3 reasons it's finally time for the Steelers to move on from Ben Roethlisberger
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2021 NFL season hopeful of moving past their playoff shortcomings, but Ben Roethlisberger may be holding them back.
Much of the team's hopes centered on Roethlisberger returning for his 18th season and still performing at a high level. The two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback took a renewed approach to his health by slimming down over the offseason.
It may finally be time for Ben Roethlisberger to go
The 39-year-old reportedly took on a stricter diet and weight loss plan than Tom Brady’s.
"I mean, listen, as you get older — for the last four or five years, I’ve really focused on having a trainer, my body. Part of it’s football,’ Roethlisberger said via The Washington Post. But part of it’s life. I’m not getting any younger. I’m almost 40 years old. So you’ve got to take care of yourself. And nothing against Tom [Brady], but I’m not eating avocado ice cream. Yeah, you have a chef and you try and eat healthy. But you’re eating healthy because you want to be and feel good."
Despite these changes, Roethlisberger has stumbled through the first three weeks of the 2021 season. The Steelers have fallen to a 1-2 record, while the star quarterback has struggled to find any consistent footing under center.
He limped into Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals with a chest injury, which he struggled with as he threw a pair of interceptions while being sacked four times. He experienced plenty of difficulty throwing the ball down the field, averaging just 5.5 yards in the 24-10 loss to the Bengals.
Although it’s pretty early in the season, there are three reasons it may be time for the Steelers to seriously consider moving on from Roethlisberger.
Asked specifically about that left pec injury he came into today’s game with, especially after the #Bengals sacked him four times, Ben Roethlisberger very honestly and w/out hesitating says, “Everything hurts.”
#Steelers
Roethlisberger’s declined play
Throughout the first three weeks of the season, Roethlisberger has struggled to find success throwing the ball.
Much of that has come from his lack of consistently stretching the field. He’s averaging 6.16 yards per pass attempt, with the heavy reliance on short-yardage plays becoming extremely prominent against the Bengals in Week 3.
It featured him targeting rookie running back Najee Harris 19 times in the contest. Granted, he was dealing with a depleted wide receiver corps with Diontae Johnson out due to injury and JuJu Smith-Schuster becoming sidelined during the Week 3 loss to Cincinnati.
All that may be the case, but it’s hard to ignore the lack of production under center.
Wasting a dominant defense
Over the last couple of years, the Steelers have assembled one of the league’s top defensive units.
Much of the team’s success has come through its dominant defense that nearly carried them to a playoff berth in 2019 despite Roethlisberger missing the last 15 regular-season games. The lack of offensive production is placing more pressure on the defense to lead the charge.
It’s not a recipe for sustained success, which underlines the importance of stable play under center. Through the first three weeks of the 2021 season, Roethlisberger hasn’t provided that, with the Steelers' offense averaging only 14.3 points per contest. If that trend continues, expect many more frustrating losses ahead.
Asked to assess Ben Roethlisberger’s play, Mike Tomlin says, “None of us played well enough, him included. None of us coached well enough, ME included.” #Steelers
Steelers must face reality
It may be extremely difficult for the Steelers to move on from a quarterback who has been the face of the franchise for nearly two decades.
However, Pittsburgh needs a set plan under center well beyond this year. It's something the franchise should have been preparing for the last few years, especially with Roethlisberger contemplating retirement multiple times.
He’s likely playing the final year of his career, which may give the team a reason to go one last hurrah with him under center. If that is the case, the team must prepare for significant changes ahead of next offseason if they hope to take a step forward to Super Bowl contention.
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