Ben Roethlisberger makes bold statement about his arm strength. Ben Roethlisberger is entering his 15th NFL season, but he isn’t worried about his body breaking down this year.
The oft-injured Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was placed in concussion protocol after a collision in practice with a teammate a week ago, but has since been cleared of any concussion symptoms.
He plans to suit up for the team’s third preseason game this week against the Tennessee Titans, and even made a bold proclamation regarding his health heading into the contest.
“How do I feel, whether that’s my arm, my shoulder, my elbow, knees, ankles, just the general feeling of my body?” Roethlisberger told Sean Gentille of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I think it felt great. My arm feels stronger than it ever has.”
The quarterback cut both sugar and carbs from his diet ahead of training camp and has lost weight as a result. He’s also been hitting the weight room harder than in previous years.
Roethlisberger has an extensive injury history throughout his NFL career, suffering from concussions, knee problems, ankle sprains, and shoulder injuries over the years. Despite these ailments, he’s still managed to play in at least 12 games every season since breaking into the league in 2004.
His durability and toughness are major reasons why the Steelers have claimed two Super Bowl titles with him under center, and if his arm is feeling the best it ever has at age 36, Pittsburgh could be vying for another title this year.
Under new offensive coordinator Randy Fichner, the Steelers and their six-time Pro Bowl quarterback are planning to utilize the no-huddle offense more this season. That means Big Ben will be spending more time in the shotgun formation and calling plays on his own.
“For sure,” Roethlisberger confirmed Wednesday, “which makes me study more, meet with Randy more, doing all that stuff, even more than in the past, which is fine. I always did a lot of stuff, but if they’re going to put that trust in me, then I have to then reward them with the knowledge that I’m going to do the right thing, call the right plays.”
Roethlisberger also responded to Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey’s comment about the quarterback being “decent at best.” Naturally, the veteran took the high road while discussing the topic.
“That’s the awesome thing about this country we live in. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion,” he said. “I think he’s a fantastic player, and I think we play them at some point and they got the best of us last year. So I guess he has the right to say whatever he wants.”
Roethlisberger threw for 4,251 yards and 28 touchdowns in 15 games last year, proving he’s still one of the elite pivots in the NFL.
