It would take a minor miracle for the Steelers to salvage anything of this season, since Sunday’s win got them to 3-6.
But quarterback Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t want to hear about rebuilding, after spending the weekend squelching rumors that he wanted a trade.
“I look at it as every year, every game that I play, we’re going to be the best we can be. I hate it when people say you’re rebuilding because to me that’s a slap in the face to the people that are out there playing,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his weekly show on 93.7 The Fan, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “You sit there and say, ‘They’re young, they’re rebuilding, but what about the guys that are out there playing?’
“You think they’re sitting there telling themselves, ‘Oh, it’s OK [to lose], it’s a rebuilding year.’ No, they’re out there trying to bust their butt, and that includes me.”
He also insisted he wouldn’t “jump ship and quit” even if they continue down the current path.
“No one wants to win more than I do. It pains me to lose football games, it pains me to lose at anything,” Roethlisberger said. “That’s just who I am. So that’s why I’m going to do everything I can to turn it around and win football games. . . .
“Just because the season started bad doesn’t mean I’m going to quit on the season.”
That’s good news for the Steelers, but their few wins don’t appear to be because of a lack of effort. They look more like the result of a lack of talent, which is kind of the definition of a team that’s in need of rebuilding.