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Unity is a good thing. Unity over the direction of a franchise, particularly as it pertains to the most important position on the field, is even more important.
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert voiced his support of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, reaffirming to a perpetually nervous fan base (thanks in part to in-season speculation that Roethlisberger may ask for a trade this offseason) the Steelers are committed to Roethlisberger for the duration of his career.
"It's unanimous that we want Ben to be a Steeler for the rest of his career," Colbert said on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. "There's nobody that I'd rather have or the franchise would rather have than Ben. He's won for us, there's still a lot of tread of the tires.
"We feel good about where he is, we feel great about how he finished last year and we're looking to build off of that."
Colbert's response came in regards to his contract situation. With two years remaining on his deal, it's considered the time to negotiate an extension. Not only would that accomplish the goal of keeping him in Pittsburgh, it could potentially free up a nice chunk of salary cap space the team could use to continue rebuilding efforts that have been underway for the last two seasons.
The Steelers have been 8-8 the last two years as they's teetered between defensive and offensive issues.
Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense performed brilliantly over the final stretch of the season. Overall, the offense scored an average of 28 points a game in going 6-2, and just missing the playoffs.
It seems like the perfect time to talk extension with Roethlisberger. It doesn't take a capologist to see how getting a deal done would benefit both the team and Roethlisberger.
