Fear not Steelers fans, Dennis Dixon, and NBC Sports executives. It sounds like Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be able to play this Sunday night against the Ravens.
Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Ben Roethlisberger "seems to be fine" after taking a hit to the head in overtime of Pittsburgh's loss to Kansas City.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will not address the media until his regularly scheduled press conference Tuesday. Roethlisberger took various tests on Monday. Results aren't available yet, but Bouchette credits a source that says Roethlisberger "appears to be well enough" to play against the Ravens.
This report matches the positive early indications Mike Florio heard Sunday night.
Perhaps Ravens fans disagree, but we'll be happy to see Roethlisberger suit up against Baltimore simply because we love football.
The two teams provided three entertaining battles last year. And with the Steelers somewhat on the ropes, it would be a shame to see their title defense fall by the wayside with a third-string quarterback at the helm.
With two Ravens-Steelers bouts on the docket, the Ravens will still get their chances to knock the Steelers out. (And vice versa.)
Report: Roethlisberger "appears to be well enough" to play
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on November 23, 2009 5:03 PM ET
These things are always tricky when the healthy, baseline cognitive functions of a dope like Ben Roethlisberger would indicate a severe concussion in most people.
Uh - why would it be a shame to see their season fall by the wayside?
Looking forward to watching the Ravens knock the Steelers OUT after they return the opening kickoff AGAIN for a TD.
Will it be 9 weeks in a row of a return for a TD???
who cares.. its all about the giants and how eli manning does in the NFC championship game this year.. HOpefully he doesnt get distracted because he will probably start in the probowl the following week
Funny how BigBen is already cleared thru the media. If he was anywhere near concussed, you can't recover overnight, where's the neurologist that the Commish is insisting every team has on staff. Special treatment for the Steelers from the league?Hmmm...not for the Steelers
He may want to relax a few days at a casino in Lake Tahoe...oh, wait...
Ben has bad luck with the head. Too many hits to the nogin.There was a guy everyone in our town called Ironhead. He was a big dumb construction worker. Nobody said it to his face though. I hope Big Ben is OK because he is one tough son of a gun and football needs guys like him on the field.
Translation: Roethlisberger is well enough to notice on coming oldsmobiles, DEs and OLBs.
He may not be well enough to AVOID them but this means he's well enough to PLAY.
What about all this stuff since Westbrook that Goodell made it that players with concussions have to be cleared by a neurosurgeon/neurologist independent of the team doctor?
And this guy got a call from the Steelers waterboy saying "yeah, Ben looked alright, man he's so cool" and that makes him medically cleared to play under Goodell's new guidelines.
C'mon PFT, credible journalism please. Rosenthal I know your not old enough to quite reach the cookie jar yet, but don't believe every little thing you read. The Steelers aren't going to be giving any sort of edge to their most hated rival.
[drama queen]
Good let his ass play... 1 good hit his ass back on the sidelines...
ESPN is refusing to comment.
I'm a Ravens fan and I totally want Ben to play. I hate watching these 2 teams play when one is healthier than the other, and the Ravens have been on the bad side of that the past 2 years.
If Ben plays, then they're without 2 good defenders (DE & SS) and so is Baltimore (CB & DE).
I like to see the real teams play each other. I can watch backups in the UFL.
Good thing Ben's not a drama queen like Suggs, or he'd be showing up in a neckbrace talking about how brave he is to suit up this weekend.
Is Big Ben gonna get his own montage during the pregame, showing everyone how he plays with hangnails, toothaches, and such??
You guys got any reports on Stafford? Please don't tell us we're going to have to watch Culpepper on Thanksgiving Day.
That'll ruin dinner.
Any brain damage associated with Ben is bound to be minor.
If he did indeed have a concussion, there is a big difference between appearing well enough to play, and actually being well enough to play. Just because there aren't any noticeable symptoms, that doesn't mean he's fine.
Just like if Ron Mexico doesn't have any visible symptoms of genital herpes, that doesn't mean he doesn't have it and can't pass it on to his new friends from prison.
This is Tomlin's Achilles heel.
How he deals with his players when they're too injured to play... he leaves it up to them...
@Nick: You are disgrace to PFT posters everywhere, especially the ones who've posted here so far, including your fellow Ravens fans.
Shame on you for posting a rational and non-crybaby post.
Read the posts of Bmore Styles, Dirtybirds24, and the others, and get with the program.
Just kidding, obviously. Nice to see a fan of a rival who can actually post something worth reading.
Batch going out for 6 and the Steelers on the ropes...this sounds highly suspicious.
As a Steelers fan, I agree with Nick the Ravens fan. I would rather the teams play with as many of their heavy hitters as possible. I posted that last week as well.
I would clearly think that if there is any material chance of Ben having some problem, they would not play him. They did not play Clark in Denver, and there is no reason to risk Ben's career and their investment for one damn game. The Steelers are not stupid.
And no, Tomlin did not leave it up to Clark about playing, they made the decision to sit him.
I am no doctor and I doubt there is one that posts here. But his situation was completely different than Westbrook's. Brian was knocked completely out for minutes and did not move for quite a while. Ben certainly got smacked with a knee to the head, and he was groggy, but this is not tiddly winks these guys play.
Again, I say don't risk it if he has any problems. But if not, then let him play.
Steelers should be talking to TB about Byron L. TB isn't going anywhere and Freeman is their future. He knows the system and could step in.
He "appears to be well enough?" Was he examined by the cast of "Heroes"--someone with the ability to look at people and read their health status like an MRI? Let's wait for the test result, shall we?
@rolltide, that's the kind of thing a Vols fan would say. Hate to see fellow Bama fans making asinine remarks about a player's health. You should have better manners.
Let's face it he needs to play ... whoever loses next week their season will be basically shot.
Kinda funny.....BWest appeared to be well enough to play, but Lord Florio/PFT were calling for him to retire.......Whats the diff?
Last time Ben played coming off a concussion against OAK in 05 it wasn't pretty. I'd start Dixon and hope for the best. If they loose they're tied with Balt. and need to win second Balt. game and at least 3 of 4 of the others to have a shot. Ravens would be in a similar boat with a win. Jags and Den. are 6-4 - does anyone see 10 wins in their future?
Dirtybirds24 says:
"Good let his ass play... 1 good hit his ass back on the sidelines... "
Speaking of brain damage....
Ben is a dumba$$! Always has been. Two hits on the head. You think he would get the message by now. HHEEELLLOOO! 102 million... he's worth 10.2 million - MAYBE. I still the the Rooney's are idiots. Lowball Hines Ward AND Troy and they play SO MUCH BETTER.
Ben, get hit in the head again.... bu-buy from Football. His next phrase would be, "You want fries with that?"
I love my Steelers. HATE Rapistberger. Heck, the Steelers may be doing better without the idiot.
# Twiz says: November 23, 2009 7:49 PM
Kinda funny.....BWest appeared to be well enough to play, but Lord Florio/PFT were calling for him to retire.......Whats the diff?
Florio is a Giants homer who hates the Eagles...
Thats the difference.
Aren't the Steelers the team that looked so dominating two weeks ago? What's happened since then... can one of you mighty Steelers' fans refresh our memory?
My sources (Waterboys, friends third cousin) tell me that the Steelers are talking to Jake the Snake, since the original Snake Stabler turned them down.
@pfii63 ...
Don't know. Maybe we caught a virus from the Broncos.