Like any other player, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had to start his career by playing alongside tenured veterans who showed him the ropes in the league. After spending a couple of seasons with them, he eventually molded himself to be a leader of the Steelers as he incorporated his own brand of leadership within the team.

“We had guys on that team that were veteran leaders, that were the voices that kept me from having to come in right away and saying, ‘hey, this is my team. This is how I do it’”, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger said of the beginning of his career. “I think that’s one of the key things to being a leader, is knowing who you have around you, knowing how to speak to guys, how to motivate guys, how to communicate with guys”.

As he matured, Roethlisberger also learned the importance of communication between players, especially in a locker room full of diverse talents who came from different backgrounds in life.

“I learned that as I got older. I learned how to communicate with guys, how to lead guys”, he explained. “Each guy in my line or on a team needs to be led, communicated with, differently. So when you come in as a rookie, if I would’ve come in hollering at these guys, like ‘this is my team’, they would’ve—I don’t know what would’ve happened. They would’ve put me in my place pretty quick”.

Having a quarterback who knows how to lead his fellow players is definitely an important asset for any team. Throughout the years, Roethlisberger was able to form a strong bond with his teammates which eventually paid dividends for the team.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan next to Pittsburgh Steelers edge defender Alex Highsmith. Khan has a speech bubble that says “Thank you, Alex.”

Ben Strauss ·

Courtland Sutton wearing a Steelers jersey next to a Steelers logo

Dan Fappiano ·

Justin Fields in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform on one side, Mike Tomlin on the other side, a bunch of the big eyes emojis in the background

Owen Crisafulli ·

On the field, the Ohio native also showed maturity in his playing style throughout the years as he successfully led the Steelers to two Super Bowl victories. Along the way, his stellar performances also led him to nab two NFL passing yards leader awards and a total of six Pro Bowl appearances.

After going through a disappointing 2020 campaign, the Steelers QB will definitely need to get back on the right track as he heads to the swan song of his 17-year career. Ben Roethlisberger will aim to extend his leadership one final time in a bid for a Super Bowl title before he rides off into the sunset in 2021.