Subscribe
Follow Us
After calling it a career following his time as a head coach with the Arizona Cardinals, former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians checked in with the player he won two Super Bowls with, Ben Roethlisberger.
Although there's been a lot of negative attention surrounding Roethlisberger as of late due to his comments about rookie quarterback Mason Rudolph and his swift change of heart about extending his NFL career, Arians sees something different in the future Hall of Famer. Arians believes he's never seen the Steelers star in better shape as he prepares for another season in Pittsburgh, via Joe Starky of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“I don’t know if he’s ever been in better shape,” Arians said. “He looks fantastic. really excited about everything with Randy (Fichtner) and the offense and the weapons he’s got. I mean, every year we usually play golf at this time, and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him more excited about getting ready to go.”
With offensive coordinator Todd Haley moving on to the division rival Cleveland Browns, Roethlisberger will have to adjust to the style of new coordinator, Randy Fichtner.
Article Continues Below
As Arians suggests, the six-time Pro Bowler is excited about the new direction the team is taking and that Haley might've been the reason that he was thinking about retirement, via Starky.
“You know, if you’re gonna retire, and now all of sudden you’re gonna play five years, I think everything speaks for itself,” he said, referring to Ben’s double-reverse.
It'll be interesting to see whether Fichtner has a considerable impact on the Steelers offense and if it prolongs Roethlisberger while giving him a boost in production. It's no secret he and Haley didn't see eye-to-eye so this year could be a somewhat of a make-or-break for the veteran quarterback regarding his longevity in Pittsburgh beyond 2018.
