HOUSTON -- The release of James Harrison Saturday to make room for Marcus Gilbert's return to the roster following a four-game suspension for PED use leaves Ben Roethlisberger as the only remaining Steeler who owns two Super Bowl rings.
For Roethlisberger, who threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns in the team's 34-6 win Monday at Houston in a Christmas Day game, it was a bitter reminder that Father Time is chasing him like Harrison used to run down opposing quarterbacks.
"I think it was more just hard to lose him. You lose a lot of teammates along the way. They keep retiring or whatever happens," said Roethlisberger. "It’s tough. He’s a close friend and we played together for a long time. It is hard to lose it. I guess that does make me the oldest player on the team now."
To that point, he is correct. With the 39-year-old Harrison now gone, Roethlisberger, 35, is the Steelers' oldest player.
Mike Tomlin, speaking about Harrison's release for the first time, said it was a simple matter of numbers. Harrison had played only 40 snaps all season and the Steelers, who improved to 12-3 with their victory and clinched a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs, needed the roster spot.
"It's just life in football," Tomlin said. "Sometimes you've got to make tough decisions. Obviously, we had to take Marcus Gilbert off the suspension list, so sometimes tough decisions are part of it. It's just life."
As for the possibility of the team re-signing its all-time sack leader, Tomlin was non-committal.
"I'm not speculating," Tomlin said. "I don't even know if he was claimed or not."
Harrison was not claimed and is now free to sign with any team -- if he chooses -- including re-signing with the Steelers.
His release, however, was not a distraction, at least not according to Maurkice Pouncey.
"No. We adjusted really well," Pouncey told DKPittsburghSports.com. "Deebo was one of the guys just helping us out along the way. When you lose that type of player, it sucks, because we knew what kind of player he is and how much he meant to us. But at the end of the day, it’s the NFL. We see tough decisions every day."
The players might see those kind of tough decisions made every day. But it doesn't mean they get any easier.
"James is a heck of a teammate," said Cameron Heyward. "You don't know what's going to happen in the future, how this goes. I don't know. I'm not a general manager. Hopefully, we can bring him back in the future."
ROETHLISBERGER HITS 200
Roethlisberger played in his 200th career game, becoming just the fifth player in franchise history to reach that number.
He joins Mike Webster (220), Hines Ward (217), Donnie Shell (201) and Mel Blount (200). All but two of Roethlisberger's games have been starts.
"It means I’ve really been around for a long time," Roethlisberger said. "Humbling with those names and all of those others. To have played with one team and to have put the black and gold on every week for so long as I have for the fans and my many, many teammates I’ve played for. I’ve been blessed. I’ve had some great lines along the way, too. To have that (Daniel M Rooney) patch on my jersey and get number 200 and to win it, that’s always neat. I just can’t say enough about the blessings I’ve been given."
INJURY UPDATE
The Steelers didn't appear to lose any players to injury, and none were reported during the game or in Tomlin's press conference.
Ramon Foster was inactive because of the concussion that held him back in practice all week, but he told DKPittsburghSports.com after this game that he's "fine" and not worried about anything long-term. B.J. Finney took Foster's place at left guard, then slid to center midway through the fourth quarter to spell Maurkice Pouncey with the game out of hand.
GILBERT'S HAPPY RETURN
Marcus Gilbert looked and sounded positively delighted after Le'Veon Bell's 10-yard touchdown in the third quarter that put the Steelers up, 27-0, taking the ball from his running back and spiking it to the turf.
That wasn't an accident, the big right tackle explained.
"I'm just so glad to be back, to be out there with my teammates and helping them win," Gilbert said, referring to his just-completed four-game NFL suspension for using an illegal substance. "What a feeling that was to take that ball. I felt like a kid all over again, you know?"
DATA, MILESTONES
• With their seven sacks, the Steelers now have 50 this season, leaving them five short of matching the team record set in 1994 and matched in 2001.
• Chris Boswell, named to his first Pro Bowl earlier this week, made two field goals to give him 35 this season. That breaks Norm Johnson's team record of 34 set in 1995.
• Eli Rogers had punt returns of 16 and 25 yards in the game. The Steelers' previous long this season had been a 15-yard punt return by Rogers.
• The Steelers have now scored 30 or more points in four of the past six weeks and are averaging 31.8 points per game over that period.
• The six points were the fewest allowed by the Steelers this season.
Dejan Kovacevic contributed to this report.