The Steelers got off to a 11-0 start this season, but it sure wasn’t due to the play from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Big Ben was a different-looking signal-caller, having come back from major elbow surgery. He rarely threw the ball downfield, and he sure wasn’t standing in the pocket and absorbing hits — which is what made him so great in the past, enabling him to create big plays.
What he did do, however, was turn the football over. He threw four interceptions in the team’s loss to the Browns in the Wild Card Round, putting the team in a 28-0 hole right out of the gate.
Ownership apparently hasn’t forgotten about it, either.
Steelers owner Art Rooney recently reflected on the season that was, appearing to take a shot at Big Ben’s turnover woes in doing so.
“It’s hard to analyze what we did there in terms of turning the ball over that way. You’re not going to win very many games,” Rooney said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I don’t see how you really attribute that to coaching preparation. I think the team went into that game prepared and felt like we were going to win.”
Roethlisberger is currently deciding whether or not he wants to return in 2021, but it looks like ownership is urging him to retire — using the media to do so.
