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Roethlisberger Intentional Fumble Story - How Likely Do You Think It's True? (1 Viewer)

How likely do you think Roethlisberger intentionally fumbled there?

  • No Way he intentionally fumbled there

    Votes: 29 23.2%
  • Very Unlikely he intentionally fumbled there

    Votes: 20 16.0%
  • Probably did not intentionally fumbled there

    Votes: 13 10.4%
  • On the fence he intentionally fumbled there

    Votes: 16 12.8%
  • Probably did intentionally fumbled there

    Votes: 17 13.6%
  • Very likely he intentionally fumbled there

    Votes: 17 13.6%
  • For sure he intentionally fumbled there

    Votes: 13 10.4%

  • Total voters
    125
Is anyone that was on the field at the time corroborating the story?  It seems fashionable now to take shots at the Ben, Tomlin and the Steelers front office.   I am surprised that a no-name like Josh Harris has so much credibility with you guys but then people will believe anything put out in social media these days.

 
The story itself may be minor but the topic of a QB purposefully screwing up on the field to call out an OC is an interesting topic of debate.  It's something that could happen and this is a way of starting the discussion. 
It’s beyond preposterous. May as well start a thread on whether you think Ben is an ### hole and to the surprise of no one people would vote yes he is... who cares? Dozens and dozens of players have been jerks. If this is some muzzled attack on his incident from a decade ago, maybe we can have polls about Larry Fitzgerald and his domestic abuse that got covered up by Arizona’s press back in the day. No one is perfect. Amazing that if Haley, a know jackass and idiot in his own right, calls a kneel down people would have no need to entertain the ideas of loser 4th string RB’s that coincidentally fumbled away the playoffs that year if I recall correctly.

 
I didn't read this whole thread so forgive me if this is a repeat but Bruce Gradkowski, Ben's backup at the time, just said that usually that play is run out of an offset I formation, this time it was I formation so the fullback was right behind him and that's why he fumbled. Gradkowski also stated that they changed their offensive lingo after this to give a reminder that the fullback is right behind him. Gradkowski saying the fumble wasn't on purpose.

 
Saw this story: http://dailysnark.com/steelers-rb-says-ben-roethlisberger-intentionally-fumbled-ball-on-this-play-to-show-up-coaches/

I say there's no way it's true and there's no way Roethlisberger intentionally fumbled here. 

How likely do you think it is Roethlisberger intentionally fumbled there?
I think he did Joe.

The alleged 'fumble' incident took place in 2014 in a game that the Steelers had in the bag where all they had to do was kneel down and take the W.

The kid was supposed to get the handoff and Ben took away his chance to touch the ball, he was naturally mad about missing his chance.

Go back to December 28, 2008 in a game where the Steelers were up on the lowly Browns who hadn't scored a single point in consecutive game and hadn't scored a TD in six games so any lead was enough to win.  Ben was still in the game late in the 2nd quarter.  The Steelers were up 14-0 and were driving for another score in what would turn out to be an easy 31-0 shut out victory.  Their was no need to keep him in that game, he should have been taken out.  

What happened?

Two Browns did not like their faces getting rubbed in it and decided to take out on Ben.  He went down and people thought it was a concussion but it turned out he suffered a spinal cord concussion which could have lead to serious complications with the Steelers on the brink of the playoffs.  Steelers get scare from Big Ben in victory 

PITTSBURGH -- For a team that supposedly couldn't lose, the Steelers nearly sustained the worst possible setback going into the playoffs. The Browns ended a miserable season with an embarrassing loss that had serious ramifications.

Ben Roethlisberger gave playoff-bound Pittsburgh a major scare by sustaining a concussion (it was later diagnosed as a 'spinal concusion') during a 31-0 rout over the Browns on Sunday.

...Roethlisberger, expected to play a half to stay sharp before a two-week break, lay on the turf for nearly 15 minutes after being leveled by Willie McGinest and D'Qwell Jackson while delivering a pass late in the second quarter.
 Ben Roethlisberger used the word "scary" when he saw several of the Steelers team doctors hovering over him on the field and he couldn't feel them sticking a pin in his numb arms two weeks ago against the Cleveland Browns. And for good reason.

