Ben’s ‘second life’ a perfect example
OK, it无毛视频檚 soul-baring time, but before you turn away I无毛视频檓 going to titillate you with the plot: It includes violence.
So, I put this TV guy against the wall 无毛视频� gently, mind you. Well, not really gently, but I grabbed him by the lapels because he told me not to walk away from him after he got in my face and told me what he had thought about me.
I tried to walk away and he said not to, so I softly 无毛视频� well, not really softly 无毛视频� but I did put my hands on him and asked him if he was trying to threaten me. When he said no, I let him go and left.
He didn无毛视频檛 leave. He had me suspended from the facility for a month for this act of violence, and when I returned Art Rooney asked me if I was all right. I was. James Harrison saw me and nodded. I nodded back. Mike Tomlin saw me and told me it was good to have me back at the facility. I thanked him for his support throughout.
I bring this all up because of the next guy.
Troy Polamalu, with whom I had, and still have, a more friendly relationship than with most of the others, saw me and wasn无毛视频檛 so friendly.
无毛视频淥h, good thing you无毛视频檙e back,无毛视频� he said, sarcasm dripping. 无毛视频淲e really needed a bad-ass reporter around.无毛视频�
It was a shot. And for that I felt bad.
Now, I bring THAT up because Polamalu was the first guy I went to after Ben Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 infamous incident in Milledgeville in 2010.
I really didn无毛视频檛 know what Troy would say, but did consider him the conscience of the team. If he disapproved, he would say so. If he didn无毛视频檛 hear all of the facts, as none of us had, he would say that. If he approved of Ben enough to tell us reporters to give him another chance, even if Ben had done wrong, he would say that as well.
Here无毛视频檚 what Polamalu said:
无毛视频淭his will be the great example. Everything无毛视频檚 not always peachy, and not everybody has that unblemished image, but I think for him to have that repentance, you know, the way that he无毛视频檚 going to have to continue to live his life, is going to be the great example 无毛视频� I think a better example than what somebody else could provide.无毛视频�
I无毛视频檝e always remembered that the conscience of the team seemed to be excited about what Roethlisberger could show moving forward.
In light of the regurgitation of all of Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 past mistakes 无毛视频� real or imagined 无毛视频� that have been dredged up this week by 无毛视频 Illustrated, it无毛视频檚 important that Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 behavior, or as Polamalu would put it, Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 无毛视频渆xample,无毛视频� since then, be examined as well.
To that end, Roethlisberger has carried two families 无毛视频� one at home with his wife of the last five-and-a-half years, Ashley, and their three small children, and the other, at the UPMC Rooney 无毛视频 Complex, with his football family of 52 rather large children.
He seems to be carrying them both rather well, but I can only speak for the second family as a reporter who无毛视频檚 been here since the first day he showed up.
We, in fact, voted Roethlisberger the Chief Award at the end of that troublesome 2010 season, and it wasn无毛视频檛 so much because we thought he had turned his life around, but 无毛视频� at least with me 无毛视频� because we wanted to prove the point that Roethlisberger really hadn无毛视频檛 been the jerk to the media so many national guys suspected and therefore reported.
Not that Roethlisberger was a great quote, but he always had a minute to give you a unique quote.
He still does that. In fact, I hadn无毛视频檛 had a bad moment with Roethlisberger until AFTER he had vowed to become the nicer family man we see today.
I was out one night during training camp a few years ago and came upon Roethlisberger, Brett Keisel and Keisel无毛视频檚 friends from Wyoming. They had become my friends after we had met several years earlier, and so I sat down with them all at Keisel无毛视频檚 request. Some time later, Roethlisberger became happy about a comment I had made, and he called me the most negative writer in town.
OK, that was fine. We went back and forth with it and he remained steadfast. I offered my hand in peace, he shook it and I left. The next day, Roethlisberger saw me walking across campus, stopped the cart on which he was riding and went out of his way to apologize. I tried to shake it off, tell him there was no need, but he apologized again. It would be described as a profuse apology. And I had no doubt it was sincere.
Did he need that for his public image? Absolutely not.
Did he need to for his team to win a game? Of course not.
But this 无毛视频渆xample无毛视频� was just one since Polamalu gave the ready-set-go on Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 second life during the spring of 2010.
In the locker room and on the field, that无毛视频檚 where Roethlisberger earns his pay, and of course that无毛视频檚 where he无毛视频檚 had the greatest impact as a leader these past seven years. Maurkice Pouncey was a rookie in 2010 and has lockered close to Roethlisberger ever since.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 a true leader,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 accountable. When you watch the way he plays, you see how much he cares about this team. I无毛视频檝e been with him a long time and seen the growth. I always thought he was a great leader, but now, to be this late in his career and the way he无毛视频檚 running things around here, it无毛视频檚 awesome. You can really appreciate that.无毛视频�
Pouncey, of course, was the center for another great leader in college at the University of Florida.
