This Steelers writer seems to believe the Roethlisberger trade request rumors may be credible

Could be. Leaning in that direction at least. Look forward to hearing more details about your "case".

Should be an interesting offseason with Ben. He has one child and another on the way so I've got a feeling he's going to want to maximize this final contract of his career. I think the Steelers are starting to think seriously about life after Ben.

 

Yeah my "case" is realllllly interesting. As far as Ben, doesn't his wife have roots in Pittsburgh anyway? I mean wasn't she like a therapist or something that was from there?

 

I think you're right about the wifey. That could play to the Steelers advantage.

 

The timing of these "trade request" rumors intrigue me the most.
Why would Ben's camp or the Rooneys want to stir things up now?
Hell, we just came off a win and likely our best played game of the season.
Things are starting to look up again, it's like someone wants to keep us down.
Who could that be?
Could it be the Lions; nah they ain't scared of us.
Jeeze Louise, who's next on our schedule???

Yep you got it ... this has Jimmy Haslam written all over it.

 

His wife is a local Western Pa girl.
New Castle area.About 45 minutes north
of PGH.

 

Ha ha. I didn't stop by last night, so I missed this.


I agree about closing the window with Ben. In the past the Steelers have always had something to fall back on. If this were the 90s you could say that Ben was expendable because they always had a stoudt (get it?) O line, a solid running game, and a top defense. So getting rid of the QB wouldn't be the big deal that it is now. This team is struggling on the line, has a glimmer of hope at the RB position, and is in need of a rebuild on defense. Ben is one of a few bright spots of the entire team (and please don't take that as I think that Ben is the greatest. He's very good, but he's no Brady/Manning/Rogers). To trade, release, or part ways with him now would be a disaster of Hindenburg proportions.

However, everyone has their limits. We don't know what is going on behind closed doors. Maybe word is getting around that Ben wants north of the $20M/yr that Flacco et al got? Maybe he's shooting for 25? Or more? Thats a TON of dough. If thats the case then I could understand the latest leak about the Steelers wanting Ben to change his ways (although I DO NOT agree) to protect himself and their investment. Just like Kordell was the way he was and looking back a lot of people criticize the organization for trying to change him, Ben is the same way. Altering his style of play may lengthen his career health-wise, but may shorten it performance-wise. He is what he is and you have to live or die by it.

Which brings me to the latest leak. My opinion is that there is something to what is going on and it is that Ben wants Haley out. As a former Arians lover they should have never gotten rid of him. Ben didn't want Haley and Tomlin didn't want Haley. That was a Rooney move all of the way and it was wrong. Again you have the best player on your team, the franchise QB, you HAVE to listen to him, involve him, and even cave into him regarding decisions about the offense. I know that a lot of people would vehemently disagree with that assertion and say things like he is not the team, or is he bigger than the team, and he is replaceable, but he IS their best player and isn't so easily replaced. Sometimes you have to eat a little **** and listen to the guy. It IS his offense that he is supposed to lead and be the field general. Clearly the Rooneys didn't involve him (or Tomlin) is that decision. Moving forward I hope they give Ben some more input, especially if they are going to sink another mega-contract into him.

As far as who leaked tonights (last nights) stuff to the NFL network, given my opinion that Ben wants Haley out, Im going with Todd himself. It makes too much sense. If there is a power play going on inside the organization between Ben and Todd (and there really shouldn't be) then he is the top candidate. Given the antics in his private life, I certainly wouldn't put it past him.

 

My ex-sister in law is a local WPa girl too. She's a ****. She hates WPa and everything about it including the weather, and the backwoods, redneck loser inhabitants. She couldn't wait to get out and never come back. She's currently in Florida with her new boy toy after bilking my bro-in law out of 1/2 of everything while never working a day in her life and leaving him to life of drunken orgies with girls 1/2 his age (that looks better in writing, doesn't it?). Point being that it is possible that Ben's wife may be of the same mindset regarding her thoughts of PA (the rest is just a rant) and the staying local angle just may not be in play here.

 

TMI TMI I am not sure where this is coming from?

 

Not the same with Stewart. He never had any QB coach to help him work on his deficiencies in the offense.

I agree it's got to be Haley. This kind of crap happening around him everywhere he goes is way to much of a coincidence!