Roethlisberger suffered more than what was diagnosed as a concussion.

The Post-Gazette has learned that Roethlisberger actually sustained a spinal cord concussion after he was sandwiched on a hit by two Browns defenders and appeared to hit the back of his head on the Heinz Field surface --
A stupid coaching decision nearly coast them and Ben 'probably' learned something from that injury.  REPORT: ROETHLISBERGER HAD A SPINAL CORD CONCUSSION  

 January 12, 2009  As it turns out, the injury suffered more than two weeks about by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t the garden-variety, head-into-a-Chrysler concussion.  Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Roethlisberger suffered a spinal cord concussion.
The Steeles went on to win the Super Bowl that year.  Just think if Ben suffered paralysis?  He lost feeling in his arms. 

My take?

I think Ben learned from the school of hard knocks that it isn't wise to run up scores or run plays on a defense if you can take a knee and run out the clock.

 
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Is anyone that was on the field at the time corroborating the story?  It seems fashionable now to take shots at the Ben, Tomlin and the Steelers front office.   I am surprised that a no-name like Josh Harris has so much credibility with you guys but then people will believe anything put out in social media these days.
Agreed. Everyone jumping to Harris as if he's the gold standard of journalism was interesting. 

I think it's a few things:

It's a juicy gossipy type "can you believe this?" story and:

1. It's March
2. It's blood in the water for fans that dislike PIT. An easy team to dislike because so many fans love them. 
2. It's March

 
I didn't read this whole thread so forgive me if this is a repeat but Bruce Gradkowski, Ben's backup at the time, just said that usually that play is run out of an offset I formation, this time it was I formation so the fullback was right behind him and that's why he fumbled. Gradkowski also stated that they changed their offensive lingo after this to give a reminder that the fullback is right behind him. Gradkowski saying the fumble wasn't on purpose.
Gradkowski obviously has an agenda but the other guy saying it's a fumble doesn't ;)  

 
I've no doubt a QB and OC get mad at each other.

But if a QB wants to defy the OC's play call, I think he runs the play he wants. Doesn't do something that makes the player look bad. 
Ben wanted to kneel on the ball.  Just changing the play and kneeling wouldn't get the point across.  Having the other team potentially get the ball because you fumbled has much more impact going forward.  It's not surprising the point was made and the next play was a kneel-down.

It was week 17.  They already knew they weren't getting a first round BYE but had already clinched a playoff spot.  They were up 10 with 1 minute to go.  Fumbling here really doesn't change the Steeler's circumstances.  I think he did it.

 
How was it bad for Roethlisberger?  





 
I would put fumbling pretty far up on the list of things that are bad for a QB. 

This feels like if Sigmund Bloom were mad at me and disagreed with the topic I asked him to write an article about and he decided to spite me by writing the article on the topic but publishing a Footballguys article with his name on it saying some things wrong on purpose. 
A fumble recovered by a teammate is forgotten pretty quickly. Again, there was no tangible negative consequence to Ben, especially if he did it on purpose and used it to say I told you so to Haley. I mean, he is still their starting QB, right? He wasn't benched, he wasn't called out or particularly criticized in the media, he wasn't fined (that we know of), his contract wasn't impacted, the Steelers won the game, and thus their winning percentage, playoff seeding, etc. were unaffected.

I just don't see it as having been bad for him at all, at least not until now, if it is true and is now being discussed in the media. :shrug:  

I don't think your Bloom example changes a thing about this.

ETA: I'm not saying I think Roethlisberger necessarily did this, just saying that I don't agree with the logic that he wouldn't dare do such a thing because of how bad that would be for him.

