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<!-- BEGIN CONTENT AREA --> Steelers' QB arrives at camp feeling 'great' seven weeks after his accident
Saturday, July 29, 2006
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Wearing sunglasses and flashing a big smile, Ben Roethlisberger walked into the training-camp office at St. Vincent College and pronounced himself ready to get back to work.
"I feel great," he said, and with that the Steelers welcomed back their starting quarterback on the first day of training camp, bringing a sense of relief -- and thankful appreciation -- from his teammates.
Less than seven weeks after sustaining numerous facial and head injuries in a motorcycle accident, Roethlisberger reported yesterday with the rest of his Super Bowl-winning teammates -- just another sign of the recovery he has made since his June 12 accident numbed the city and, according to Roethlisberger, nearly killed him.
"Everybody had a sense of relief to find out Ben will make a full recovery," said director of football operations Kevin Colbert. "To have him available [on the first day] with all his teammates is truly a blessing ... a fantastic feeling."
"To go what he's gone through, to be able to be here and show up and be ready to go, is testament to what doctors are able to do," said guard Alan Faneca.
Like many of his teammates, Faneca had not seen Roethlisberger since the accident. And there was Roethlisberger, driving his car into campus shortly after 2 p.m., one of the first veterans to report to camp.
Less than two months ago, nobody was even sure when Roethlisberger might join the team or what his football future might be.
On the way to the team's South Side facility, the motorcycle he was riding -- without a helmet -- struck a car that turned in front of him on Second Avenue at the 10th Street Bridge intersection, tossing Roethlisberger from his bike and producing injuries that caused massive bleeding and fractures to his jaw, nose and orbital bone.
Not only was Roethlisberger present for the first day of training camp, but it's also possible he might even take part in the run test with the rest of his teammates today.
"Initially, when I first heard about the accident, we were more concerned with Ben being critical," said receiver Hines Ward, the Super Bowl MVP. "A lot of players thought he was on his death bed. I flew up and saw him at his house, and once I did that I got a better feel for it. It's truly a blessing to have him here at camp, to report to camp."
Still, it is not known when Roethlisberger will begin practicing. Coach Bill Cowher and the team's medical staff want to closely monitor his progress because of the amount of head trauma he sustained in the accident. But Colbert indicated last night the Steelers will not place their 24-year-old quarterback on the physically unable to perform list -- a sign they believe he will be ready to play in the preseason and begin the regular season, at least right now.
"When it all happened, the first thing you really focus on and want to see happen is his safety," said running back Verron Haynes, who has been Roethlisberger's roommate in training camp and on the road since the Steelers drafted the Miami (Ohio) quarterback with the 11th overall pick in 2004. "Above all the football, you want to see him survive and be healthy. Now that it's over, it's a lesson to be learned. Ben says he's committed to this team and he wants to move on. There's no doubt in my mind. He's here, he's ready."
Haynes and Roethlisberger share the same agent, and the two were friends before Roethlisberger was drafted because they had a mutual friend in California. When Haynes heard about the accident, he flew to Pittsburgh to be by Roethlisberger's side. He was there when his roommate came out of the operating room after seven hours of surgery.
What he saw shocked Haynes, the team's third-down back.
"He was looking bad," Haynes said. Then, he paused and smiled, "But the doctors put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Now he looks beautiful."
Haynes has always tried to look after Roethlisberger. When he was ill the night before the Jan. 8 wild-card playoff game in Cincinnati, Haynes went to trainer John Norwig and volunteered to move to another hotel room to avoid getting Roethlisberger sick.
But Roethlisberger told Haynes he still wanted to be roommates, so they got adjoining rooms and opened the door that connected the rooms.
After the Steelers beat the Bengals, 31-17, Haynes and Roethlisberger each got adjoining rooms for the games in Indianapolis and Denver -- opening the door to remain connected.
"We both had our own rooms, but we were still roommates," Haynes said. "I still had to look at his ugly mug."
Haynes laughed, because he knows what Roethlisberger has had to endure the past seven weeks.
And he can't believe how his roommate has recovered.
