Big Ben can play, but will he?

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Ben Roethlisberger might not take another snap at Heinz Field until his suspension for off-the-field behavior ends in October.

The NFL told the Pittsburgh Steelers that the quarterback could play in all of their preseason games before his suspension begins, but that doesn’t mean the team plans to let him.

Roethlisberger never warmed up, put his helmet on or stepped into the huddle on a rainy Saturday night as the Steelers beat the Detroit Lions 23-7 in a preseason game.

Because coach Mike Tomlin planned to play his starters only eight to 12 snaps, or about as long as the defensive regulars were in the game, he started Byron Leftwich and gave Roethlisberger the night off.

Roethlisberger lobbied to play, but Tomlin had already made up his mind.

“Ben is going to have opportunities to play in the preseason,” Tomlin said. “But with the number of snaps that we anticipated the first offense running, it just wasn’t appropriate to play him.”

The only time Roethlisberger was on the field, except during warmups, was for the pregame coin toss. The Steelers don’t choose captains until the end of the preseason, so Tomlin retained the same captains who ended last season, including Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger is expected to play Saturday at the New York Giants — where he likely will receive a far less receptive response than he did in Heinz Field — and Aug. 29 at Denver. But, since the starters normally play only a few snaps in the final preseason game, Roethlisberger also might sit out Sept. 2 against Carolina in Pittsburgh.

When training camp began, Tomlin said the emphasis was on getting ready to start the season while making sure Roethlisberger got enough time with the starters to stay sharp. Roethlisberger cannot practice once the season starts.