Entering what may (or may not) be his last season in the NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has the offensive line on his mind.
With offseason focus on improving a dead-last run game via rookie running back Najee Harris, Big Ben hopes that Pittsburgh’s linemen haven’t forgotten about the quarterback.
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“I hope their biggest pride… I know that everyone is preaching running the ball, right… We have to run the ball better, this, that, and the other.”
“I hope that their biggest pride is protecting the quarterback,” Roethlisberger recently told SiriusXM’s Movin’ the Chains.
Pass protection, pass protection, pass protection.
The Steelers offensive line did a stand-up job (pun intended) at protecting their quarterback last season. Ben Roethlisberger took a record-low 13 sacks, but he also got the ball out of his hands at a rate like never before because the players couldn’t hold their blocks.
Either way, the performance of that O-line is a thing of the past because only one starter returned for the 2021 season.
Following Pittsburgh’s win over the Eagles, Steelers head coach Tomlin said Roethlisberger would play versus the Detroit Lions. Although only for a series or two, it’ll be our first and only preseason glimpse of Big Ben with the first team.
The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Detroit Lions Saturday at 7:30 p.m. eastern for preseason Week 2.
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