Steelers Saw Roethlisberger of Old During Two-Minute Scoring Drive
Mike Tomlin pinpointed the Steelers' two-minute drive at the end of the second quarter as the moment he saw that Ben Roethlisberger was back to his old self.
The 38-year-old quarterback returned for his first game since leaving Week 2 of last season with an elbow injury and never returning. After reconstructive surgery, months of rehab, and roughly six weeks of training camp, he stepped on the field at MetLife Stadium.
Roethlisberger made it known, heading into the week, that he was anxious to play his first game. Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said Roethlisberger came up to him during a team scrimmage at camp and said his legs were "shaky" from nerves.
For Tomlin, the nervousness having Roethlisberger back last the entire game. Pregame jitters last all 60 minutes as he watched his team march to a 26-16 victory in Week 1.
The minute and 32-second drive calmed that angst, though. Tomlin described the drive as "significant," and the moment he felt he saw what he was looking for from Roethlisberger.
Meanwhile, Roethlisberger was just focused on the field.
"The guys were protecting up front. My job is to just get the ball out of my hand as fast as I can and get it to the play makers and that's what we did," Roethlisberger said, referring to the end of the half drive. "We got the ball in the hands of guys who made plays for us. We took it down the field and put the points on the board at the end of the half, like we always want to do."
Roethlisberger said he didn't have a moment when he felt he was back to normal but did realize he was throwing with more velocity than he has been.
Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had some nostalgia as the team worked the ball 78-yards down the field. Catching two passes, he contributed 31-yards to the team's touchdown drive.
"It brought back memories," Smith-Schuster said. "I was telling Diontae [Johnson], 'It felt so much different.' We do two-minutes in practice and it's like, I'm winded because it's competition level. It's there but it's not an actual game. Us being out there right before half, having two minutes to put points on the board, we felt like 'Okay, that's Ben. That's the Ben we know.'"
After the game, Roethlisberger said his elbow feels fine following his first game back. During training camp, his biggest concern was being hit in live-action play but felt he was able to withstand hits once on the field.
"I feel great right now," Roethlisberger said. "Obviously, adrenaline is still pumping and we won the game. I'm going to be sore tomorrow, there is no doubt. I got some bumps and bruises. In terms of elbow and everything else, I feel really good right now."
Now that's its over, and his first game since his surgery is under his belt, the Steelers quarterback is ready to keep moving forward. And after 229 yards and three touchdowns, he and his team feel confident in Roethlisberger's return.
"I'm excited we won the game, I'll tell you that," Roethlisberger said. "I told the guys before the game, it's not about me, individually. The reason I came back is for these guys, for this team. It's a special group of football players and men. I'm just thankful to be a part of it."
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
