Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger released the latest episode of his podcast Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger on Monday. Co-host, Spencer T'eo and Roethlisberger announced they threw the latest episode of the podcast together last minute after he returned from a hunting trip in New Mexico with his previous guest, Merril Hoge. The podcast focused mostly on hunting and religion, but Roethlisberger did discuss the Steelers' latest 24-20 loss to the New York Jets. The former Pro Bowl signal-caller shared that he watched the game remotely from his son Benjamin’s baseball tournament and he thought the game was a good opportunity for the Steelers to get back into the win column.
Steelers' Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) celebrates with Larry Ogunjobi (99) and Alex Highsmith (56). | Karl Roser Pittsburgh Steelers
"I knew their quarterback was just coming back,” he begins. “I thought it was a good opportunity for the team to get back on track. It didn’t start out great at all really. That defense played so well, Minkah [Fitzpatrick], that guy is just so stinking good.”
Fitzpatrick did play well on Sunday, making his third interception in four games and he came within four yards of his second pick six of the season. Roethlisberger isn’t completely wrong, the defense did play great for the first three quarters, but they couldn’t hold up in the end as they gave up 14 fourth quarter points to Zach Wilson. The pair then turned their attention to the elephant in Acrisure Stadium, Kenny Pickett’s debut:
“I was really surprised,” Roethlisberger continues. “I heard the announcement from the sideline reporter at half, that she talked to Coach Tomlin. I thought no way, not in mid-game. I always felt if you made the switch, you almost have to stay with it. You can’t go back and forth 'cause you will crush confidence.”
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
The prevailing sentiment against putting Pickett in early in the season was the stretch of four games the Steelers are facing prior to their bye week. Now that the switch has happened, it does give the Steelers the best chance to win, but it is not without risk as they will be facing four likely playoff teams in Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Miami and Philadelphia.
“The offense was stagnant. I didn’t think it was Mitch,” the 18-year veteran explained his surprise at the move. “They were that close to Diontae’s [Johnson] toe being in, great throw, great catch. I think if they had called it a touchdown, it would have been hard to turn it. When you pull him, I think they were trying to get a spark. You will get a spark, when you put someone new in, it is going to create a spark.”
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Roethlisberger’s point should not be lost. If Mitch Trubisky completes that pass and the Steelers go into the half tied 10-10, it is unlikely that Mike Tomlin makes the change. He didn’t experience the atmosphere in the stadium, but the former Steelers signal-caller is obviously in touch with teammates. He described what he was told when Pickett stepped on the field:
“I heard that the stadium was crazy loud,” Roethlisberger gushes. “It energized the defense, the fans, the offense. Minkah gets a pick six [nearly] and then he throws an interception on his first pass in the NFL. Someone just corrected me; I thought I threw an interception on my first NFL pass, it was actually the second. I did tell Kenny, I did it too, you’ll be just fine. He rushes for two touchdowns, and I think he is beating himself up. He texted me, 'I’ve got to throw that one away.' It’s going to be interesting, but I don’t think they can go back.”
One of the knocks in the last few years on the career passing leader for the Steelers franchise, has been his seeming unwillingness to mentor Mason Rudolph. He kept the former Oklahoma State quarterback at arm’s length, but seems to have real affection for both Trubisky and especially Pickett. Roethlisberger shared that his wife was genuinely excited to see the rookie take the field, still he went out of his way to express sympathy and admiration for how Trubisky handled the demotion. He also took a veiled shot at the play-calling:
“You can’t be a predictable offense,” Roethlisberger concludes. “I’d like to see them drop back and pass a little more. You want to get in some sort of rhythm. If you are just handing and handing it and throwing on third down, it’s going to be hard. I didn’t think Mitch did anything to deserve it. I heard some media people were giving him flack for his post-game answers. What do you expect? Give the man a break, he just got pulled at halftime, people have been chanting for Kenny for weeks now. Don’t give that guy grief.”
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Trubisky was not pleased with being pulled and was terse after the game, but he was not unprofessional. Teammates noticed that he was the first to congratulate Pickett on the sideline and he stayed engaged and positive during the game. Trubisky is likely going to be a career backup at this point, but he will be a high-level backup as long as he demonstrates the ability to handle the job in spurts. The backlash to saying the right thing with a little bit of anger is unwarranted.
Roethlisberger is now six episodes into his seemingly weekly podcast, and he is growing more comfortable behind the microphone. No word yet on if episode seven on his YouTube Channel Seven will feature another guest, but it should be interesting to hear the future Hall of Famer’s thoughts on what could be Pickett’s first start in Buffalo on Sunday at 1pm.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Are you surprised that Pickett and Roethlisberger have a close relationship? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
