‘Big Ben’ evolving as leader at 37
LATROBE, Pa. – Ben Roethlisberger admits it. The parting body shots from former teammates Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell after their offseason departures — they ripped the Steelers’ marquee quarterback for his leadership style — stung a bit.
“We’re all human,” Roethlisberger told USA TODAY after a training camp practice this week. “No one likes to be talked about. But honestly, they’re gone. So I can’t concern myself with what people outside this locker room are saying. It is what it is. You’re not happy, you say things.”
For years, the rugged Roethlisberger, 37 and heading into his 16th NFL season, has come across as a franchise quarterback with a few extra layers of tough skin. He seems to accept criticism and intense scrutiny as inherent with his high-profile job. In adverse situations, such as after tough losses, he is hardly the duck-and-hide type. He is typically the stand-up man who can be found.
So it figures the offseason buzz that cast a spotlight on his leadership will roll off his back, like more than a few defenders have over the years when he extends plays.
“The thing about being a leader – and I’d like to think I’m a good leader; I’ve been doing it a long time – is that leadership is about winning football games,”
Roethlisberger said. “That should speak for itself.”
Count Steelers coach Mike Tomlin in the group insisting that this leadership topic is overblown.
“Ben needs to be himself,” Tomlin told USA TODAY. “That’s all I’ll ever ask of him and all of these guys. Lead with your own voice.”
Still, as much as the Steelers aim to squash the topic – several teammates have vociferously defended Roethlisberger – it appears a nerve was struck.
Maybe Brown and Bell, now with the Raiders and Jets, respectively, made a parting contribution, too. Roethlisberger – who has been prone to publicly call out teammates on his weekly radio show in a manner that, well, you don’t hear from Tom Brady – talks about continuing to evolve as a leader.
“I think each guy, whether it’s a lineman or any position, has to be led in a different way,” he said. “Some guys need to be hollered at, some guys need to be pulled aside, some guys you need to show them. So there are different ways. The fun, challenging part about being a leader is that you have to know how to handle each guy.”
With the most unsettled wide receiver corps the Steelers have entered camp with in years, Roethlisberger’s leadership package has a distinctly fresh test as he comes off a season in which he led the NFL with 5,129 yards and threw for a franchise-record 34 touchdown passes. They need him to break in a young group that is short on experience in Pittsburgh’s system.
JuJu Smith-Schuster is pegged to assume the No. 1 role that Brown excelled in as arguably the league’s best receiver. Heading into his third season, SmithSchuster also is suddenly the senior receiver when it comes to real-time snaps with Roethlisberger.
The remainder of the roles are expected to filled by, in no particular order, second-year pro James Washington, veteran free agent addition Donte Moncrief, Eli Rogers, Ryan Switzer and rookie Diontae Johnson.
It’s no wonder that Roethlisberger’s constant strategy chats with receivers, particularly between plays, was a striking image during the first few days of camp. Even when he doesn’t practice (he gets every third day off as a preservation measure), he’s heavily involved.
“It’s about teaching,” Roethlisberger said. “I’d say I do as much coaching as playing out here, because I’m the one
that’s on the field. I’m the one who has to tell these guys what I expect on the field, as far as receivers and stuff. So I just try to do as much as I can as far as communicating with those guys … help as much as I can.
“When you first come into the league, you don’t know what to do. You’re just trying to survive. Now it’s about coming here helping other players survive.”
Washington, for one, credits his quarterback for the hands-on instruction that he maintains has gone far in allowing him to be more relaxed with his role in the offense.
“Ben knows,” Steelers GM Kevin Colbert told USA TODAY. “That’s his group. It’s probably not changing a lot.”
During the offseason, Roethlisberger resumed a previous tradition and hosted teammates from the offensive unit at his Georgia home for workouts, which undoubtedly helped with the chemistry and the leadership evolution.
Colbert maintains that whatever pressure points existed last season were fueled by the edge that comes with competition. It reminded the GM of his years with the Dolphins in the 1980s.
“I was with (Dan) Marino, (Mark) Duper and (Mark) Clayton,” Colbert said. “That wasn’t always pretty, either.”
Roethlisberger has quarterbacked the Steelers to three Super Bowls, winning two. But it’s been a while. Mention Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl drought and that strikes a nerve, too. Roethlisberger was moved to weigh in on the subject during a team meeting as camp opened. He’s the only player remaining from the 2008 squad that won Super Bowl XLIII.
“I got up and spoke to the guys on the first day and told them, ‘Some of you have won national championships, high school championships, state championships. It’s not like winning a world championship and having that confetti rain,’ ” Roethlisberger said. “To be able to go back to that, to have those experiences, would be invaluable to all of us.”
Especially if Roethlisberger can lead with more than his big arm.