无毛视频淏en无毛视频檚 totally different,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频�(Tim) Tebow was more outgoing, yelling around, pumping the guys up. Ben无毛视频檚 more the guy who无毛视频檚 无毛视频業无毛视频檓 going to give you this speech and expect you to go out here and follow my lead.无毛视频� I kind of like that approach a little bit better.无毛视频�
Roethlisberger gave the players his 无毛视频淔ollow Me无毛视频� speech after a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in November. It was the Steelers无毛视频� third consecutive loss and Roethlisberger urged his team to just pay attention to what he does and how he does it and they would end up righting the ship.
无毛视频淵ou could really tell in his demeanor when he said it that he meant it,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淚t was in the way he was speaking, the way he looked at us, the way he went out there and played. Whenever you give that type of speech and go out there and back it up, that无毛视频檚 why you follow people like that.无毛视频�
They did. And they lost.
But it wasn无毛视频檛 because of anything Roethlisberger had done. In fact, his fake spike and touchdown pass to Antonio Brown would无毛视频檝e beaten the Dallas Cowboys that day had the defense not blown the lead with nine seconds left.
But the Steelers did turn it around. They reeled off seven consecutive wins following the loss that followed the speech, and Roethlisberger has had good days and bad during the run. But the bad days have been countered by some great days by players such as Brown, Le无毛视频橵eon Bell, James Harrison, Chris Boswell, etc., and that无毛视频檚 fine with Roethlisberger.
无毛视频淏en wants to win,无毛视频� said offensive coordinator Todd Haley. 无毛视频淚 mean, he无毛视频檚 in it for one reason that I can see and that is to put another trophy in that room. We无毛视频檙e in the thing now and every game无毛视频檚 the most important game of the year and he无毛视频檚 obviously acting like that. I really believe he doesn无毛视频檛 care whether we do it running, throwing, even if we called Wildcat with him out there. He无毛视频檚 going to do whatever gives us the best chance to win.无毛视频�
Haley无毛视频檚 been here since 2012, and he came with a reputation that was almost as bad as Roethlisberger无毛视频檚. But Haley didn无毛视频檛 care about stuff the outsiders were saying.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 a big go-by-what-you-see guy, not what you hear,无毛视频� Haley said. 无毛视频淗e and I even talked about it, that 无毛视频業 don无毛视频檛 want you to pre-conceive notions about me, and I won无毛视频檛 about you. I want you to go by what you see, and it takes time.无毛视频� From that point on, I无毛视频檝e seen a mature guy playing the quarterback position with great ability. I无毛视频檝e seen nothing out of him other than a guy who wants to be great and wants this team to be great and play in big, big games.无毛视频�
Haley said 无毛视频渢here are so many无毛视频� examples of Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 leadership, but came up with one that might only be meaningful to coaches.
无毛视频淚n individual, which is a 10-15 minute period in practice that everywhere I无毛视频檝e been coaches have run that period, he made it known to me that that无毛视频檚 something he无毛视频檇 like to have some say in. And I turned it completely over to him,无毛视频� Haley said. 无毛视频淪o in that 10-15 minutes, he无毛视频檚 communicating, talking. He无毛视频檚 got a plan every day, every week, every year that I think is a big part of us growing and getting better as a group, and I think that无毛视频檚 just on-field leadership.
无毛视频淎ll you无毛视频檝e got to do is look at these receivers, tight ends and backs. When he says a word, their ears are up. They无毛视频檙e like a German Shepherd at a drug bust. Their eyes are open wide, their ears are up. Any word that无毛视频檚 said by him, they无毛视频檙e listening, and I think that无毛视频檚 a great example of leadership that无毛视频檚 important in this game.无毛视频�
Haley has been around all types of quarterbacks and of course their leadership skills vary.
无毛视频淭he good ones all lead in different ways and it无毛视频檚 not all rah-rah and in the public,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淔or Ben, it无毛视频檚 a little more subtle. If you无毛视频檙e here and you无毛视频檙e watching, you see it. Like during run periods, he无毛视频檚 told to take off just to try to rest him. But he jumps in there and takes them all. Little things like that make a big difference to young guys.无毛视频�
And they无毛视频檝e made a big difference for Roethlisberger in his second life.
His 无毛视频渆xample无毛视频� has been quite the show, as Polamalu knew it would be.