Do the Steelers Need to Move on From Big Ben?

Before your heart stops – hear me out. Ben Roethlisberger is not the bane of the Steelers’ existence, nor is he ruining the team or operating at any level less than usual as per the last few NFL seasons. But is he doing all that much to help the team win? While Ben deserves respect for his veteran status and innumerable contributions to the Pittsburgh Steelers, including two super bowl victories, it may be shortsighted to run him into the ground until he breaks – this time for good – and leaves the Steeler’s unprepared to shift into a new mode under the guidance of a new quarterback.

But why am I saying this now, less than a week after a resounding victory against the Atlanta Falcons? Because one win – or even many wins – isn’t a fair metric on which to base the viability of exploring new, permanent, options at quarterback. Statistically speaking, Ben Roethlisberger is performing at a sufficient rate. But complacency can creep in quickly, and when it strikes there isn’t much to be done. And Ben may not be worthy of your complacency in the first place.

According to Noah Strackbein, in reference to the Steelers’ recent tie against the Cleveland Browns, on Still Curtain: “Roethlisberger has a history of under performing on the road. Against un-pleasurable weather conditions and a revamped Browns defense, the last thing Big Ben needed was poor decision making.” Strackbein goes on to relay a series of instances of Ben’s poor decision making, which he claims cost the Steelers’ a win. And I think this is really the crux of what I’m trying to get at. Ben Roethlisberger isn’t bad, but he may not be good enough. Are we settling by accepting the status quo and moving forward accordingly and stoically?

Additionally, the skills that Ben is lauded for seem to be waning. He has made a career and a lot of big plays due to his ability to stay on his feet and move away from danger – as well as being able to sustain hits when they come down on him. But he seems to be displaying this once rare and invaluable quality less often and less effectively than he has before. Exacerbated by a career full of injuries, his mobility doesn’t appear to be at its peak, despite what gushing reports from training camp heralded a month or so ago.

Now, I would never claim that Ben is unable to throw lasers to the varied array of quality receivers who would catch them. But more tosses than we should be comfortable with seem to be falling behind or short of their intended targets.

What I propose, according to the admittedly gut-sourced preceding analysis, is that the Steelers begin testing the mettle of new draft pick Mason Rudolph, or explore the talents floating in free agency – Colin Kaepernick is still looking for a job, and deserves one, after all. And Ben can, of course, stay suited up and ready to go should the need for his services arise. We see this happen all the time with league veterans like Nick Foles, who was famously called upon to bring home a Lombardi Trophy last season, and succeeded. This should assure detractors that their reliable clock tower need not become irrelevant. The Steelers can keep Ben and build for the future – the two are not mutually exclusive.