Pittsburgh Steelers veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has seen his role change a bit as of late. Once known as a wild, if not incredible gunslinger who didn't mind hurling the football downfield even if a teammate is double teamed, he is now being tagged as a game-manager.
Not exactly the category of quarterback one would ever think Ben Roethlisberger would end up becoming, but it is a new role he doesn't mind taking.
“I played point guard in high school. All-American point guard, I’d like to say,” said Roethlisberger with a smile to ESPN. “So I’m used to distributing the ball and getting us in the best play possible.”
What it has basically boiled down to is that the Steelers now have so many incredible and dynamic weapons, Big Ben no longer needs to take as many risks as he previously did.
Article Continues Below“I feel like I’ve been as involved and had as good of a season maybe between the years as I have maybe ever,” Roethlisberger said. “Now that I’ve got so many weapons, that’s what’s important… It’s about feeling the game out.”
As for what he feels his responsibility is in his new role, the quarterback claims it is to do well enough on his side of the ball that the defense can both rest and not be as burdened with carrying such a heavy load.
“We’d like to do what we can to put as many points on the board, because that takes pressure off our defense,” Roethlisberger said. “We love the way they are playing, it’s a lot of fun to watch, but we need to do our part.”