 
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A fumble recovered by a teammate is forgotten pretty quickly. Again, there was no tangible negative consequence to Ben, especially if he did it on purpose and used it to say I told you so to Haley. I mean, he is still their starting QB, right? He wasn't benched, he wasn't called out or particularly criticized in the media, he wasn't fined (that we know of), his contract wasn't impacted, the Steelers won the game, and thus their winning percentage, playoff seeding, etc. were unaffected.

I just don't see it as having been bad for him at all, at least not until now, if it is true and is now being discussed in the media. :shrug:  

I don't think your Bloom example changes a thing about this.
That's cool. We'll just disagree there. 

 
I've no doubt a QB and OC get mad at each other.

But if a QB wants to defy the OC's play call, I think he runs the play he wants. Doesn't do something that makes the player look bad. 
I agree with this assessment.  I think there are other ways to defy your coach that don't hurt your ego in the process. 

But let's assume it is his plan to fumble so he can say, "See that, your stupid play call almost cost us the game!"  I think the fumble would have looked more staged, and landed in an area where Ben could quickly recover it.  I don't think he would risk losing a game that he fought so hard to win, just to spite his coach.  This fumble looks like he just got too close to the fullback's arm while going to hand off to the RB.  

And despite what George Wrighster thinks, that goal post angle doesn't confirm anything.  That's a terrible angle.

 
don't know if i believe this specific story, but i'm fairly certain QB's do things to spite <fill in the blank here whoever they are hating on at the time> in games. what i don't think happens is that the QB in question is so calculating as to think this through, like the narrative here. if ben did this on purpose, it was a momentary childish lapse of judgement, not some "i'm gonna make a point" action imo. the narrative comes after the fact.

 
That's cool. We'll just disagree there. 
OK, agree to disagree.

I would still be interested in your answer to this specific question: if Roethlisberger did indeed do this on purpose, in what way do you think this specific play had specific repercussions for him? I guess you aren't inclined to answer, since you gave a generic answer earlier (fumbles are bad). That's cool.

But I think top end QBs in the NFL are largely immune from negative effects from their behavior, and Roethlisberger is a good example of it. The rape allegations, throwing teammates under the bus, throwing a lot of interceptions at times, freelancing at times and butting heads with his coaches, etc. None of it has ever really done harm to him. Including this story, if true.

That's what happens when you are one of the top 10-ish guys in the world at what you do, and what you do is tied to super high money stakes, in this case billions of dollars.

 
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OK, agree to disagree.

I would still be interested in your answer to this specific question: if Roethlisberger did indeed do this on purpose, in what way do you think this specific play had specific repercussions for him? I guess you aren't inclined to answer, since you gave a generic answer earlier (fumbles are bad). That's cool.




1
Yes. I don't think it's way more complicated than smart football players hate fumbles.

People, in general, don't like to look stupid or make dumb mistakes. Two Time Super Bowl Champion QBs playing on TV probably like this less than most. 

 
Yes. I don't think it's way more complicated than smart football players hate fumbles.

People, in general, don't like to look stupid or make dumb mistakes. Two Time Super Bowl Champion QBs playing on TV probably like this less than most. 
what was the point of starting this thread if your opinion is that it didn’t happen because of the simple logic that “fumbles are bad?”

it seems to me that none of us are sure what this conversation is meant to be?

 
what was the point of starting this thread if your opinion is that it didn’t happen because of the simple logic that “fumbles are bad?”

it seems to me that none of us are sure what this conversation is meant to be?
That's just my opinion. I'm one of many. The conversation was how likely folks think Roethlisberger did this on purpose. 

Is that not ok?

It's not just ok to disagree with me. It's encouraged. ;)

 
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That's just my opinion. I'm one of many. The conversation was how likely folks think Roethlisberger did this on purpose. 

Is that not ok?

It's not just ok to disagree with me. It's encouraged. ;)
curious if that was your take from the beginning, why do you think some people might believe the story?

 
Bojang0301 said:
Liquored up 4th string RB’s is what we’re resorting to now?

You people have been waiting 5 or 6 decades for this offseason from Pittsburgh haven’t you? 

