NFL, Mike Wallace, Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Adams , Pittsburgh Steelers, David DeCastro
There’s a reason why they call him “Big Ben” and we all bore testament to his resilience as well as endurance when faced by injury, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hobbled on-field a majority of the time at the end of the 2011 season with a burn ankle, but still missed no play-time.
And Ben Roethlisberger has adopted the same hard-core attitude regarding his shoulder injury, even though the words "torn rotator cuff" in succession with "throwing shoulder" raised a lot of alarm from Pittsburgh Steelers fans who regard the quarterback as the most vital player on the roster.
"I'm good. It's OK, just sore," Ben Roethlisberger said during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp. "I have a little torn rotator cuff. That doesn't heal.
“We just have to hope it doesn't tear the rest of the way, according to Doc," Ben Roethlisberger jokingly added to play down the situation.
It is the first time Ben Roethlisberger has publically referred to his shoulder injury in terms of a “rotator cuff" tear. Prior to this, Ben Roethlisberger maintained the shoulder injury was soreness due to overload or he simply denied feeling any unpleasant sensation at the spot. Ben Roethlisberger sustained the injury in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ match against the Baltimore Ravens on November 6, although its affect on the rotator cuff was unknown until lately. Yet, Ben Roethlisberger lost no time throughout the 2011 season and opined that “simple rehab may do the trick for the rotator cuff injury.
“We worked really hard getting it right to play, never missed any time,” stated Ben Roethlisberger. “It feels great right now. It isn’t a new injury…”
While Ben Roethlisberger was ready to admit that “getting older” may have a hand on his reserved attitude during walk-throughs into putting too much stress on his body with his usual regime of throws, he wasn’t ready to accept that it was an affect of the rotator cuff injury.
“As you get older, you just need to take care of yourself whether you're hurt or not, said Ben Roethlisberger. “It's less throwing; I think that's smart anyway.”
“It’s a partial tear,” argued Ben Roethlisberger. “That’s why I haven’t seen any side effects of loss of strength or anything. I take less throws (in camp), No. 1 because of that, and No. 2, because I am getting a little bit older (30). Might as well save the arm a little bit…It’s a serious non-issue, because I’m just fine.”
This could potentially mean Ben Roethlisberger attitude over the years will finally have to change and the new system under Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Tom Haley is aiming to relieve the quarterback from some of hits he usually takes. Pittsburgh Steelers first and second-round picks tackle Mike Adams and guard David DeCastro will play in initially on the starting lineup, while the team forecasts a big role for wide receiver Mike Wallace on the offensive line. Mike Wallace skipped all offseason and was on a holdout on training camp but Ben Roethlisberger hopes the Pittsburg Steelers can resolve the players contract to give him time to pick up the new offense.
"I don't know what's going on… (with Mike Wallace and his agent) but he wants to be here," declared Ben Roethlisberger. "I believe he will be here and I think he'll be here soon."
