Ben Roethlisberger is serious about his fitness now, and that’s really all that matters

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is fat, lazy and out of shape. His idea of an offseason workout is drinking beer, playing golf, smoking cigars and finishing out the day by eating simple carbs while streaming “My 600-lb Life.”

Back in March, legendary football writer, Peter King, suggested that Roethlisberger show up to training camp 20 pounds lighter than he was near the end of the 2020 campaign.

Just about every social media post about Roethlisberger includes some joke or insult about his weight: “Ben is mentoring the youngsters? Is he mentoring them on how to eat lots of cheese?” “So, is Big Ben taking that rookie under his wing by showing him what to put on his hot wings?” “Is Big Ben throwing deep balls at OTAs or eating deep-fried beef tacos filled with lots and lots of cheese?”

Am I crazy, or did Roethlisberger lose a good bit of weight last year when he was coming back from major elbow surgery? Did he put that weight back on during the regular season, when he was throwing 33 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions?

I researched some pictures from the Steelers 2021 OTAs; maybe it’s the beard, but Roethlisberger looks thin enough to me. Perhaps it’s the shadows, but you can almost see some definition in his chest and everything.

To steal from Jerry Seinfeld, what’s the deal with Pop-Tarts, and why is everyone still making jokes about Roethlisberger eating them?

Just how thin does everyone expect Roethlisberger to be? The guy is 6’5”. His nickname is Big Ben.

I realize that when it comes to people like King, it’s probably just another example of the national media piling on Roethlisberger because he’s never been its darling like Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. I also understand that even some Steelers fans aren’t shy about taking shots at Roethlisberger.

But this all seems kind of lazy to me.

It’s like, are you Googling stuff about Roethlisberger’s current weight and fitness level or just pretending to while eating deep-fried beef tacos filled with lots and lots of cheese?

Am I saying that Roethlisberger never spent some years as Bloated Ben during his historic career? No, because that would be a lazy and uninformed take. Roethlisberger has never been and probably will never be mistaken for a fitness guru. I don’t know what Roethlisberger will do with his life’s work when he finally retires, but I doubt he’ll be leading you through a HIIT workout on his YouTube channel: “Big Burn with Big Ben.”

I am saying that Roethlisberger is clearly more serious about his fitness level than ever before. Does it matter what things were like in the past? It shouldn’t since he won a lot of playoff games and a couple of Super Bowls in his heavier days.

Steelers fans like to bottom line everything with championships and how they’re the only thing that matters. OK, fine. Roethlisberger may have relied on his natural gifts in his younger days, as he led Pittsburgh to three Super Bowls appearances. Obviously, nobody is the kind of athlete at 39 that they were at 29. Maybe the big guy is finally realizing that which is why he’s gotten a bit smaller in order to pursue a fourth Super Bowl appearance.

Will Roethlisberger ever be Shredded Ben or Petite Ben? No.

He just needs to be Serious About Fitness Ben. He appears to be that, right now.

That’s all anyone can ask of him.

As for those jokes about Roethlisberger’s weight, the early-2010s called, and they’d like them back.