Hey, you know what, #### it... here’s a nice list of Steelers who didn’t go running out of Pittsburgh (most of which played with Ben): Jerome Bettis, Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, James Farrior, Brett Kiesel, Aaron Smith, Casey Heyward, Maurice Pouncey, Heath Miller, Ike Taylor, Alan Fanaca, Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Clark, Cam Heyward, David Decastro.

I’ll be the bigger Steelers fan though: I apologize that the Steelers paid Antonio Brown like one of the top WR’s in the league and attempted to pay Bell like one of the top backs in the league. Such a terrible and horrible organization. Probably the worst in all of sports.

Edit to add: AND still paying Shazier’s salary. 
The focus here is on Ben the individual - not the Steelers organization.

 
amnesiac said:
curious if that was your take from the beginning, why do you think some people might believe the story?
Yes. I haven't changed my opinion from the beginning. Clearly the poll shows tons of people believe the story. That's exactly why I made the poll.Not sure why they believe it but that's why I started a thread to hear discussion. 

 
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Think what you will... I heard the reports - watched interviews with Ryan Grant, Cris Carter, Shannon Sharpe, watched the actual play.  The only thought to me was simply on Ben.
The mere insinuation that this happen is a lack of institutional control linked directly to the QB and that all of Pittsburgh’s problems are Big Ben related. It’s a bunch of bull ####. Honestly what pissed me off most was seeing some Jets fan try to trash him. The ####### Jets. They would have literally scarificed a virgin to have Big Ben the last two decades. The whole of the fans trying to verbally assault Ben and the Steelers can go screw. 

 
Can we all agree that BR didn't like Haley?

In BR eyes ... up by 10, one minute left, last game of the season, ... what a perfect opportunity to make Haley look bad there.

As I said previously, since high school, no QB extends the ball into the FB when the handoff is intended for the RB.

Why do people think BR is such a standup guy? Isn't this is the same guy that raped a girl in the john while his buddy stood guard at the door? 

Guy has a turd for a brain. I'm convinced he'd like to see Tomlin fired as well ... to the point that he threatened retirement last year.

 
Can we all agree that BR didn't like Haley?

In BR eyes ... up by 10, one minute left, last game of the season, ... what a perfect opportunity to make Haley look bad there.

As I said previously, since high school, no QB extends the ball into the FB when the handoff is intended for the RB.

Why do people think BR is such a standup guy? Isn't this is the same guy that raped a girl in the john while his buddy stood guard at the door? 

Guy has a turd for a brain. I'm convinced he'd like to see Tomlin fired as well ... to the point that he threatened retirement last year.
No.  

(unless you have more evidence than the DA did)

 
Did anyone watch the video? He just ran into the FB. He didn't fumble on purpose, Harris is just butt hurt and trying to get his 15 seconds of fame. This isn't news, it's just clickbait because people are mad at Ben for not being a warm and friendly guy. 

 
Steeler said:
:lol:   very elaborate conspiracy theory - nice work.
Noting facts of Ben's most serious on-field injury that took place before this 'alleged' incident in a game when the Steelers had no need to keep him in running plays.  

Joe says  that intentionally fumbling a ball late in a game when they just have to kneel to kill the clock didn't happen and starts a thread asking if we believe the story.  OK,  then he says anyone who believes the kid it is jealous of the Steelers.  Joe says that as a fact.  That take isn't elaborate but it certainly isn't a fact.

Haley and Roethlisberger put up with each other to a point where they couldn't stand each other and Ben drove him out of town.   

Put everything aside for a moment and get back to the question of whether or not the kid is lying.  He hasn't changed his story when confronted.  Two of the biggest stars of the league have opted to leave rather than play with Ben and one has criticized him and forced his way out of town rather than play with him.  Past stars like Hines Ward have also taken shots at Ben  Hines Ward again slams Steelers, questions Ben Roethlisberger's leadership skills  

You can say the kid is lying or not but Ben is a guy who was disliked by many and if the kid is intentionally lying to take a shot at him then it is another former team mate who disliked him enough to go to the national media and lie just to take a shot at him which seems extremely elaborate and a conspiracy.  Occum would say he is simply telling the truth.

