Oct 30 2006
Steelers Season Goes Right Into the Shitter
If you listen closely, you can hear an army of second-guessers marching in the distance, and their message can be heard loud and clear along the valleys of western Pennsylvania…
“Big Ben is brain-damaged. Put in Charlie.”
Everyone will question why Ben Roethlisberger was rushed back after suffering a concussion last week. Everyone will continue to suggest that all the bad luck that has struck the Steelers’ Super Bowl-winning QB has turned him into mush.
Are they right? Are they wrong? Doesn’t matter. They can just point to that one spot on Ben’s stat sheet in Pittsburgh’s loss to the Raiders: 4 interceptions, 2 returned for touchdowns. And the Steelers lose by 6.
Of course, 6 also happens to be the number of times Big Ben was sacked. That’s the offensive line’s fault. Who knew brain damage was contagious?
It certainly didn’t spread to the defense. The Steelers outgained the Raiders, 360 yards to 98. Oakland converted only one 3rd down and only had possession of the ball for 24 and a half minutes. Andrew Walter was sacked five times and intercepted once himself. By itself, the Steeler D only gave up six points. They did their job.
Doesn’t matter. Look at the stat sheet. Ben Roethlisberger threw four interceptions, and two were returned for touchdowns. The army’s war cry is still loud and clear…
“Ben is brain-damaged. Put in Charlie.”
Teams don’t recover from losses like this. The Steelers have to go 6-3 the rest of the way just to get back to .500. Take a look at the schedule. Do you see six wins on there for this team? I don’t, and I’m as big a homer for this team as you’ll find anywhere. I love the Pittsburgh Steelers, but man, they just dropped into the shitter like a big steaming turd this year — right next to Buffalo, Cleveland, Houston, Oakland and Tennessee. All those teams are 2-5, too. The only worse team in the AFC is Miami at 1-6.
That’s the Adrian Peterson sweepstakes, folks. The Steelers aren’t supposed to compete in that race, but there they are, and unless they can somehow pull off another 8-game winning streak, the army of second-guessers will keep on marching, and the calls will get even louder…
“Ben is brain-damaged. Put in Charlie.”
It won’t happen. Fans could chant Charlie Batch’s name in Heinz Field, and it won’t happen. Bill Cowher won’t bench Ben Roethlisberger. It will take another concussion to put Ben out of commission. Hey, winning a Super Bowl gives you a lot of leeway. Just ask Brian Billick.
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I couldn’t agree more.
I can question Ben’s decisions and put it down to many things.
But did Cowher smack his head in the off season aswell?
Is it because he may be retiring at the end of this season and he just doesn’t give a shit?
Who know’s for sure - but there’s one thing that is painfully obvious; you DON’T play your starting QB after a concussion, at least not for the next game against one of the worst ranked teams in the NFL (along with us now)…
I mean, even if none of the stuff that happened to Ben had happened already, a concussion is a serious matter - he should have been forced onto the bench this week in Oakland.
What’s the point in having one of the best back-up QB’s in the league… and not playing him in a situation like this?
What worries me more is the fact that Ben is a franchise QB, no doubt, but this attitude towards his health is shocking, if he carries on like this he could ruin his career and more importantly, his health.
Smarter decisions are needed all round I think, starting at the top.