STEELERS Roethlisberger back and feels comfortable

The youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl is fine after his accident.
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) -- They screamed in delight, yelled out his name, asked him to slow down so they could snap more pictures. Ben Roethlisberger heard the ruckus, realized he was the cause of it and could only smile at the attention.
And all he was doing midway through the Pittsburgh Steelers' first training camp practice Sunday was changing his jersey.
"They were loud, and they were cheering for any little thing that happened," coach Bill Cowher said of the 10,000-plus fans watching a practice that couldn't have been more routine, with a few passing and blocking drills and not much else.
That Roethlisberger was back with his teammates, throwing passes to first-round draft pick Santonio Holmes and getting a bit of a scare when he banged his right thumb off a lineman's helmet, was anything but ordinary.
Back sooner than expected
The youngest quarterback to win the Super Bowl is less than two months removed from a motorcycle accident that easily could have ended his life, and having him back on the field so soon is more than the Steelers and their fans could have expected.
"I got the arm loosened up, and the body, and proved a lot of people wrong," Roethlisberger said.
No wonder the fans were so eager to see him wearing a helmet again -- even if it wasn't the kind of helmet that might have lessened the severity of the injuries in that June 12 crash, when he broke his jaw, nose and some orbital bones and had severe facial bleeding.
It was evident that any of the fans gathered on St. Vincent College's hillsides were focusing on Roethlisberger's every move during two-hour practice that was uneventful except when his pass protection broke down on one play and his right thumb struck left guard Alan Faneca's helmet.
Roethlisberger grimaced for a play or two, talked with trainer John Norwig, then jumped back into the drill as if nothing had happened.
"He hit his thumb on a helmet so it's good, he's back into football," Cowher said. "He looked fine."
Felt fine, too, according to Roethlisberger.
"I felt real comfortable," he said. "The body feels real good, the head feels good, so it was a good day. This is the first time I've thrown in months, so I've got to ease my arm into it a little bit -- but, no, I didn't hold back."
Still has questions
Because his motorcycle crash injuries were confined to his head, the big question is how Roethlisberger will stand up to a big hit in a game. The Steelers allow no training camp contact involving any quarterback, as defensive line coach John Mitchell reminded his players before the drills began.
"Leave the quarterback alone," he yelled.
That didn't mean the defense couldn't pressure Roethlisberger. He sidestepped a couple of defenders and rolled to his left to dodge one pass rush, finally flipping the ball to backup running back John Kuhn to avoid an imaginary sack and keep the play from totally breaking down.
"It's the best scramble drill we've had in two years," Cowher said. "We've tried to simulate that and then we had the best one on the first day of practice."
Cowher is convinced that the Steelers aren't rushing Roethlisberger, even though they don't play a game that counts for nearly six weeks. Until Sunday, Roethlisberger hadn't thrown to his receivers since the first week of June, and Cowher said the quarterback and his receivers must regain their timing.
Not sharp yet
Roethlisberger wasn't particularly sharp Sunday, having several passes knocked down and another intercepted by linebacker Clark Haggans.
"We've had all the doctors' reports and everything has been that he's been ready to go," Cowher said. "He says he's ready to go, so, really, we're proceeding on. The more you can get out there, the more you can relieve some of that apprehension that's always going to be there.
"Until he takes the first hit in a game, that's still going to be there, too. But I like where he's at. He seems good and we're moving on," the coach said.
What hasn't been decided is if Roethlisberger will play in the Steelers' first exhibition game Aug. 12 at Arizona. Since Cowher no doubt would like his quarterback to take that first hit or two soon -- if only to get it out of the way -- he might prefer to play Roethlisberger if possible.
"We're right on schedule," Cowher said. "We'll take it day to day and week and week, as we will for all of our players."
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