 
Noting facts of Ben's most serious on-field injury that took place before this 'alleged' incident in a game when the Steelers had no need to keep him in running plays.  

Joe says  that intentionally fumbling a ball late in a game when they just have to kneel to kill the clock didn't happen and starts a thread asking if we believe the story.  OK,  then he says anyone who believes the kid it is jealous of the Steelers.  Joe says that as a fact.  That take isn't elaborate but it certainly isn't a fact.

Haley and Roethlisberger put up with each other to a point where they couldn't stand each other and Ben drove him out of town.   

Put everything aside for a moment and get back to the question of whether or not the kid is lying.  He hasn't changed his story when confronted.  Two of the biggest stars of the league have opted to leave rather than play with Ben and one has criticized him and forced his way out of town rather than play with him.  Past stars like Hines Ward have also taken shots at Ben  Hines Ward again slams Steelers, questions Ben Roethlisberger's leadership skills  

You can say the kid is lying or not but Ben is a guy who was disliked by many and if the kid is intentionally lying to take a shot at him then it is another former team mate who disliked him enough to go to the national media and lie just to take a shot at him which seems extremely elaborate and a conspiracy.  Occum would say he is simply telling the truth.
This post is different from you conspiracy theory post where you said Ben's injury in a similar game situation makes you believe he fumbled on purpose.  The conspiracy theory is still really far out there to me.

Also, applying Occum's razor to this situation doesn't prove he fumbled.  It might prove some people don't like Ben or his leadership style, but not that he fumbled.

 
This post is different from you conspiracy theory post where you said Ben's injury in a similar game situation makes you believe he fumbled on purpose.  The conspiracy theory is still really far out there to me.

Also, applying Occum's razor to this situation doesn't prove he fumbled.  It might prove some people don't like Ben or his leadership style, but not that he fumbled.
First thing that came to my mind was image of Ben lying on turf, not moving for a quarter hour in a game that was out of hand when he shouldn't have been running plays.  Your knee-jerk conspiracy mind says elaborate conspiracy.  Seems you are a conspiracy theorist who sees conspiracies in linear takes.  

I can't use pure logic of Occum's Razor?  Too logical for your conspiracy POV?  

Simpler solutions are more likely correct.  Like noting the first thing that came to my mind and seeing a kid is telling the truth and not conspiracy theories that automatically came to your mind.

 
First thing that came to my mind was image of Ben lying on turf, not moving for a quarter hour in a game that was out of hand when he shouldn't have been running plays.  Your knee-jerk conspiracy mind says elaborate conspiracy.  Seems you are a conspiracy theorist who sees conspiracies in linear takes.  

I can't use pure logic of Occum's Razor?  Too logical for your conspiracy POV?  

Simpler solutions are more likely correct.  Like noting the first thing that came to my mind and seeing a kid is telling the truth and not conspiracy theories that automatically came to your mind.
We will have to agree to disagree if you think the most likely explanation that Ben fumbled is this:  He got hurt in a similar game situation therefore he intentionally fumbled here.

 
We will have to agree to disagree if you think the most likely explanation that Ben fumbled is this:  He got hurt in a similar game situation therefore he intentionally fumbled here.
Which is fine by me.  Disagree with my take any time but don't label people if you disagree with their takes. 

 
Put everything aside for a moment and get back to the question of whether or not the kid is lying.  He hasn't changed his story when confronted.  Two of the biggest stars of the league have opted to leave rather than play with Ben and one has criticized him and forced his way out of town rather than play with him.  Past stars like Hines Ward have also taken shots at Ben  Hines Ward again slams Steelers, questions Ben Roethlisberger's leadership skills  

You can say the kid is lying or not but Ben is a guy who was disliked by many and if the kid is intentionally lying to take a shot at him then it is another former team mate who disliked him enough to go to the national media and lie just to take a shot at him which seems extremely elaborate and a conspiracy.  Occum would say he is simply telling the truth.
Two of the biggest stars left because of money.   AB went scorched-earth on Ben, Tomlin, the front office and the local media because he had 3 years left on a contract with 0 guaranteed money left and needed to be cut or traded to get what he wanted.  

