The Pittsburgh Steelers have almost completed their Organized Team Activities (OTAs), and there was a ton of news coming from the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Wednesday. First, Ryan Shazier addressed the media for the first time since injuring his back last December in Cincinnati.
Shazier seems to be in tremendous spirits, is walking with a cane and still aims to return to the football field he once called home. And no, he isn’t scared about potentially returning to the field.
While Shazier was wrapping up his media session, Steelers players were hitting the gridiron for the ninth time. A familiar face was back, as Ben Roethlisberger returned for the first time since the team’s first OTA session weeks ago.
Many fans, and media, speculated why and where Roethlisberger was during the past few weeks, and the man fans call “Big Ben” responded to these inquiries.
Ben also had an interesting take on OTA attendance. “If Coach (head coach Mike Tomlin) asked me to be here every day, I’d be here every day. They haven’t asked me to do that. The time I was gone with my family on vacation was an awesome opportunity for the other QBs to get reps.”
— Mike Prisuta (@DVEMike) June 6, 2018
Ben Roethlisberger returned to practice today and said he had a pre-planned vacation. That’s why he missed OTAs. @TheAthleticPGH
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) June 6, 2018
For those who would rather hear it from Roethlisberger himself, here he is talking to the media about why he wasn’t in attendance.
Ben Roethlisberger, who missed six on-field OTAs while on a pre-planned vacation, said he would have been with the team every day had coach Mike Tomlin wanted him there. pic.twitter.com/5t1n1u17Pq
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) June 6, 2018
Personally, I’m okay with Roethlisberger missing OTAs for multiple reasons. As he mentioned, it mainly gave Joshua Dobbs and Mason Rudolph a lot more repetitions, which they need — and wouldn’t get — if Roethlisberger were present. Also, the risk of injury simply isn’t worth it in my opinion. Roethlisberger spoke about how the offense hasn’t changed much, either in scheme or personnel, so him missing wasn’t a huge deal.
While plenty will still be talking about the absence of Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, they should find solace in the fact Mike Tomlin certainly knows and understands where his players are during these voluntary workouts.
For those who are curious, the Steelers’ final OTA will be Thursday, June 7th, and the mandatory minicamp will begin on June 12th at the team’s facility.
Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes regarding the Black-and-gold as they head into more offseason workouts and prepare for the 2018 regular season.