 

I agree totally. I really think it's just a necessary evil to involve your qb in the fashioning of the system you are gonna put him in. I can not even BEGIN to imagine that Peyton wouldn't be afforded that luxury. It is almost like they've never really considered Ben a franchise qb. HOWEVER...IF they don't think that Ben is enough of a "student" of the game then it would make sense that they wouldn't want his input in creating the playbook. I've always felt like Ben relied more on his body than he did his brain and I think that these latest reports pretty much confirm that the Rooney's feel the same. I can say this though that if the Rooney's get rid of Ben in the offseason and Haley is here in 2014 my opinion of them will probably forever be tarnished. I think Ben is the most valuable asset this team has in the grand scheme of things and that includes Troy. I don't want Troy gone either but dang if they aint gonna have to make some tough decisions. I probably would let Woodley and Ike go honestly. Clark would be gone too but I'm just saying Troy is probably more valuable than both of them. Everyone is always talking about how Lebeau's system doesn't need a big shutdown corner so doesn't that make Ike expendable?

 

Which I think was his real problem with it. In their defense though, he was not going to accept BA leaving anyway.

EDIT: you really can't get rid of Woodley yet. There's just no depth behind him.

 

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/fil...om-earl-thomas
article on ben very critic

 

Yeah it's tough for sure. My thinking is just that in our system you can replace a lb quicker than a qb or really any position for that matter. I've always been a Woodley fan since we drafted him but if it comes down to him or Ben I'd throw him overboard in a heartbeat.

 

I agree and remember worilds only has 2 less sacks then Woodley this year. playing part time. Woodley is hurt again too.

 

Again, nothing this fan base doesn't know, at least on this MB. This is just the National (Football) media taking a bone while the team is down and running with it. They've been waiting for this for years!

 

Yawn.
I can draw up fancy arrows on zoomed in images of any incomplete pass of any QB in the league and show how bad the throw was. What you are not seeing on those images is what Roethlisberger sees at field level. Maybe, just maybe some of those throws are off target because of being pressured. Or maybe a defender is in the passing lane of the 'green' arrows? Zooming in on the receiver doesn't show the whole story, it only serves an agenda. Also notice how some of those arrows that are supposed to be where the ball should have been thrown have sharp angles in them. LOL! So I guess Ben is supposed to defy the laws of physics too?

 

Going from the top to bottom, left to right...Image 2, Image 4, Image 7, Image 8, and Image 13 ALL have arrows that are not arches, but rather have gravity and physics defying turns in them. Notice that NONE of the red lines have these issues.

 

The thing I find so disappointing with what the NFL Network has done is as usual with so much of the media. There is no context. They make it out like .... "oooohhh Ben is going to be shopped next season!!!" meanwhile completing forgetting to analyze the elephant in the room which is even if you trade Ben next season, you incur a $14M hit to the salary cap - that alone makes it very, very unlikely that Ben would be traded.

 

It seems too obvious to me. If there is indeed rumblings within the organization about Ben not being happy and wanting him out then this would be his way of firing back. Last week it finally hits the media with reports of Ben wanting a trade and Todd's name being tied to those reports, so what is he to do? When asked by a reporter for his take, it would be very easy to mention that he needs to spend more time studying film. Especially if part of the conversation is about the inconsistency on offense. He could cover his ass and throw Ben under the bus too. And he wouldn't even have to emphasize it, just saying it in general conversation would work along with dropping a name of a player or two who may agree with him. Add in a reporter looking for a hot story and BAM you have this.

Im not buying the film study thing. Earlier in his career I know for a fact it was an issue. Ben was always the last person in the locker room on game days. But by most recent accounts he has changed his ways and put this issue behind him. All of the sudden there is this Ben trade rumor with Haleys name being mentioned and what do you know, here comes the ghost of 'not enough film study' past rearing its head. Its Haley all the way.

 

...and in fairness, it may really have been an innocuous comment from Haley. Maybe asked about a reporter about the inconsistent offense, he could have said something along the lines of "We all need to do a better job from Me in my play calling, to the line in their blocking, to Ben in his preparation" and BOOM you have a story about Ben not studying film enough. This could even have been a dug up from months ago and written about now since its appropriate. Who knows?

 

Ha ha, just ranting. But the point is at the end. Im quoting you but in reality its a reply about a possible hometown discount. My quote of you is your response to where Ben's wife is from.

It was early. The coffee was still brewing.

 

Not true, Stewart had Tom Clements as his QB coach.

 

It is the same with Stewart as they tried to force him to be a pocket passer and he failed due to inconsistency. It has been speculated by many that they were trying to get him to do something that he wasn't able or comfortable doing.