I can't recall Bell ever saying he wanted out of Pittsburgh because of Ben.  He wanted a contract that would make him a trail-blazer for all RBs with a salary in excess of $15 million/yr and multiple year guarantee.   He also was making a statement on the lack of fairness of the Franchise Tag.   It had nothing to do with his teammates.

Obviously Josh Harris doesn't like Ben but there are others that do:  his offensive line, coach and front office.  Coach Cowher and Bruce Arians did as well.   There may be others that dislike him but the Steelers seem to feel that Ben's leadership skills are just fine.

Anyway none of this matters.   The only players that know for sure whether Ben fumbled on purpose are the ones that were on the field.   For now you have one guy out of 11 saying this and no one else.   It is up to you to decide whether he is credible or not.

 
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Two of the biggest stars left because of money.   AB went scorched-earth on Ben, Tomlin, the front office and the local media because he had 3 years left on a contract with 0 guaranteed money left and needed to be cut or traded to get what he wanted.  

I can't recall Bell ever saying he wanted out of Pittsburgh because of Ben.  He wanted a contract that would make him a trail-blazer for all RBs with a salary in excess of $15 million/yr and multiple year guarantee.   He also was making a statement on the lack of fairness of the Franchise Tag.   It had nothing to do with his teammates.

Obviously Josh Harris doesn't like Ben but there are others that do:  his offensive line, coach and front office.  Coach Cowher and Bruce Arians did as well.   There may be others that dislike him but the Steelers seem to feel that Ben's leadership skills are just fine.

Anyway none of this matters.   The only players that know for sure whether Ben fumbled on purpose are the ones that were on the field.   For now you have one guy out of 11 saying this and no one else.   It is up to you to decide whether he is credible or not.
Because of money?  AB did not take shots for any reason other than money?  His strategy to get more money was to take shots at his quarterback?  He left practice and got sat his final game in Pittsburgh because it was a strategy to eventually get more money in FA not because he had a real issue with Big Ben?

LeVeon could have come back last year to get a paycheck and give a half hearted effort and still hit FA unscathed but chose to sit out the year.  His choice pretty much shut the door on ever playing with Ben again.  

People with a vested interest in keeping Ben happy say they like him?  Go figure.  More people who have no vested interest don't like Ben.  Survey: Ben Roethlisberger among most disliked players in NFL Steelers quarterback ranks No. 4 on poll released by Forbes.com

Of the 11 people on the field the one person looking to get the handoff saw the play better than the 9 others who weren't supposed to get the handoff.  

Whatever happened is up for debate but it isn't a vote on how many Steeler front office people like Ben or on the fact 11 guys were on the field and the 9 who were facing opposite of the QB and who were not expecting the handoff didn't say a word about an intentional fumble.  The guy who admittedly was a Big Ben fan is either a liar or he is telling the truth.  You think he is lying and hated Ben and was out to settle scores.  I think he is simply telling the truth.

 
  You think he is lying and hated Ben and was out to settle scores.  I think he is simply telling the truth.
I have no idea if he was telling the truth, lying, mistaken, trying to settle scores or just wanted a little publicity.  You are free to think whatever you want -- I just don't see how some players not liking Ben has any bearing on that at all.

 
I have no idea if he was telling the truth, lying, mistaken, trying to settle scores or just wanted a little publicity.  You are free to think whatever you want -- I just don't see how some players not liking Ben has any bearing on that at all.
Well if players liked him they would have kept their mouth shut.  This kid liked him but this incident changed his mind.  He had no vested interest at that point and no reason to keep his mouth shut.  Their is a lot of heat directed toward LeVeon and AB by Steeler fans.  Taking shots at Ben isn't popular, it has the opposite backlash affect so I don't buy the fame angle.

