Kovacevic: Ben being Ben, he does right thing

"I always have," Ben Roethlisberger came back with a slight shrug when asked, of all absurd things, if he'd been helpful to the Steelers' newest quarterback, Mason Rudolph, upon the opening of OTAs Tuesday morning at the Rooney Sports Complex.

And the absurdity, to be clear, was of Ben's own making since, you know, he'd strongly suggested only a couple weeks ago that he'd barely budge to help the kid.

"I've always done that," Ben continued. "I think some people took some things that I said into a context that I was going to be mean or rude or whatever. And that was not it at all. If you listen to the whole conversation, I said that in jest and laughing. I've never been the type to just be mean or rude to other quarterbacks. You can ask Landry Jones. I've been here with a lot of quarterbacks younger than me that I've tried to help any way that I can. I'll continue to do that."

Hey, whatever.

That was my initial reaction upon hearing that. Because it's quintessential Ben. All of it. He reacts impetuously, or "honestly," as he claimed in that May 4 interview on 93.7 The Fan that in no way, shape or form came across as joking. And then, once he realizes the damage he's done, he dons the face of the dog that just ate your shoe and walks it all back.

Again, whatever. He's 36 going on 16, still in so many ways. It's who he is.

What matters most, to Roethlisberger, to Rudolph and to the Steelers — or at least what should matter most — is their actions on and off the field. And to that end, all concerned came through.

NFL rules prohibit reporters from describing specifics of practice, unless those are confirmed by the participants. But, given Roethlisberger's above acknowledgement, as well as more that he detailed, I'll share here that there were zero problems visible between the two. Rudolph never asked Roethlisberger a question, as the latter confirmed, but there was significant interaction and some of it was apparently playful.

Professional, as well.

"I tried to help him out with a couple things I saw out there," Roethlisberger said. "He didn't ask me anything, but I inputted my two cents, and I hope he was OK with it."

That one was a joke. He laughed with it, albeit somewhat awkwardly:

That, too, is quintessential Ben.

But so is the professionalism. On one play that Roethlisberger laid out, Rudolph ran a naked bootleg to the right and fired a bullet to Roosevelt Nix. Too high and way too hard. No catch.

The veteran pulled aside the rookie immediately afterward.

"He was probably 6 or 7 yards from Rosie, and he threw it ... pretty hard and high," Roethlisberger recalled. "I just told him, 'Look, you'll learn that every throw doesn't have to be the hardest throw you can make. You don't have to put every throw on a guy's chest. That's a nice opportunity to give him an easy touch.' Just trying to instill little things like that."

And what did he think of Rudolph?

"He's got a big arm. He overthrew AB, and that's not easy to do."

Antonio Brown, of course. And he did, by a mile, but the arm strength did, indeed, stand out.

"But no, I thought he seems to understand the offense. He seems to not have any issues in the huddle. I thought he did really well."

Anything remind him of his own rookie experience?

“Wow, that was a long time ago. I guess you can see the big eyes when things get going and you see how fast it's going. I'm going to enjoy telling him this isn't even as fast as it gets yet. When the pads are on, it gets a little faster. Preseason, it gets a little faster."

Say what one will about what Roethlisberger says, but he's always done the job. And while he's never exactly been Mr. Lovable to his teammates — it pretty much took an act of Congress for teammates to finally name him offensive captain a couple years back — he's also put himself into position to be the single biggest reason the Steelers have been so successful over his career.

That shouldn't be taken for granted, and it definitely shouldn't be overshadowed by the occasional silliness he'll create.

Actually, in this specific case, I kind of like it.

This group of veterans, particularly on offense, has been around for a long time and done a lot of winning. But only Roethlisberger's wearing a ring now, and even his is nearly a decade old, so maybe it's past time for everyone with experience to feel a little less comfortable, a little more on edge. That could be as basic as competing for a job, though there surely won't be many of those open once they get to Latrobe. But it also could be facing the increasingly harsh reality that the window's about to slam shut on their fingers.

To repeat: Ben's 36. Antonio Brown, who was typically brilliant in this session, will turn 30 in July. Maurkice Pouncey and the offensive line aren't getting younger. And while Le'Veon Bell's still just 26, his absence from these OTAs, though universally expected, offered yet another sign that his time here might expire once the Steelers no longer can apply the franchise tag after the coming season.

Maybe it's time to turn it up.

Maybe it's time to cut all the sideshow garbage.

And maybe, as I wrote from the rookie minicamp last week, this particular tension will help that play out.

It doesn't take a radio interview or other drama for that to happen. It just takes that ... I'm having a hard time finding the right term to describe how this felt Tuesday. For the longest time, the only offensive snaps that drew much attention were those taken by Roethlisberger. When it's Jones' turn or that of Josh Dobbs or even that of a respected veteran like Charlie Batch, it felt like a time-killer, like a chance to look elsewhere.

Not this time. Reminding again that I can't report specifics, I can offer only that each quarterback trying to complete different types of throws to various receivers felt like it had everyone on both sides of the ball locked in.

First-day stuff?

Maybe, but maybe not. Neither Jones nor Rudolph was interviewed because media access was limited to the field, and all cameras and microphones were pointed at Roethlisberger as they walked off. But the subject won't go away. Not in OTAs, and certainly not once the backups take center stage in the preseason games.

Beyond that, it might strengthen Roethlisberger's resolve to stick around a while longer, which would be the biggest benefit of all. Only a year ago, he was waffling about his future. Then, within minutes after the Jacksonville loss, he stunningly declared himself fit for three or more years. Then, in the radio interview, he extended that to three to five.

That came up Tuesday, as well.

"It's just being excited about the group we have, the linemen in particular. Having those guys back always makes me feel good," Roethlisberger said. "I'm healthy. Lots of prayers. Spending time with my family. I'm still going to take it one year at a time, but it's what you have left in the tank.”

Here's betting he's got enough to spare. And share.

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY