As Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is learning on the fly, the downside of being a large, physical quarterback is the amount of abuse you end up absorbing.
And Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, probably his closest physical comparable in the league, has learned that, whether he says so or not.
Coming off a knee injury of his own, Roethlisberger said it was hard to change habits ingrained over the years.
“Maybe I need to [change my game], but I can’t get myself to do it,” Roethlisberger said, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. “When I feel healthy and ready to go, I’ll feel ready to go. . . . I’ve gone through this before; my body will tell me best how I’ll feel.”
While Roethlisberger is mobile and can keep plays alive with his feet, he’s also stood in and taken plenty of sacks. But as he’s aged, he’s also learned to get the ball out quicker, and is taking sacks at a lower rate than he has in the past.
That’s could help lengthen his career, which has always seemed to include some degree of injury. He’s missed time with knee problems the last two seasons, and was limited yesterday in practice.
He called the meniscus injury which required surgery a “freaky” thing and said he’d “tell [coach Mike Tomlin] how I feel after today and go from there.”
Of course, his opponents expect to see him back on the field Sunday when the Steelers play the Ravens.
