Big Ben out for rest of season
PITTSBURGH» Ben Roethlisberger likes to point out that he has played through the end of every contract he ever signed. It’s tangible proof of the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback’s commitment both to the game itself and the franchise he has led to a pair of Super Bowl titles.
That commitment will be tested over the coming months.
The 37-year-old’s aching right elbow needs surgery. His 16th season is over just two weeks in. His future is uncertain. And the keys to the offense Roethlisberger operated so deftly for so long are now in the hands of backup Mason Rudolph, who was in elementary school when the player known universally as Big Ben became a fullfledged NFL starter in the fall of 2004.
It’s an arrangement Roethlisberger stressed is temporary.
“This is shocking and heartbreaking for me, to miss this much of a season and feel like I am letting down so many people,” Roethlisberger said in a statement Monday after being placed on injured reserve. “I can only trust God’s plan, but I am completely determined to battle through this challenge and come back stronger than ever next season.”
The end of this season arrived suddenly. The Steelers were moving down the field late in the second quarter against Seattle on Sunday when Roethlisberger twice clutched his elbow following pass attempts. Though he stayed in for the remainder of the drive — including a pair of completions with his arm in obvious pain — when the Steelers came out for the second half, their captain wore a white baseball cap and watched from the sideline as they lost 28-26 to drop to 0-2 .
Enter Rudolph, taken in the third round in the 2018 draft, who beat out Josh Dobbs for the backup job during the preseason. Now the 24-year-old is tasked with helping the Steelers emerge from an early hole without their unquestioned leader.
“It’s kind of (lousy) circumstances with our leader and good friend going down,” Rudolph said. “He would want me to step up and lead to the best of my ability. That’s what I’ve always believed in and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Roethlisberger underwent an MRI late Sunday. While the nature of his injury hasn’t been disclosed, team doctors decided surgery was the best course of action. Roethlisberger will undergo the procedure later this week. There is no timetable for any possible return.
“It’s really surreal,” guard David DeCastro said. “But at the same time, you’ve got to have a football player mentality, next guy up and move on. But with a guy like that it’s a little different. Easier said than done that’s for sure.”
Roethlisberger has been Pittsburgh’s starter since taking over for Tommy Maddox in Week 2 of the 2004 season as a rookie.
His start on Sunday marked the 218th appearance of his career, second most in the history of a franchise that dates to 1932.