A slimmer Roethlisberger could lead to bigger things
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been criticized for a lot of things over his first 12 years in the NFL.
People have complained about No. 7 holding on to the football too long, his proneness to injury, his unwillingness to put in as much study-time as other prominent quarterbacks and, of course, his off-the-field behavior (at least years ago–Big Ben is married now, and Mrs. Big Ben gave birth to the couple’s third child on Thursday).
Another thing people have had issue with is that Big Ben’s moniker is a little too close to the truth. For years, Roethlisberger seemed to pack enough weight around his waist to give people a reason to make fun of him or question his dedication to his craft.
However, as Roethlisberger, 34, prepares for his 13th season, he’s shed at lot of the old stigmas from his youth–including his extra weight.
According to this ESPN.com story from early April, Roethlisberger has lost at least 15 pounds this offseason. As per his agent, Ryan Tollner, who is quoted in the article, Roethlisberger has been on a high-cardio conditioning regimen since the end of the 2015 campaign.
“He couldn’t really work out [last season] because he kept getting hurt,” Tollner said. “I think he said after the season, you know what, I’m going to lose weight to alleviate potential pain in my joints.”
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Roethlisberger missed four games during the first half of last season after suffering a sprained MCL in Week 3. In addition, he also missed parts of two other regular season games due to a foot sprain and the entire fourth quarter of the wild card victory over the Bengals, after sustaining a sprained throwing shoulder on a sack by linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
To reiterate, Roethlisberger, who has already led the Steelers to three Super Bowls and two Lombardi Trophies during his career, has matured into not only a much more streamlined and efficient passer in recent years; he’s emerged as a team-leader who insists on accountability from his younger teammates on offense.
And, despite playing with extra weight for the majority of his career, Roethlisberger was always one of the more elusive quarterbacks in the NFL and very difficult to bring down, even after a defender got his mitts on him.
Now, with less weight to slow him down, it’s enticing to think about how much more elusive Roethlisberger can be in 2016.
Everything seems to be coming together for Roethlisberger in the twilight of his career. He has the offensive line to protect him, the weapons to pass to, the statistics to validate his career-long title of “elite quarterback” and now perhaps the fitness to perform at a top-level after dedicating himself to losing weight in the offseason.
A slimmer Ben Roethlisberger could lead to bigger things for the Steelers in 2016.
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