 
Well if players liked him they would have kept their mouth shut.  This kid liked him but this incident changed his mind.  He had no vested interest at that point and no reason to keep his mouth shut.  Their is a lot of heat directed toward LeVeon and AB by Steeler fans.  Taking shots at Ben isn't popular, it has the opposite backlash affect so I don't buy the fame angle.
Seems to me like taking shots at Ben has become VERY popular.

 
Seems to me like taking shots at Ben has become VERY popular.
Why do you think this is?

Because everyone hates a winner? (see Tom Brady deflating balls en route to 6 championships)

Or is it because he's pretty dooshy to coaches and teamates?

I'm shocked that some people can not fathom the idea that BR could have intentionally fumbled.

How many times had BR run that play before that week 17 game in 2014? Dozens? Maybe a hundred times?

Yet this time he extends the ball too soon and clips the FB. I don't buy this was an accident.

What really cinches it for me is when Ben falls on his #### to really "sell" the fiasco of a play that was called. .... So contrived, it is laughable.

 
Godsbrother said:
You are right.  It is very unusual for fans of a particular team to dislike a guy that leaves.  I remember Cleveland fans being really nice when LeBron left the Cavs the first time.
Yeah, perfect analogy.  I distinctly recall that Benjamin was the most popular athlete across all professional sports and how he had a one hour ESPN special where he announced he was leaving the Steelers, where he did not take shots at any players who were not nearly as big of a star as he.  

You aren't comparing apples to oranges you're attempting apples to kumquats.

You are a wise man.  I know you make measured takes but you misread the room on AB.  Up until he left you thought that AB would kiss and make up and be back with the Steelers but the moment he tweeted he wasn't coming back you mocked him but when you misread the situation and thought you saw a glimmer of hope you switched gears calculating the Steelers would get a 1st round pick or force AB to play another year.  When reality hit you started downgrading draft picks to 'possibly' a 2nd etc. but he kept up the antics and you turned on him calling him names and wished ill on him/his career.  I could go on to note that you slipped on March 4th and posted the Steelers could get a 1st and 2nd round picks for him but then after the deal you thought they did well getting a 3rd and 5th.

Hey,  I get it.  I get the whole emotional roller coaster of what AB and LeVeon put you through and you feel that your team finally purged themselves of the cause of the drama, AB and LeVeon Bell but is the root cause gone?  Basically that is what this thread is all about.  I don't put all blame on Ben or the HC but it seems like their is some sort of drama vortex that has been brewing the last few years and I don't think those clouds will start building up because it wasn't just AB and LeVeon.  Ben played a direct role IMHO.

 I believe the kid who sat on this story for a half decade and did not take shots the second he left.  He isn't out for fame, he knew he'd take heat from Steeler fans and he has just like AB and LeVeon. 

 
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Yeah, perfect analogy.  I distinctly recall that Benjamin was the most popular athlete across all professional sports and how he had a one hour ESPN special where he announced he was leaving the Steelers, where he did not take shots at any players who were not nearly as big of a star as he.  

You aren't comparing apples to oranges you're attempting apples to kumquats.

You are a wise man.  I know you make measured takes but you misread the room on AB.  Up until he left you thought that AB would kiss and make up and be back with the Steelers but the moment he tweeted he wasn't coming back you mocked him but when you misread the situation and thought you saw a glimmer of hope you switched gears calculating the Steelers would get a 1st round pick or force AB to play another year.  When reality hit you started downgrading draft picks to 'possibly' a 2nd etc. but he kept up the antics and you turned on him calling him names and wished ill on him/his career.  I could go on to note that you slipped on March 4th and posted the Steelers could get a 1st and 2nd round picks for him but then after the deal you thought they did well getting a 3rd and 5th.

Hey,  I
Wow I have a stalker, Cool!!!!

