Same old Ben: minor injuries don’t bother Roethlisberger

Associated Press

LATROBE, PA.

Tight spiral after tight spiral. Repeated deep balls lofted deftly into the waiting hands of a receiver not breaking stride.

Ben Roethlisberger has looked as sharp as ever during practices throughout much of this Pittsburgh Steelers training camp this summer.

The two-time Super Bowl champion appears anything like a quarterback who’s being bothered by a shoulder injury — as teammates, coaches and even Big Ben himself can attest to.

“He looks like the same old Ben to me, which is a great quarterback,” veteran tight end Heath Miller said. “Nothing new on that front.”

Roethlisberger revealed on Wednesday that he sustained a slight tear in his right rotator cuff during a game last November. The revelation caused a mid-afternoon stir at St. Vincent College Wednesday before Roethlisberger later assured, “It’s a serious non-issue, because I’m just fine.”

He’s looked it, too. Besides the fact he hasn’t missed a full practice at camp and was a full participant all through Organized Team Activities and minicamp earlier this summer, Roethlisberger’s arm has done the talking.

Thursday, most of his better throws during two-minute drill work went to Antonio Brown, including a high deep pattern down the right sideline that went for a 38-yard touchdown.

“He’s looking really good,” Brown said, “throwing good and just having a good camp overall.”

Continuing a trend that developed over the latter stages of last season, Brown has grown into Roethlisberger’s go-to receiver. That’s obvious during practice, though Pro Bowl receiver Mike Wallace’s holdout also contributes to that.

“I’m learning where he wants me to go,” Brown said. “And with him, I know that if I get there, the ball will be there for me.”

The other starting receiver, Emmanuel Sanders, concurs. He believes Roethlisberger “definitely” is having a strong training camp.

“All quarterbacks usually come into their prime around 30 years old,” Sanders said. “And I feel like Ben is starting to come into his prime with his arm strength and understanding and everything.”

The Steelers (No. 7 in the AP Pro 32) have a new offensive coordinator in Todd Haley this season, and Roethlisberger said he is warming to picking up on the new playbook after a period of adjustment.

“I’m just really excited about working with Ben,” Haley said. “We’re off to a real good start. When you have a guy that’s a proven winner that knows how to move the football up and down the field and get everybody in place, that’s a huge asset.”