this season, might not be an ideal elixir, however.
“Their secondary is really strong,” said Tomlin. “They do a nice job of keeping it in front of them. They don’t give up big plays. They don’t make mistakes.”
Odds and end zones
Tomlin said defensive end Brett Keisel, who was placed on injured reserve Monday with a torn triceps, had surgery. … Tomlin expects rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier (ankle) and right tackle Marcus Gilbert (ankle) to play this week against the Bengals. Both missed the game against the Saints. .. Cornerback Brice McCain, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Saints, has a chance to play against the Bengals. … Nose tackle Steve McLendon is dealing with a loss of strength in his shoulder and has missed four of the past six games. He is questionable to play again this week. … Tomlin said he liked what he saw of linebacker Jarvis Jones in practice last week. There’s a chance Jones, out since injuring his wrist Sept. 21 at Carolina, could be activated off the injured reserve/designated for return list this week.