Ben Roethlisberger Shoulders the Workload

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

The only bad thing I can say about Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is that he doesn’t update his blog very often. OK, that and the occasional errant throw. Otherwise, the guy epitomizes Pittsburgh Steelers football — he’s a blue-collar, relentless warrior. With a sprained shoulder, virtually no practice time and an offensive line that’s having trouble protecting him (I’m being kind), Ben stood tall and strong in the pocket — and mobile and athletic out of it — in leading the Steelers to a 26-21 win over the Jacksonville Jags last night. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin takes the good with the bad:

“That’s Ben. Sometimes he holds the ball too long, and the offensive line catches a bad rap for it. But you take the good with the bad because he can step up and deliver the way he delivered tonight. He’s very good at what he does, and the guys have a great deal of belief in him. He delivers time and time again.”

Check the numbers: 26-of-41 passing for 309 yards and three touchdowns. The guy is money. But after receiving a six-figure contract, this is what you do. You play hurt and you play well. It’s called earning your keep. And with a running back by committee structure in-place due to an abundance of injuries (currently featuring Mewelde Moore, Gary Russell and Najeh Davenport), more pressure has been placed on Big Ben. And thus far, he’s shouldering (pun intended) the workload.

Source: Steelers.com, NFL.com, Photo: Newscom