Steelers quarterback getting head start on 2005 season
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Where do you put the perfect student? The kid who aced all his tests, won every award and racked up records?
<!--BEGIN PHOTO--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=240 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD>Peter Diana, Post-Gazette
Ben Roethlisberger is already working out and studying film to prepare for the 2005 season.
Click photo for larger image.
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<HR></TD><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--END PHOTO-->In the case of the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, you put him to work.
Roethlisberger is back setting new standards. He has been working out and studying for the past month at the Steelers' UPMC facility, far earlier than anyone can remember any of their previous quarterbacks.
Roethlisberger might not be able to match his sensational rookie season, but it won't be for lack of trying this spring.
"The biggest thing is just the progression of the offseason," said Ken Whisenhunt, the team's offensive coordinator. "Having that is huge, especially from the standpoint of being the starter. That makes a big difference. It will be a little bit easier for him to prepare, knowing what to expect."
It all seemed too easy for Roethlisberger in 2004. Forced into the lineup in the second half of his second pro game because of an injury to Tommy Maddox, Roethlisberger and the Steelers did not lose another game until the AFC championship. Roethlisberger's Steelers went 13-0 in the regular season, more than double the perfect record of any previous rookie quarterback and a record never achieved by any, rookie or veteran.
He broke Dan Marino's 20-year-old rookie records for pass-completion percentage and passer rating. He earned the AFC offensive rookie of the year, the NFL Pepsi rookie of the year and the Dapper Dan Man of the Year. His No. 7 jersey was the league's hottest seller.
It's all history, and Roethlisberger and his coaches aim to build off it and help him progress at the position, one of the most pressurized in the sport. As Mark Whipple, the team's quarterbacks coach, asked: what job in football is tougher than being the quarterback of the Steelers?
"Denver?" Whipple mentioned. "Dallas? Here?"
Roethlisberger went through his first season apparently oblivious to the pressure of the position as if he were a 22-year-old kid on spring break. He turned 23 early this month and said he felt some pressure before the playoffs.
"I felt maybe a little more pressure because I knew I couldn't make the mistakes I made during the year, because one mistake in a playoff game can kill you, as we saw."
The Roethlisberger who performed in playoff games against the New York Jets and New England Patriots was nothing like the one who dusted off 13 previous opponents. He completed 57.4 percent of his passes, threw three touchdowns, five interceptions and had a 61.3 passer rating, far off his rookie regular-season record of 98.1.
"Now that I've had a year of playoffs, a year of game experience, hopefully, I can use that to make me better and that in turn can help make the team better next year," Roethlisberger said. "I can't say I have it down pat and perfected. But I'm starting to learn, I'm starting to get more experience."
Roethlisberger enjoyed a week at the Super Bowl, took a couple more off and reported for duty on the South Side in February. Other than a USO Trip to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait at the end of the month and some breaks here and there, he will continue his routine through the start of the team's organized workouts in May.
Whipple meets with him, and they talk philosophy, review video of last season and look at some opponents. They also will go over mechanics and the offense. Later, he will begin to throw as his receivers report for their workouts. It's all the continuing education of an NFL quarterback.
"That's the whole key, improving," Whipple said. "To me, that's a coaching part, our language, how we do things."
Roethlisberger did not have the benefit of any of this last season. A year ago, he worked out to prepare physically for the NFL draft. He did not join the Steelers until late April, and he was the No. 3 quarterback in training camp before Charlie Batch was hurt.
"Going through the whole offseason will certainly give us a chance to do more things," Whisenhunt said. "He's a sharp kid, he sees things on the field well.
"The problems we had last year were between seeing everything on the field and then translating that into what we wanted to do: How do I handle this situation? How do I handle this situation?
"Some of those situations, he'd never been in before, so it was learn as we go. This time, he'll have that to draw on. That will make him a little more prepared."
The Steelers reduced the offense for their rookie last season and want to open it up more for him in 2005.
"There were so many things he hadn't been exposed to," Whisenhunt said. "You don't want to put him in too much so he's distracted thinking about one thing and not thinking about the play because just the offense itself was a whole new thing for him."
Their aim is to get Roethlisberger more comfortable with their offense, so he can anticipate things on the field and not worry whether he has the right play called and the correct formation to go with it. That way, he can concentrate more on what the defense is doing and where he wants to go with the ball. He should have more confidence in checking off plays and going through his progression of receivers.
He will have at least one new receiver, Cedrick Wilson, and no more Plaxico Burress, who provided him a level of comfort last season because the two had built a rapport on and off the field. All the while, Steelers opponents also are studying film -- of Roethlisberger, trying to find chinks in his game and to develop means to exploit them.
