Roethlisberger sheds crutches, awaits OK

The Steelers quarterback will miss his third game of the season.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ben Roethlisberger did what many pro football fans do on a Sunday afternoon. He sat in his living room with a couple of friends, eating pizza and chicken wings and yelling for his team.
He never wants to do it again, not as long as the players he is rooting on are his teammates.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was off crutches Wednesday for the first time since having arthroscopic right knee surgery on Nov. 3, but is not yet ready to play or practice and will miss his third game of the season Sunday.
"It feels good to be able to get up and walk around a little bit and feel like a normal human being," he said Wednesday. "But it's tough to watch on TV. Those are my guys out there."
Roethlisberger is ahead of schedule after having a damaged piece of cartilage removed from his knee -- he is riding a stationary bike and has almost full range of motion in the knee while doing underwater therapy -- and says he hopes to return Nov. 20 against Baltimore.
Pain since September
Roethlisberger's right knee had bothered him since the Sept. 11 opener against Tennessee, but he was determined to play each week until coach Bill Cowher talked him into getting the operation so he would be ready for the late-season stretch drive.
"My knee actually felt better, but coach called me and said, 'Let's get it over with because who knows which game it could get bad again,"' Roethlisberger said, talking to reporters for the first time since the operation. "I wasn't worried about hurting it and making it worse; it was later on in the season and making it worse, and then I wouldn't be there for the playoffs."
The Steelers (6-2) are 1-1 without the injured Roethlisberger, having lost to Jacksonville 23-17 on Oct. 16 with Tommy Maddox at quarterback but won 20-10 last Sunday in Green Bay even though replacement Charlie Batch passed for only 65 yards.
Despite not being able to fully extend the knee, Roethlisberger said he could play Sunday night against Cleveland but doesn't think he would be helping his team if he did.
"Right now, I can barely walk without a limp," he said. "The thing is, I don't want to hurt this team. I could probably go out there now and get by, but I would probably hurt the team rather than help it.
Unhappy on sidelines
"But I don't like to miss any games. That was a big thing for me. I want to be there for these guys. I've been playing through the pain so far and I felt I could keep doing it," he said.
Roethlisberger, the NFL's top-rated passer with a 112.4 rating, was told by doctors that he should be pain-free once he recovers from the surgery. Last week, the Steelers estimated his recovery time to be 10 to 14 days.
Roethlisberger has hurt both knees this season. His left knee was hyper-extended late in a 24-22 victory at San Diego on Oct. 10, causing him to miss the Jaguars game. The right knee injury occurred against the Titans, then flared up again when he was hit during the first quarter of a 20-19 victory over Baltimore on Oct. 31.
"From what they tell me, once my knee starts to feel better, it should feel better than it ever has," Roethlisberger said. "From the first game on, it's been bothering me, and I've been playing through the pain. Hopefully, I should be able to play without pain in my knee for the first time in a long time."
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.