At nearly the beginning of the 2019 regular season, Ben Roethlisberger suffered an elbow injury in which he tore three flexor tendons off his bone. After recovering from surgery, Roethlisberger feels confident that he is on the path to win more Lombardi’s.
Roethlisberger speaks to the media
On Aug. 4, Roethlisberger addressed the media for the first time since Sept. 11, 2019. That day, he issued a statement regarding his season-ending injury after the Steelers’ Week 2 match-up with the Seattle Seahawks.
The result of this statement left the Steelers’ offense desperate to fill the gap that Roethlisberger had left.
Throughout the remainder of the 2019 season, the Steelers’ offense struggled to find a rhythm that worked in their favor. After several problems arose, the team narrowly missed the playoffs for the second year in a row.
There has been a glimmer of hope this offseason, though.
Roethlisberger finally began throwing again after almost a year. Videos surfaced on social media and each time Steelers Nation grew more and more confident that this season could be much better than expected.
Ben Roethlisberger said his arm feels really good and that he threw a lot of footballs on Monday. Said he woke up this morning and his arm felt great.
— Teresa Varley (@Teresa_Varley) August 4, 2020
During Tuesday’s zoom call with reporters, Roethlisberger expressed his excitement to be back on the field. He also addressed his injury, current health status and plans to come back better than ever for the 2020 regular season.
Feeling healthy and starting training camp
Roethlisberger was among the many veteran players to return to Pittsburgh for training camp on July 28.
Since then, he has become more comfortable being back on the field with his fellow teammates. According to Roethlisberger, he feels lighter than he has in over ten years.
“I feel strong and healthy and young, if you can feel young at this age,” Roethlisberger said.
During the zoom call, Roethlisberger also explained that he feels more prepared for this season than ever before. He believes that all his time on the sidelines learning from Steelers’ offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner will pay off.
Pittsburgh’s new quarterbacks’ coach, Matt Canada, has been studying Roethlisberger over the years and believes he is ready to make a comeback this season.
“Ben has way more experience than I could ever imagine in the NFL,” Canada said. “I’m listening and we’ve talked. I’m learning from he and [Fichtner] and if there’s another way to see something with him or more importantly the younger guys, I’m trying to take that and go.”
Big Ben’s plan to win more Lombardi’s
Although he won’t be signing a ten-year contract anytime soon, Roethlisberger told reporters that he knows he has a few solid years left in him. He plans to make the most of the time he has left wearing black and gold.
The quarterback knows the team is being viewed as an underdog heading into the 2020 season, but that’s only fueling his fire.
“A lot of guys like being on top and being hunted. Sometimes it’s fun to be the underdog and be overlooked,” Roethlisberger told the media. “It’s okay, we can be overlooked. It’s the offseason. No one knows what this season is going to hold. We’re going to go out and try to win a football game.”
Winning one football game isn’t the only thing Roethlisberger has in mind, though. He also has hopes to get a few more Super Bowl rings.
“I still have a lot to give this team,” Roethlisberger said. “I still have a lot to give the fans. And I still want to win Lombardi’s.”
Featured Image Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Paige!
“From Our Haus to Yours“