What’s happening with Ben Roethlisberger right now, that’s not Father Time.
It’s true that he’s eventually coming for us all. Ben’s playing career is waning, but to say that he’s cooked is such a lazy take. It’s this decade’s “they gotta fire that [insert offensive coordinator here].”
Looking back at his tape, there is some legitimate bad. There were some that he threw to the wrong shoulder, like Claypool in the end zone. The spike to DJ on an out last week wasn’t pretty, but to say “he can’t make those throws anymore” simply isn’t true. That’s a reaction to the result and not the totality of his performance.
The overthrows to Juju up the seam seem to be the catalyst for this latest revolt against Ben, but he’s been overthrowing guys since Martavis Bryant – noted speedster – was here.
So what is going on?
1) Ben seems to be lacking some touch in his surgically-repaired elbow that was in a cast for a year, but that can be relearned. You hear all the time about pitchers who go away for Tommy John surgery, work on their mechanics, build up their core, and come back throwing harder than ever. He’s still be surprised by his own strength at times, especially when so much of what he does is in high-stress, fast-twitch situations where his body relies heavily on muscle memory in lieu of conscious processing.
2) He is legitimately hurt. That’s not just a narrative they’re getting out there to justify their eventual benching of the future HOFer. The offensive line is not putting him in positions to succeed, and it’s hard to imagine Rudolph or Haskins faring any better (remember when Mason was knocked out cold by Earl Thomas?).
3) As a result of all those hits he’s taken, he’s visibly tentative. He’s not taking the time to make reads. He’s relying on pre-snap reads to make decisions and he’s been fooled too often. Take this fourth down throw to Juju from the Packers game:
The solution to the “Ben problem” Juju alluded to on the sideline during Sunday’s loss at Lambeau is to get the line right. Give your quarterback a clean three seconds consistently so he can think about ball placement and not worry about getting his jaw shattered.
By the way, they’ve been saying Tom Brady was cooked for – I think – six years now? Eventually when he actually is done, “They” will have been right all along.
Steely Cam 