Many a successful rookie has fallen to a sophomore jinx. "He seemed kind of immune to the freshman jinx," Whisenhunt said.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Where do you put the perfect student? The kid who aced all his tests, won every award and racked up records?
<!--BEGIN PHOTO--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=240 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD><TD>
Ben Roethlisberger is already working out and studying film to prepare for the 2005 season.
Click photo for larger image.
<CENTER>
<HR></TD><TD>
Roethlisberger is back setting new standards. He has been working out and studying for the past month at the Steelers' UPMC facility, far earlier than anyone can remember any of their previous quarterbacks.
Roethlisberger might not be able to match his sensational rookie season, but it won't be for lack of trying this spring.
"The biggest thing is just the progression of the offseason," said Ken Whisenhunt, the team's offensive coordinator. "Having that is huge, especially from the standpoint of being the starter. That makes a big difference. It will be a little bit easier for him to prepare, knowing what to expect."
It all seemed too easy for Roethlisberger in 2004. Forced into the lineup in the second half of his second pro game because of an injury to Tommy Maddox, Roethlisberger and the Steelers did not lose another game until the AFC championship. Roethlisberger's Steelers went 13-0 in the regular season, more than double the perfect record of any previous rookie quarterback and a record never achieved by any, rookie or veteran.
He broke Dan Marino's 20-year-old rookie records for pass-completion percentage and passer rating. He earned the AFC offensive rookie of the year, the NFL Pepsi rookie of the year and the Dapper Dan Man of the Year. His No. 7 jersey was the league's hottest seller.
It's all history, and Roethlisberger and his coaches aim to build off it and help him progress at the position, one of the most pressurized in the sport. As Mark Whipple, the team's quarterbacks coach, asked: what job in football is tougher than being the quarterback of the Steelers?
"Denver?" Whipple mentioned. "Dallas? Here?"
Roethlisberger went through his first season apparently oblivious to the pressure of the position as if he were a 22-year-old kid on spring break. He turned 23 early this month and said he felt some pressure before the playoffs.
"I felt maybe a little more pressure because I knew I couldn't make the mistakes I made during the year, because one mistake in a playoff game can kill you, as we saw."
The Roethlisberger who performed in playoff games against the New York Jets and New England Patriots was nothing like the one who dusted off 13 previous opponents. He completed 57.4 percent of his passes, threw three touchdowns, five interceptions and had a 61.3 passer rating, far off his rookie regular-season record of 98.1.
"Now that I've had a year of playoffs, a year of game experience, hopefully, I can use that to make me better and that in turn can help make the team better next year," Roethlisberger said. "I can't say I have it down pat and perfected. But I'm starting to learn, I'm starting to get more experience."
Roethlisberger enjoyed a week at the Super Bowl, took a couple more off and reported for duty on the South Side in February. Other than a USO Trip to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait at the end of the month and some breaks here and there, he will continue his routine through the start of the team's organized workouts in May.
Whipple meets with him, and they talk philosophy, review video of last season and look at some opponents. They also will go over mechanics and the offense. Later, he will begin to throw as his receivers report for their workouts. It's all the continuing education of an NFL quarterback.
"That's the whole key, improving," Whipple said. "To me, that's a coaching part, our language, how we do things."
Roethlisberger did not have the benefit of any of this last season. A year ago, he worked out to prepare physically for the NFL draft. He did not join the Steelers until late April, and he was the No. 3 quarterback in training camp before Charlie Batch was hurt.
"Going through the whole offseason will certainly give us a chance to do more things," Whisenhunt said. "He's a sharp kid, he sees things on the field well.
"The problems we had last year were between seeing everything on the field and then translating that into what we wanted to do: How do I handle this situation? How do I handle this situation?
"Some of those situations, he'd never been in before, so it was learn as we go. This time, he'll have that to draw on. That will make him a little more prepared."
The Steelers reduced the offense for their rookie last season and want to open it up more for him in 2005.
"There were so many things he hadn't been exposed to," Whisenhunt said. "You don't want to put him in too much so he's distracted thinking about one thing and not thinking about the play because just the offense itself was a whole new thing for him."
Their aim is to get Roethlisberger more comfortable with their offense, so he can anticipate things on the field and not worry whether he has the right play called and the correct formation to go with it. That way, he can concentrate more on what the defense is doing and where he wants to go with the ball. He should have more confidence in checking off plays and going through his progression of receivers.
He will have at least one new receiver, Cedrick Wilson, and no more Plaxico Burress, who provided him a level of comfort last season because the two had built a rapport on and off the field. All the while, Steelers opponents also are studying film -- of Roethlisberger, trying to find chinks in his game and to develop means to exploit them.
Many a successful rookie has fallen to a sophomore jinx. "He seemed kind of immune to the freshman jinx," Whisenhunt said.
