Roethlisberger plans on returning in 2018
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� Ryan Shazier showed up at Wednesday practice to lift a Steelers team, which received another big lift from Ben Roethlisberger, who, for the first time since bringing up retirement talk last spring, said he plans to return next season.
The initial response out of Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 mouth in the morning was in response to a question of whether Sunday无毛视频檚 playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars might be his last game at Heinz Field.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 not thinking about that right now,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 think it is my last but I am not thinking that right now.无毛视频�
After practice, Roethlisberger made sure his comment wasn无毛视频檛 taken as him predicting a Steelers win and New England Patriots loss, which would bring Roethlisberger back to Heinz Field the following week for this year无毛视频檚 AFC Championship Game.
Roethlisberger made clear that his plan is to return for the 2018 season.
Roethlisberger has two years remaining on his contract and would earn $17 million each season.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 planning on it,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 can无毛视频檛 speak on the unforseen, but, yeah, my plan is to come back.无毛视频�
He was also asked about his relationship with offensive coordinator Todd Haley, of which much has been conjectured since Haley replaced Bruce Arians in 2012.
无毛视频淵eah, we无毛视频檙e fine, why?无毛视频� Roethlisberger asked. He wondered whether something new had been written as he practiced. Even something as simple as Haley calling preseason plays from the press box was taken by some as a fracture in their relationship.
无毛视频淭hat was just 无毛视频楲et无毛视频檚 try anything,'无毛视频� Roethlisberger said. 无毛视频淚 told Todd, and he knows that he无毛视频檚 very passionate. He无毛视频檚 yelling at refs, he无毛视频檚 yelling at coaches, he无毛视频檚 yelling at players, so our suggestion was, 无毛视频楲et无毛视频檚 give it a shot to see if it makes him not be so into the game.无毛视频� We were just trying all kinds of different things, so it didn无毛视频檛 necessarily have to do with me and him. It was more about 无毛视频楥an it make us better offensively or not?无毛视频� And obviously it didn无毛视频檛. He didn无毛视频檛 want to do it.
无毛视频淏ut, yeah, yeah, we无毛视频檙e fine. We have our differences, but everyone does.无毛视频�
Roethlisberger didn无毛视频檛 appear to have differences with Arians, his coordinator from 2007 to 2011.
无毛视频淲e did,无毛视频� Roethlisberger said. 无毛视频淚t was just fewer and farther between and it was more private. We aired it out that way. I don无毛视频檛 think Todd and I have any issues. It无毛视频檚 amazing how some of this stuff is taken.无毛视频�
Center Maurkice Pouncey, seated next to Roethlisberger in the locker room, was pleased to hear his quarterback plans to return, since Pouncey has said several times he无毛视频檒l retire when Roethlisberger does. Pouncey took it as a lift, and was also jazzed by the lift Shazier gave the team while watching practice from his wheelchair.
无毛视频淥h my God, we were so happy today to see him out there breaking down the team, telling us how the rehab was going, what all he does and stuff,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 crazy to be that positive and that motivated, man. That encourages everybody on the team.无毛视频�
In spite of Shazier无毛视频檚 father telling WPXI-TV last week that his son has regained feeling in his legs, Shazier didn无毛视频檛 move them during practice.
无毛视频淭oday, no,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淗e didn无毛视频檛 do it out there, but he无毛视频檚 done it before.无毛视频�
无毛视频淵eah, but he无毛视频檚 just such a warrior, a competitor,无毛视频� Marcus Gilbert added. 无毛视频淚 feel it无毛视频檚 just a bump in the road for him. He无毛视频檚 a strong guy. I know he无毛视频檒l come back from it. Yeah, initially I felt bad, but I know that he doesn无毛视频檛 want us to feel bad for him because he wants us to focus on what we need to focus on and he无毛视频檒l take care of his part and get back to us.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚 just love the way he has been positive through it all,无毛视频� said Cam Heyward. 无毛视频淩yan through all of it has been upbeat, inspiring, and I无毛视频檓 just happy about it because it could have gone another way.无毛视频�
NOTES: In what could evolve into a bigger story at Thursday无毛视频檚 practice, cornerback Artie Burns and defensive tackle Stephon Tuitt were limited in Wednesday无毛视频檚 practice with knee and elbow injuries, respectively. Burns reportedly left practice after getting hurt in a non-contact drill. He was replaced by rookie Cam Sutton. No further details were available. 无毛视频� Reserve guard B.J. Finney was also limited with a thigh injury. 无毛视频� Antonio Brown practiced fully for the second time this week since missing the last two-and-a-half games with a calf injury. 无毛视频淎mazing, like he hasn无毛视频檛 skipped a beat,无毛视频� said another receiver, JuJu Smith-Schuster. 无毛视频淚t feels good to have him back out there.无毛视频