"Time is up" - Former Steelers star calls for QB Ben Roethlisberger to be benched
Ben Roethlisberger's swan song season has been far from what he and the Pittsburgh Steelers fans expected. Roethlisberger's arm strength and mobility are compromised in his age 39 season.
Due to Roethlisberger's poor play, members of the media have called for Big Ben to be benched. One of those media members is a former teammate of Roethlisberger's, Ryan Clark.
Clark was a teammate with the aging quarterback for eight seasons and believes his time is up.
.@Realrclark25 had strong words for his former teammate, Ben Roethlisberger.
"I owe my Super Bowl ring to Ben Roethlisberger. With all that being said, time is up. It's time to move on. ... Big Ben is hurting this team now. ... It's time for Big Ben to take a seat." https://t.co/k5cCyD6l8A
Ryan Clark claims the Steelers need to bench Ben Roethlisberger
Clark is a member of ESPN's NFL coverage and has excelled in the role since joining on the day he retired. Despite Clark's close relationship with Roethlisberger, he doesn't believe Roethlisberger should be the starting quarterback.
He said on ESPN's GetUp,
"I think it's hard to bench a legend. That's a very difficult thing to do. We saw that happen in New York with someone drafted in the same draft class in Eli Manning. I owe my Super Bowl ring to Ben Roethlisberger. With all that being said, time is up. It's time to move on. It's time to see what else you have in that locker room."
For Clark to come out so strongly on this take is an indictment of how poorly Ben Roethlisberger played in 2021. Since suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in 2019, Roethlisberger's arm strength and big-play ability have been missing in the offense.
His yards per attempt are down drastically from where they were before 2019. Clark continued his argument by mentioning the Steelers' skill-position players.
Their production has been restricted as a result of their quarterback's defects. Clark said,
"Big Ben hurts Chase Claypool, he hurts Diontae Johnson, he hurts Najee Harris. He hurts the Pittsburgh Steelers offense as a whole. And if you don't have something better in Mason Rudolph, if you don't have something better in Dwayne Haskins, then it's your fault Pittsburgh Steelers."
The decision to bench a franchise legend is never easy. The Steelers will likely ride out the rest of the season with Roethlisberger.
Mike Tomlin has said this season that Roethlisberger is their best chance to win games, not Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins.
Ben Roethlisberger privately has told former teammates and some within the organization that he expects this to be his final season playing quarterback for the Steelers, league sources told ESPN.
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Roethlisberger will not be a member of the Steelers roster after this season. Rudolph and Haskins aren't the answers for his successor.
So for the first time since 2004, the Steelers will have to be active in free agency or the draft.
It's unfortunate to see the Roethlisberger era end in this fashion. But there's still a chance for the Steelers to be in the playoff mix this year.
It all starts with a divisional matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13.
Also Read: What are the terms of Ben Roethlisberger's contract?