Ben Roethlisberger remember stepping into the huddle in his first year as a starting NFL quarterback.
“He was Hines Ward, one of the best receivers in the game. I got a chance to be in the huddle with him and Jerome Bettis. He made me better. It didn’t matter if I threw a good ball or a bad ball, 99 percent of the time he’d catch it, whether it was with one hand, off a helmet, or off a defender. He made me a much better quarterback and player,” Roethlisberger told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Roethlisberger called Ward Wednesday night to thank him, and left a message on Ward’s voicemail. He said that Ward will always be a Steeler, no matter what happens in 2012.
Oh, and by the way: Roethlisberger has some very specific ideas on what the Steelers receiver group should look like.
“Without Hines, I think you have to do everything you can to sign Jerricho back. He’s not only a veteran leader in that room but a really good player. I’d love to see him come back because he’s a really good receiver and I like what he brings to the team,” Roethlisberger said.
Big Ben also noted the uncertainty of Mike Wallace, saying he hopes to have him and Cotchery back.
“All we have is Antonio [Brown] and Emmanuel [Sanders], technically only two. But if it’s those four, I’ll take that every day in the week.”