Thinking About Benching Ben? Remember the Patriots Example

There has been plenty of criticism pointed at Ben Roethlisberger this year, and rightfully so. But the Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette points out that when worrying about Roethlisberger's play, remember the story of Tom Brady and the 2002 Patriots. Like this year's Steelers the Patriots were coming off of a Super Bowl win, and like this year's Steelers they got off to a bad start (in the Patriots case 3-4). And like Roethlisberger, Brady was not playing well--he had six touchdowns and seven interceptions.

OK, they aren't identical situations, but Ed Bouchette makes the case for the need to trust in Roethlisberger. Bill Cowher believes it, as he emphasized again on Tuesday.

"The important thing is how you deal with it," Cowher said. "Ben Roethlisberger is a good football player, he's a good quarterback. He will learn from it. I think the greatest thing about that is he recognizes that. He's accountable. He's a stand-up guy. Those things will make him a stronger player, a stronger person through the course of time. I truly believe that."

The Steelers injuries continue to mount. In addition to losing Arnold Harrison and Verron Haynes, Jeff Hartings is out with an MCL sprain. Safety Mike Logan, wide receiver Willie Reid and linebacker James Harrison are also out.
While Bill Cowher is taking the blame for the Steelers start, the poor start is also leading to questions about whether he's checked out on this team as he prepares to step down. When asked whether that was a problem, Cowher's answer was a succinct "No." But the question is out there.

"What happens when you lose is a lot of things come under the microscope, like they should," Cowher said. "All the speculation about (Roethlisberger) and me, you have to deal with it. We're in the public eye, and we've had a few bad days at the office. All I can tell you is I'm going to deal with it and hopefully, with the quality of the people we have, they will make the same decision."

And in addition to the other problems, Bill Cowher admits that the special teams have been abysmal, and that it has to get better. The Steelers are ranked 30th in kick coverage and 32nd in net punting.