Big Ben to start against Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger practiced Monday and will start this Sunday against the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said today he passed his final post-concussion test and will play on Sunday when the Steelers open the playoffs against the San Diego Chargers at Heinz Field.
Roethlisberger left the Steelers final regular-season game on Dec. 28 with a concussion just before halftime. Roethlisberger is taking the field this afternoon to practice for the first time since his injury.
He said he’s taken several tests over the past week, that he feels fine and will take no further precautions.
The Steelers’ offensive line needs to protect this guy or else there’s a great chance we’ll be seeing Byron Leftwich sometime this postseason. For as good as the Pittsburgh defense is, the Steelers’ offensive line has issues and Big Ben has always had problems hanging onto the ball too long. Regardless, this is great news for the Steelers and this is a great example of how big having that off week is in the playoffs.
This guy sucks at QB all hes good for is getting concussions!!!!
The energy that the entire team gets when Byron Leftwich comes into the game is on a different level. The offensive line actually plays better. I don’t think the line likes Ben. I can’t say that I blame them. He is very arrogant. My preference would be to see Byron instead of Ben. I hope that Coach Tomlin doesn’t live to regret Ben starting because he gets off to a less than stellar start. Ben has not been the same since his accident. I only wish that hadn’t happened to him. He was awesome before that. Our line hasn’t been the same since Grimm left. He was an awesome line coach and the Steelers should have done everything in their power to retain his services. I still think the Steelers can win, but my hope is that Ben is up to the task on Sunday.
Not Impressed…you really want a guy who hasn’t thrown more than a dozen passes in any game this year behind center in the postseason over your franchise QB?? Ben hasn’t been the same since his accident? He was mediocre the year of the accident in 2006, but gave you the best statistical season of his career in 2007 with 32 td’s and only 11 int’s. Based on his career stats, 2008 was an average year for him, which is amazing considering how badly he’s been beaten up. Anthony is right…your offensive line play hasn’t been very good run or pass blocking. Granted Ben holds onto the ball too long but a lot of that is because the only WR who can get open consistently is Ward. The good news is he’s been going to Holmes a bit more last few weeks of the season. But you can’t be serious in that you think Leftwich gives them more “energy”. I’ve watched nearly every Steelers game (not a Steelers fan) and this may be Ben’s best overall season so far, considering the backfield play and offensive line situation. He’s definitely the guy that gives you the best chance to win, especially this time of year.