Ben Roethlisberger Focused on Fixing Mechanics While Rediscovering Trust in His Arm
PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger's 2020 stat line consists of 520 passing yards, five touchdowns and only one interception.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback is off to a strong start through two weeks of the regular season. Coming off elbow surgery last season, Roethlisberger returned to the field without any preseason games and limited training camp exposure to lead the Steelers through the 2020 season.
After the team's Week 2 win over the Denver Broncos, Roethlisberger was critical of his play, crediting the defense for the victory. In Week 2, Roethlisberger threw for 311 yards and two scores but handed the defense his first interception of the season.
"Going back and reviewing, I felt from Week 1 to Week 2, my pocket presence and awareness was better," Roethlisberger said. "I do feel that I got a little lazy with my feet, which then, in term, translated to a lazy arm. There were some throws where I dropped my elbow. It became more of a three-quarter release instead of an over-the-top when I didn't need to. There are times when you have to change your release point. There were too many throws where I felt, looking back, where I have to get my feet working better and that'll translate to the rest of the body. Then, I won't be guiding some of the throws."
His progression throughout his recovery has been no secret. Roethlisberger has made it known that he is still adjusting back to life behind center and feels the final step in his process is finding the comfort he once had in his throwing ability.
"That's going to be the biggest thing, I just have to tell myself to do it," Roethlisberger said. "It's nothing that the guys are doing wrong, it's just me trusting my arm, trusting the throw, trusting that I can make it. Because, they're in the right spots. I'm thankful for them that they're there."
His lazy footwork is an issue he's dealing with more as he rediscovers his trust in his arm.
"I've gotten away with it in the past, not necessarily being perfect from the ground up and just letting my arm make up for a lot of things," Roethlisberger said. "A lot of imperfections. Whether it's the lay-off, whether it's the surgery - because I feel great, so I need to get it in my mind that I can still make the throws when I'm not in perfect position to make them. Maybe that comes with not playing a lot of football ... It'll come. If I'm having these issues and we're still winning football games, that's a plus."
Still, the Steelers quarterback has completed 68.5% of his passes and has the team 2-0. For him, he's fine with continuing to adjust back to football as long as he's providing enough on the field for his team to keep winning.
"We just got to keep working," Roethlisberger said. "Really, it boils down to me needing to be better at trusting myself, which then translates into trusting everyone else."
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
