Roethlisberger and playing when hurt (1 Viewer)

[The Kuhn]

Roethlisberger's main asset is scrambling out of trouble, but are the coaches being a little too lenient with letting him continue to play when extremely limited?

During the 2nd quarter yesterday, it looked like he was almost more of a casualty continuing to try and drop back and pass with the aggravated ankle- would it have been better to sit out until after the half and come back after loosening it up on the sideline? Did he really need to play vs. CLE in week 17?

And if the issue is that they feel there is too much of a dropoff to Batch, should they consider adding a more mobile #2 in the off-season with the expectation that Big Ben may miss 1-2 games or parts of games?

 

[Warpig]

Roethlisberger's main asset is scrambling out of trouble, but are the coaches being a little too lenient with letting him continue to play when extremely limited?During the 2nd quarter yesterday, it looked like he was almost more of a casualty continuing to try and drop back and pass with the aggravated ankle- would it have been better to sit out until after the half and come back after loosening it up on the sideline? Did he really need to play vs. CLE in week 17?And if the issue is that they feel there is too much of a dropoff to Batch, should they consider adding a more mobile #2 in the off-season with the expectation that Big Ben may miss 1-2 games or parts of games?

Me and my wife both were saying they should have pulled Ben in the first half due to his imobility and inaccuracy because of not being able to put pressure on his foot. Batch has shown he is servicable numerous times when called upon.However, after the half, he must have gotten a shot because he was scrambling all over the place. Ofcourse by then, they were already down 2 scores allowing the defense to be more aggressive and harass him even more.Mike Tomlin will probably be answering to that for a while. The Super Bowl will be a cake walk for the NFC this year.

 

[Da Guru]

Big Ben has got to be one of the toughest players in the NFL. Ben has a severve HAS, these types of injuries take months to heal and cost players whole seasons. Ben came back into the game he was hurt in, then has played on this injury.

Should he have played week 17? No..and he should not have played against SF either.

Given the extent of his injury I doubt it would have healed much more than it was yesterday. This is going to take months to be 100%

 

[The_Man]

However, after the half, he must have gotten a shot because he was scrambling all over the place. Ofcourse by then, they were already down 2 scores allowing the defense to be more aggressive and harass him even more.

This was a shocking difference. What in the world did they do at halftime, and why didn't they do it before the opening kickoff?Guy could barely walk in the first half, and looked totally uninjured in the second.

 

[Bad_Mo]

He sure looked fine running a 4.5 40 to the ref on one non-call he was crying about. Amazing how much more it hurts when he stops and thinks about it.

 

[NJDawgPound]

This Ben "toughness" mantra is being worn around the Steelers' necks like an anchor. Sam Bradford's ankle sprain should have been an indication as to how things were going to go there. Ben will never pull himself out, sometimes selfishly, so it is up to Tomlin to do that. This ankle injury spoiled the season as Tomlin didn't have the balls to do what needed to be done.

When Ben was suspended 4 games, the Steelers were 3-1 with Batch/Leftwich/Dixon. If Tomlin would have been far sighted, the Broncos probably would have been annihilated by a healthy Ben yesterday.

Also, if Ben tweaked his ankle last week vs. Cleveland, WHY ON EARTH WOULD HE GO TO THE MEDIA ABOUT IT?

 

[GroveDiesel]

The Super Bowl will be a cake walk for the NFC this year.

I think most people already thought that the NFC was stronger than the AFC. How does Pittsburgh losing change things? Pittsburgh wasn't very good and I thought Denver would beat them anyway. IMO, Baltimore is the strongest team in the AFC with the best chance to win in the Super Bowl. New England probably after that, even with their horrible deficiencies on defense. I think even Houston would give the NFC a better game than Pittsburgh.

 

[Godsbrother]

This Ben "toughness" mantra is being worn around the Steelers' necks like an anchor. Sam Bradford's ankle sprain should have been an indication as to how things were going to go there. Ben will never pull himself out, sometimes selfishly, so it is up to Tomlin to do that. This ankle injury spoiled the season as Tomlin didn't have the balls to do what needed to be done.

When Ben was suspended 4 games, the Steelers were 3-1 with Batch/Leftwich/Dixon. If Tomlin would have been far sighted, the Broncos probably would have been annihilated by a healthy Ben yesterday.

Also, if Ben tweaked his ankle last week vs. Cleveland, WHY ON EARTH WOULD HE GO TO THE MEDIA ABOUT IT?

It is weird that Cutler was criticized last season for not playing with an injury and Roethlisberger gets criticized for being selfish when he plays through an injury. A couple season's ago Hines Ward criticized Ben for not playing in a big game when he had a concussion. Seems like you are screwed no matter what you do.Maybe Tomlin doesn't have any balls but my guess is that he puts in the players that he thinks gives him the best shot of winning. That doesn't mean he is right all of the time but I don't think he would start a player if he genuinely felt that benching him would give them a better shot at winning.

Finally, Roethlisberger did not go to the media about it. The media asked him if he had suffered any setbacks in the Cleveland game and he answered that he did tweak the ankle. Anyone that watched the game in Cleveland could see he had mobility issues and the media showed Ben limping around in practice all last week. I am guessing that Denver didn't need Ben to tell them he was injured.

 

[NJDawgPound]

This Ben "toughness" mantra is being worn around the Steelers' necks like an anchor. Sam Bradford's ankle sprain should have been an indication as to how things were going to go there. Ben will never pull himself out, sometimes selfishly, so it is up to Tomlin to do that. This ankle injury spoiled the season as Tomlin didn't have the balls to do what needed to be done.