"But I still get on him," Haynes said. "I still tell him he's uglier than me
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</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="lnav" bgcolor="#6699cc"> Steelrs Stats</td> </tr> <tr> <!--td class="lnav" bgcolor="#6699cc"> Roster</td--> <td class="lnav" bgcolor="#6699cc"> Roster</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="lnav" bgcolor="#6699cc"> 2006 aft</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="lnav" bgcolor="#6699cc"> NFL Overview </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="lnav" bgcolor="#6699cc"> NFL Players</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="lnav" bgcolor="#6699cc"> NFL Stats</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="lnav" bgcolor="#6699cc"> NFL Teams</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="lnav" bgcolor="#6699cc"> NFL Moves </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="lnav" bgcolor="#6699cc">
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Saturday, July 29, 2006
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Wearing sunglasses and flashing a big smile, Ben Roethlisberger walked into the training-camp office at St. Vincent College and pronounced himself ready to get back to work.
"I feel great," he said, and with that the Steelers welcomed back their starting quarterback on the first day of training camp, bringing a sense of relief -- and thankful appreciation -- from his teammates.
Less than seven weeks after sustaining numerous facial and head injuries in a motorcycle accident, Roethlisberger reported yesterday with the rest of his Super Bowl-winning teammates -- just another sign of the recovery he has made since his June 12 accident numbed the city and, according to Roethlisberger, nearly killed him.
"Everybody had a sense of relief to find out Ben will make a full recovery," said director of football operations Kevin Colbert. "To have him available [on the first day] with all his teammates is truly a blessing ... a fantastic feeling."
"To go what he's gone through, to be able to be here and show up and be ready to go, is testament to what doctors are able to do," said guard Alan Faneca.
Like many of his teammates, Faneca had not seen Roethlisberger since the accident. And there was Roethlisberger, driving his car into campus shortly after 2 p.m., one of the first veterans to report to camp.
Less than two months ago, nobody was even sure when Roethlisberger might join the team or what his football future might be.
On the way to the team's South Side facility, the motorcycle he was riding -- without a helmet -- struck a car that turned in front of him on Second Avenue at the 10th Street Bridge intersection, tossing Roethlisberger from his bike and producing injuries that caused massive bleeding and fractures to his jaw, nose and orbital bone.
Not only was Roethlisberger present for the first day of training camp, but it's also possible he might even take part in the run test with the rest of his teammates today.
"Initially, when I first heard about the accident, we were more concerned with Ben being critical," said receiver Hines Ward, the Super Bowl MVP. "A lot of players thought he was on his death bed. I flew up and saw him at his house, and once I did that I got a better feel for it. It's truly a blessing to have him here at camp, to report to camp."
Still, it is not known when Roethlisberger will begin practicing. Coach Bill Cowher and the team's medical staff want to closely monitor his progress because of the amount of head trauma he sustained in the accident. But Colbert indicated last night the Steelers will not place their 24-year-old quarterback on the physically unable to perform list -- a sign they believe he will be ready to play in the preseason and begin the regular season, at least right now.
"When it all happened, the first thing you really focus on and want to see happen is his safety," said running back Verron Haynes, who has been Roethlisberger's roommate in training camp and on the road since the Steelers drafted the Miami (Ohio) quarterback with the 11th overall pick in 2004. "Above all the football, you want to see him survive and be healthy. Now that it's over, it's a lesson to be learned. Ben says he's committed to this team and he wants to move on. There's no doubt in my mind. He's here, he's ready."
Haynes and Roethlisberger share the same agent, and the two were friends before Roethlisberger was drafted because they had a mutual friend in California. When Haynes heard about the accident, he flew to Pittsburgh to be by Roethlisberger's side. He was there when his roommate came out of the operating room after seven hours of surgery.
What he saw shocked Haynes, the team's third-down back.
"He was looking bad," Haynes said. Then, he paused and smiled, "But the doctors put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Now he looks beautiful."
Haynes has always tried to look after Roethlisberger. When he was ill the night before the Jan. 8 wild-card playoff game in Cincinnati, Haynes went to trainer John Norwig and volunteered to move to another hotel room to avoid getting Roethlisberger sick.
But Roethlisberger told Haynes he still wanted to be roommates, so they got adjoining rooms and opened the door that connected the rooms.
After the Steelers beat the Bengals, 31-17, Haynes and Roethlisberger each got adjoining rooms for the games in Indianapolis and Denver -- opening the door to remain connected.
"We both had our own rooms, but we were still roommates," Haynes said. "I still had to look at his ugly mug."
Haynes laughed, because he knows what Roethlisberger has had to endure the past seven weeks.
And he can't believe how his roommate has recovered.
"But I still get on him," Haynes said. "I still tell him he's uglier than me
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