The Steelers have three young quarterbacks battling to backup Ben Roethlisberger, but the starting quarterback wants to keep the job another three to five years. That means Landry Jones, Mason Rudolph and Josh Dobbs may never see the field as the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh.
Roethlisberger’s new offensive coordinator -- and old quarterbacks coach -- said the 36-year-old quarterback is having his best camp. Randy Fichtner joined Mike Tomlin’s staff in 2007, so he has seen most of Roethlisberger’s 15 camps.
“I would say it’s the best camp he’s had,” Fichtner said, via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “The only reason I say this is because he’s in the best shape since I’ve had him. Now, obviously when you’re younger you know you can probably move a little better, maybe his arm might have been a tad livelier.”
Roethlisberger, 36, has found a routine that works for him: He practices one full day, works only half a practice the next day and then takes the third day off.
He will play only one preseason game, and that won’t be much more than an appearance in the third game.
“If nothing else, that’s a pitch count,” Fichtner said. “You do that with pitchers all the time, just in general. You have certain axioms of football you have to live by and he has 15 in.
“I’m certain at the time he was born, there was only X-amount of throws you were ever going to make with one arm, and we’d like to make sure he can make a lot more of them for us.”
Roethlisberger looks good. He feels good. That means he likely isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