When Ben was suspended 4 games, the Steelers were 3-1 with Batch/Leftwich/Dixon. If Tomlin would have been far sighted, the Broncos probably would have been annihilated by a healthy Ben yesterday.

Also, if Ben tweaked his ankle last week vs. Cleveland, WHY ON EARTH WOULD HE GO TO THE MEDIA ABOUT IT?

It is weird that Cutler was criticized last season for not playing with an injury and Roethlisberger gets criticized for being selfish when he plays through an injury. A couple season's ago Hines Ward criticized Ben for not playing in a big game when he had a concussion. Seems like you are screwed no matter what you do.Maybe Tomlin doesn't have any balls but my guess is that he puts in the players that he thinks gives him the best shot of winning. That doesn't mean he is right all of the time but I don't think he would start a player if he genuinely felt that benching him would give them a better shot at winning.

Fair argument. The thing is, we got to see how Bad ben became, while Cutler just pulled himself out right away and appeared disinterested on the sidelines. No one would ever accuse Ben of being distant and disinterested on the sidelines. Tomlin is a smart coach and I think he'll learn from this going forward.

 

[Pots]

The Super Bowl will be a cake walk for the NFC this year.

I think most people already thought that the NFC was stronger than the AFC. How does Pittsburgh losing change things? Pittsburgh wasn't very good and I thought Denver would beat them anyway. IMO, Baltimore is the strongest team in the AFC with the best chance to win in the Super Bowl. New England probably after that, even with their horrible deficiencies on defense. I think even Houston would give the NFC a better game than Pittsburgh.

Exactly what I was thinking

 

[Warpig]

The Super Bowl will be a cake walk for the NFC this year.

I think most people already thought that the NFC was stronger than the AFC. How does Pittsburgh losing change things? Pittsburgh wasn't very good and I thought Denver would beat them anyway. IMO, Baltimore is the strongest team in the AFC with the best chance to win in the Super Bowl. New England probably after that, even with their horrible deficiencies on defense. I think even Houston would give the NFC a better game than Pittsburgh.

I just figured if Pittsburgh is on their 'A' game, they are tough to beat. I didn't know how bad Ben's ankle was. I have zero faith in Flacco to pull out a big win...and Baltimore's D isn't what it was when Dilfer was the QB.I think Green Bay or New Orleans will shred NE's defense. NE would be able to keep up as far as score goes, but I have more faith in Green Bay or NO to get a defensive stop to seal it before I do NE. Same for Houston. Houston's defense could keep it somewhat interesting, but the offense wouldn't be able to keep up with Rodgers or Brees. It is a QB league.

 

[HellToupee]

Is it Ben's fault Ike Taylor played his worst game of his career? Certainly can't blame him for Cotchery dropping a ball that he probably could have scored. Ben didn't draw up the D gameplan, didn't lose contain on Tebow like Harrison and he didn't snap the ball over his own head before the half. Cripes.

 

[Godsbrother]

Is it Ben's fault Ike Taylor played his worst game of his career? Certainly can't blame him for Cotchery dropping a ball that he probably could have scored. Ben didn't draw up the D gameplan, didn't lose contain on Tebow like Harrison and he didn't snap the ball over his own head before the half. Cripes.

Ben deserves criticism for the pick (although Heath didn't turn around so maybe there was miscommunication) and the sack towards the end of regulation (needed to get rid of the ball). I am sure there were a few other misfires on throws but overall I thought he played pretty well, especially considering the pressure he was getting.He was also victimized three dropped balls on some easy catches (Cotchery, Wallace & David Johnson).

 

[Bad_Mo]

I wonder how quickly his ankle will heal.

Nobody wants to be cornering women in bathrooms with a bad wheel.

Great start to a poem.

 

[Pots]

The Super Bowl will be a cake walk for the NFC this year.

I think most people already thought that the NFC was stronger than the AFC. How does Pittsburgh losing change things? Pittsburgh wasn't very good and I thought Denver would beat them anyway. IMO, Baltimore is the strongest team in the AFC with the best chance to win in the Super Bowl. New England probably after that, even with their horrible deficiencies on defense. I think even Houston would give the NFC a better game than Pittsburgh.

I just figured if Pittsburgh is on their 'A' game, they are tough to beat. I didn't know how bad Ben's ankle was. I have zero faith in Flacco to pull out a big win...and Baltimore's D isn't what it was when Dilfer was the QB.I think Green Bay or New Orleans will shred NE's defense. NE would be able to keep up as far as score goes, but I have more faith in Green Bay or NO to get a defensive stop to seal it before I do NE. Same for Houston. Houston's defense could keep it somewhat interesting, but the offense wouldn't be able to keep up with Rodgers or Brees. It is a QB league.

If everyone was on their 'A' Game, I'd say BAL, NE, GB, NYG, NO, and maybe SF are better.

 

[Buffaloes]

weird how he was peg legged after the INT, but in the 4th he was running around no problem.

 

[Godsbrother]

weird how he was peg legged after the INT, but in the 4th he was running around no problem.

I guess you havene't seen him limping around the last quarter of the season. Look I can understand you not liking the guy but if you are seriously suggesting he has been faking injury for the past 5 games I think you are

 

[Mile High]

I don't think he got shot up before the game. It looked like he took a half time shot. Bet he's feeling it now.

 

[The Kuhn]

Didn't he have a stretch of games at the end of last season with an ankle/foot injury as well?