Ben Roethlisberger has a problem with people who extrapolated his own offseason musings about retirement into the idea he doesn’t care as much about the game.
And even though the topic began with his own words, and then a dash of “maybe I don’t have it anymore,” after a five-pick game in a loss to the Jaguars, he disputes that now.
Speaking from the platform of his weekly paid radio appearance on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger took issue with his critics mostly, saying they “don’t know what they are talking about.”
“In a way it’s like, ‘Wait a second, you’re going to take a shot at me and you don’t know me?’” Roethlisberger said, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. “I’m going to go out here and bust my butt every day and be limping with bruises and put my body and my family through this and not care? You’re absolutely nuts.”
It’s easier to love football now, since the Steelers are winning (five straight) and he’s playing well (four touchdowns to beat the Titans last week). The fact he’s had the extra weekend off after that one probably helps his mood. But still he bristled at the idea his heart wasn’t in the game anymore.
“I laughed about it,” Roethlisberger said. "[It’s] why is Ben still playing if he doesn’t care? If he’s not playing well, he must not care about it. It couldn’t be further from the truth. You don’t know what you’re talking about. . . .
“I’ve done this long enough, too, that I can let [criticism] roll off my back.”
Clearly. Regardless his inner motivation (or whether he’s just ginning up some external), the current situation is clear. He’s liking football very much now, because things are going well. Tune in when the offseason begins for the next installment in “As The Ben Turns.”