Terse Roethlisberger assesses first game back

By WES CROSBY

Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t very talkative Wednesday morning before the Steelers' practice on the South Side. Surrounded by reporters and cameras, Roethlisberger stepped in and delivered bullet-point answers.

How does his left knee feel heading into Sunday against the Raiders?

“Good. I’m excited to get back out there and try to get a win.”

Has his knee been hampered by the expected soreness that comes with an injury, or did a month away have some effect on his recovery this week?

“Probably a little bit of both.”



How about Le’Veon Bell being out for the season? Does that change anything?

“I don’t see why anything’s changed and it shouldn’t.”

After those three answers took up a total of 31 seconds, Roethlisberger began to open up, eventually saying he would not remove his knee brace anytime soon, per doctors’ orders. His mobility seemed limited in a 16-10 loss to Cincinnati, leading to three sacks and a few errant throws Roethlisberger might not have made while fully healthy.

A couple go-route passes didn’t seem to have the air Roethlisberger usually puts under them. One such pass was underthrown to Antonio Brown, resulting in a Reggie Nelson interception. Another ball sailed on Brown and was picked again with 2:57 remaining in the fourth quarter.

His accuracy was also off, as evidenced by Roethlisberger’s second of three interceptions, thrown after rolling left and attempting to fit a ball to Will Johnson along the sideline, and by his desperate heave from the Cincinnati 16 as time expired, which arched well over Brown and out of the back of the end zone:



He commented further on the brace, which he settled on last week following some experimentation in practice.

“I don’t know if it gets more comfortable," Roethlisberger said. "It’s still the same brace. But you just get used to it. It’s something that’s new to me, but we’ll find a way to get used to it as fast as I can.”

When asked if he’s had difficulty driving off his left leg, Roethlisberger provided his most in-depth answer:

“I don’t think so. I don’t think so. For being off for so long, too, you have to get your muscles built back up and think when you step in and drive, those are different muscles than you use just walking around or sitting down, so just getting your body acclimated again to doing those things and really just driving into balls. That’s all.”

ROETHLISBERGER ON RAIDERS

Roethlisberger has experienced a few upsets at the hands of the Raiders during his tenure, as the Steelers have gone 1-4 against their 1970s playoff rivals over the past decade.

Sunday's matchup brings added importance, regarding the teams’ position within the AFC wild card race. At 4-3, the Raiders are a half-game ahead of the Steelers. Roethlisberger said Oakland's defense pushes the envelope in terms of legal contact.

“They’re a good football team,” Roethlisberger said. “They’re coming in here. It’s going to be very physical. Their defensive backs like to do a lot of grabbing and holding and being physical in general. It’s a really good test for our receivers and for me to be accurate. Obviously, up front, a good, physical pass rush that likes to get after the quarterback.”

Charles Woodson, now three years into his second stint with the Raiders, will be one of the primary defensive backs testing Pittsburgh’s wideouts. The 39-year-old has five interceptions, four fewer than his career single-season high with the Packers in 2009.

“That’s what stands out, is how good he is,” Roethlisberger said. “Just a phenomenal football player. I don’t know him off the field very well, but obviously he must just dedicate himself, his time, his body because it’s not like he’s just out there, he’s playing at a very high level.”