Touche’. “Were you rusty?” would be one of them. “No, next question…” would be the response. There is nothing to debate other than opinion in that case. The issue now is that he is hurt. He is hurt and it’s not the first time for him with the bell-ringer. If he didn’t play, he isn’t hurt – he’s healthy going into the game. The guy is banged up – is there any question about that? This year alone he’s been sacked what 46 times, 47 and 46 the previous seasons? He doesn’t need to play as much as he needs to be healthy.

I understand that you play the game to win. Who plays is a different issue. What are you winning? Nothing really.

Not everyone can or should sit out. Ben is vulnerable because of his style and his inconsistent O Line. No one person has as much to do with winning and losing as the QB – that’s why there are special rules for them in the NFL. The whole team is riding on the guy’s performance. If he can’t play or plays badly then Tomlin will be second-guessed and should be. He risked everything for very little gain – that is my point.

Best year is debatable. Statistically he had a lot of good numbers. In 04 and 05 he had higher yds/reception and similar yds/game while making 15-20% fewer attempts. In my mind, one of the shocking numbers is his fumbles last two seasons – 9 in 07 and 14 this year. Losing the ball is never a good thing and some of this is attributable to his decision-making. That decision-making is affected by brain injuries.

In 2005 they won the SuperBowl – the ultimate stat and accomplishment. There are a hell of a lot of factors when trying to devine the truth or reasons for such things. The 2007 Steelers had the 9th toughest schedule, 2006 team the 5th, this year’s the #1 schedule in the league. Their schedule this last half of the season has been brutal, not because of the offensive skill of their opponents but because of their defenses. The Steelers have played 10 of the top 12 defenses in the league.

Last year’s offense was better because they had better O Line for one thing. I’m not saying the guy sucks, I’m saying he has sustained damage and is beat up. Brain injuries are serious things and are cumulative. Look at Steve Young – he had to stop playing even though his body could perform. The risk is great to begin with. No sense in turning his head into a can of creamed corn in an effort to win a meaningless game and to “get ready”. These guys are ready and will be ready, they are pro football players. If they lose it’s not rust – they get beat by a better team.

On a sidenote – I like the way Leftwich is playing. He is really hungry and is doing a good job when he plays. He certainly is no Michael Vick back there but is not getting pounded the way Ben is.

It could have been a knee, elbow, or shoulder, which would have been a lot worse.

He has had these injuries already plus hitting his hand on helmets and other wear and tear. I love football and have coached for a long time. I just don’t agree with Tomlin here. Ben is a big kid who is going to play no matter what if he can. Cooler heads must prevail at times…. like schnifin said – “level headed thinking….”

You are right – his decisions on the field make or break the Steelers in most cases. Given that, why risk him to injury?

If you don’t believe his prior injuries have anything to do with his performance then you don’t know anything about playing sports. It’s not just the concussions and cumulative brain trauma I’m concerned with. It’s the multitude of injuries he has had this year – knee, ankle, thumb, hip etc…

I’m not saying BB is limited in a quantifiable way – not from the limited information we fans get. I do think he has been affected and shows some signs of it during games. His tendency to hold onto the ball and some of the throws he is making seem far below his physical and historical ability. If the guy is truly healthy he is a great QB and a weapon.

re: Ben’s head

Actually, I didn’t watch it until the 4th quarter. The only thing that mattered was that they come out of it healthy. Unfortunately, they have sn issue to contend with now.

I like our chances with Leftwich vs most teams. I think we are least likely to beat Baltimore if that is who we end up playing in 3rd round. We don’t match up against their defense very well and the Ravens always play the Steelers tough and to the bitter end.

I would love to see them beat the Birds for a third time. I think the Ravens might be the toughest team for anyone to play right now. Not because they are balanced – they’re not. Because they are very physical on both sides, have a great defense which is playing well and have the ability to hurt or beat you up in the process. The team that beats Baltimore may not be able to win the following week.

This is true for the Steelers also. I don’t think the Steelers are quite as scary on defense, even though their defense is great and statistically better. If the Steelers do lose, their opponent may not be able to win the following week. Something tells me one of these defenses is going to crush a big time player in these playoffs with big repercussions. I would love for us to get Woodley, Timmons and Harrison on the field at the same time and let all 3 come at the QB on the same down… now that would be scary!!

I would agree that 95% of the time, you want to get some work for the offense and then get them out, so they aren’t off work for more than 2 game weeks. But, with BB banged up and recovering from multiple issues it just isn’t worth the risk.

For those who say the players themselves don’t make excuses and everyone should play a quarter or half – why didn’t Harrison play? He certainly could have, but that doesn’t mean it’s the smart thing to do.