I think everyone misread the room on AB but then we didn't think he would go nuts on social media on an almost daily basis, get involved in a domestic incident,  make demands of renegotiating his contract, say that he didn't need to play football again,  etc.  I mean you have to admit it was a rather fluid situation, changing by the day.   I don't recall ever saying they would get a 1st & 2nd for him or openly mocking him other than to call him Mr. Big Chest but then you seem to be my biggest fan so you would know better.

Bottom line is that given all of the crap that AB did, it was obvious that the situation had deteriorated to the point that kiss and make up was off the table.  Given that situation I think it was good to get the most they could in a trade and move on.  That turned out to be a #3 and #5 and I am good with that because there was no better option.

 
Wow I have a stalker, Cool!!!!

I think everyone misread the room on AB but then we didn't think he would go nuts on social media on an almost daily basis, get involved in a domestic incident,  make demands of renegotiating his contract, say that he didn't need to play football again,  etc.  I mean you have to admit it was a rather fluid situation, changing by the day.   I don't recall ever saying they would get a 1st & 2nd for him or openly mocking him other than to call him Mr. Big Chest but then you seem to be my biggest fan so you would know better.

Bottom line is that given all of the crap that AB did, it was obvious that the situation had deteriorated to the point that kiss and make up was off the table.  Given that situation I think it was good to get the most they could in a trade and move on.  That turned out to be a #3 and #5 and I am good with that because there was no better option.
Other than the stalker bit, I said I get it.  I don't need or want to rehash AB.  Never interested me but I noted their was/is a could cloud over the Steelers and I don't think it was just because of LeVeon or AB.  Lots of people pointing fingers to Tomlin and Ben even the owner.  I don't know but it was and I think the root cause is still their and Ben plays a role IMHO and that is why I tend to believe the kid's story.

 
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Other than the stalker bit, I said I get it.  I don't need or want to rehash AB.  Never interested me but I noted their was/is a could over the Steelers and I don't think it was just because of LeVeon or AB.  Lots of people pointing fingers to Tomlin and Ben even the owner.  I don't know but it was and I think the root cause is still their and Ben plays a role IMHO and that is why I tend to believe the kid's story.
Fair enough.   Two of the players on the field at the time and the backup QB on the sideline have come to the defense of Rothlisberger so it really comes down who you want to believe.

 
Fair enough.   Two of the players on the field at the time and the backup QB on the sideline have come to the defense of Rothlisberger so it really comes down who you want to believe.
One thing I believe.

This won't be the end of stories circulating about Big Ben and people will say it couldn't possibly have happened.

 
Very unlikely. But from Josh Harris' point of view on that play I can understand why he might come to that conclusion. And THAT is the main takeaway here...problems behind the scenes or in the locker room. If a team is functioning the way it should, there's no way any player would ever assume their QB would do something remotely that bad.

 
No one even knows who Josh Harris is. I never realized he was on the team. I would venture to say he say he is probably somewhere asking "you want fries with that".

 
Very unlikely. But from Josh Harris' point of view on that play I can understand why he might come to that conclusion. And THAT is the main takeaway here...problems behind the scenes or in the locker room. If a team is functioning the way it should, there's no way any player would ever assume their QB would do something remotely that bad.
Would a back up FB from the Saints 2014 team suspect Brees of something like this? Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning? Forget about it.

Whether it's true, simple fact that of suggestion speaks volumes.

 
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It’s beyond preposterous. May as well start a thread on whether you think Ben is an ### hole and to the surprise of no one people would vote yes he is... who cares? Dozens and dozens of players have been jerks. If this is some muzzled attack on his incident from a decade ago, maybe we can have polls about Larry Fitzgerald and his domestic abuse that got covered up by Arizona’s press back in the day. No one is perfect. Amazing that if Haley, a know jackass and idiot in his own right, calls a kneel down people would have no need to entertain the ideas of loser 4th string RB’s that coincidentally fumbled away the playoffs that year if I recall correctly.
I never knew Steeler fans were so sensitive and hostile.   You guys are giving Patriot fans a run for their money!

 

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