The release of the 2020 NFL schedule served as another opportunity for Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to double down his support for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

The 38-year-old is coming from an injury-riddled season in 2019, but said to be ready to take on the season-opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 14:

“As we sit here today, we are extremely confident in his readiness,” said Tomlin, according to Chris Adamski of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “We are enjoying the process that he’s going through right now. Obviously, it’s not without its angst. The guy is coming off a season-ending injury and surgery. But we like where we are. He’s throwing on a rehab schedule, and it’s going well, and we fully anticipate him being ready to go for that opener.”

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The vibe around the Steelers (virtual) locker room is complete confidence in Big Ben's health is as good as can be to take on the regular season. Everyone from owner Art Rooney II to general manager Kevin Colbert to Tomlin feels confident in his ability to return to the gridiron after undergoing elbow surgery in the offseason.

Tomlin was confident as usual in the newly-released season schedule, claiming “I hadn't seen a schedule I didn't like.”

Roethlisberger had been working out at the team’s UPMC Rooney Sports Complex prior to the coronavirus pandemic, but the outbreak soon forced the Steelers to ban access to facilities — hence the worry about the quarterback's health.