Ben Roethlisberger said today that he feared the worst when he was initially hit in the Steelers' 12-6 win at St. Louis.
According to Roethlisberger, he felt something very wrong with his leg and feared he had broken it. Even after that was ruled out, Roethlisberger was concerned he had torn his ACL.
The initial pop that he felt was attributed to the bones in his knee banging together, something that caused the bone bruise that went along with his MCL sprain.
Roethlisberger wouldn't put a timetable on his return but did say he'd like to return sooner rather than later, Thursday, in fact, against the Ravens.
* Offensive coordinator Todd Haley admitted that he'll have to change things somewhat to tailor the offense toward Mike Vick.
The biggest change for Haley? He said that will be adjusting to a left-handed quarterback.
The Steelers haven't had many lefties over the years - the last was Tyler Palko, who had a cup of coffee here a few years ago.
Haley said because of that, he has to kind of flip his mentality when it comes to where the ball is placed. They will adjust their formations to make the left side the strong side in many cases.
* Haley said he and Vick met Monday night to go over the plays with which Vick is most comfortable and that they will go from there.
But on a short week, Haley said he can't make big changes to the playbook to take advantage of Vick's skill set.
* Another issue will be catching passes with a left-handed spin on them. But that didn't seem to be a problem Tuesday.
The Steelers also adjusted their jugs machine to simulate a lefty, allowing the receivers to get accustomed to that spin.
* Vick still throws a pretty deep ball. It's effortless when he flicks the ball deep.
14 comments:
Dale, I think the team should err on the side of caution with Ben. If he has to miss more than 6 games, then so be it. Ben's record in returning to the lineup immediately after injury isn't great and I think in a few instances that was due to him coming back too early. Ben also is the type of QB that needs practice. Let him take as long as he needs to heal, feel comfortable moving around in the pocket and feels confident in that knee and leg. Getting Martavis back after this game could potentially be huge if he has his head on straight.
Lastly, what are your hearing from the team about Ross Cockrell? He seems to be playing good football, though I believe the Ravens will try to target he and Blake this game. They better bring an extra chin strap and their big boy pads because Steve Smith is still a handful at 36.
The one positive I can come up with on Ben's injury is its his left knee rather than right. His right is his plant foot as a right handed passer and might have required extra time to be comfortable coming back had it been his right knee injured instead. Certainly he'll need to get used to wearing a knee brace when he returns, and he'll be a little gun shy when pressure gets close to his left side. I guess I'm just looking for some silver lining wherever I can.
I see an offense with lots of runs, short passes and the occasional deep shot.
Vick doesn't have the mid range accuracy Ben does.
Ben rushes back, we watch him suffer and play subpar, hobbling around. We wince everytime he takes a hit. Eventually because he can't move he gets lit up and concussed in a game the steelers were already losing because Ben was playing at 60%
Stop me if you've heard this before...
Haley is a good OC and I think will come up with a game plan to keep the Steelers competitive. Defense and Special Teams need to keep playing above average and we'll have a punchers chance.
I think Dale hit it on the head here
* Vick still throws a pretty deep ball. It's effortless when he flicks the ball deep.
Vick's ability to sling it deep might be his greatest asset in this game. If he gets some protection safeties will have to respect that and then Bell can have a field day if they crowd the box hopefully he can get enough time to hall a few deep ones. He looked awful in relief last week
I'm excited to see Vick play in this offense. Especially with limited changes.
How does his release time compare to Ben?
I like that he throws a nice deep ball but the key with this line is always going to be a quick release on short throws and the ability to think quickly. Vick didn't show that last weak but I don't think anyone would have in that situation. It isn't a matter of being prepared.
I think Ben will begin lobbying to return after the Ravens game. I'm hoping Vick plays well enough for that to be a none issue for at least 3 weeks.
I'm hoping the Cowboys trade us a crazy draft pick for Vick when Ben is back.
Poop in one hand and hope in the other on that vick to cowboys trade.
See which one fills up first
I recognize that I am exposing myself to potential post-game mockery for stating this out loud, but I feel pretty good with Michael Vick as my quarterback. Better than I did with Charlie Batch, Byron Leftwich, or Dennis Dixon. Of course I won't even mention Landry Jones.
I concede that Vick's star has dimmed in recent years, though he was at least good enough to beat us last year. But every so often in what has been, admittedly, an inconsistent career, he will have a game--usually on national TV--where he plays out of his mind. The MNF game against the 'Skins a few years back was possibly the greatest single-game performance by a QB ever. And then he nearly repeated it the next season against the Cowboys. (Of course, he probably followed up those performances by throwing 4 picks in his next game, but go with me here)
I did not see the Rams game. But I did see him in the preseason game against Buffalo after he'd been in camp about 48 hours. His passes looked sharp, and that bomb he flicked to Bryant was probably the most awe-inspiring deep ball I've seen from a Steeler QB since Bradshaw played the position.
Vick is not Ben, that's for sure, but I like him as my backup option. Batch perhaps gave you a better chance not to lose, but Vick gives you a better chance to win. There is a difference.
Of course, it's entirely possible that I'm just deluding myself. Let's hope for the best!
Ben will be back after the trade deadline so they cant trade Vick ldo
"Batch perhaps gave you a better chance not to lose, but Vick gives you a better chance to win. There is a difference."
I like that.
The trade deadline is November 3rd
I doubt Ben is out for a month.
QB's don't sit that long with MCL strains.
Let me know how it works patrick
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