Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward was on The NFL Network earlier this week and was asked about the team's belief in Ben Roethlisberger.
Heyward didn't mince his words when asked if the quarterback still has it, despite turning 39 year old last month.
“Ben’s still got the goods. Anyone that tells you otherwise, they haven’t really looked at football,” Heyward said. “You give that guy a good running game and tell him he doesn’t have to throw the ball 50-60 times, he’s going to be that much more dangerous. We’re looking forward to that. It’s going to be pretty good, longevity-wise. If he wants to keep playing.”
To Heyward's point, Roethlisberger, who was coming back off a serious elbow surgery that caused him to miss most of the 2019 season, threw the ball 608 times in 15 games in 2020. Only Matt Ryan (626) and Tom Brady (610) had more pass attempts.
And if Roethlisberger had played all 16 games -- he sat out the regular season finale to rest up for the playoffs -- he would have easily led the league in attempts.
As it was, he averaged 40.5 pass attempts per game. With virtually no running game for the better part of the season. Everyone knew what was coming.
Is it any wonder the Steelers selected running back Najee Harris in the first round of the draft?
Some have questioned whether Roethlisberger will buy in to running the ball more. To Heyward's point, if Roethlisberger wants to keep playing beyond this year, he had better.
In this case, less Roethlisberger could equal better productivity.
It's what the Saints did the past few years with Drew Brees. Brees led the NFL with 673 passing attempts in 2016, an average of 42.1 per game. The next season, the Saints selected All-Pro running back Alvin Kamara and Brees' pass attempts dipped to 536, an average of 33.5 per game. Yet he still led the NFL in completions with 386, hitting on 72 percent of his passes.
The Saints improved from 7-9 to 11-5.
Most of his passes were of the shorter variety. By the end of his career, Brees had trouble throwing the ball more than 20 yards downfield. But he was still very accurate within that area.
Roethlisberger's arm is better than that of Brees. It always had been. He's one of the 10 most gifted throwers of the ball in NFL history.
But the goal should be to have Roethlisberger throw the ball 30 to 35 times per game. It will be about quality, not quantity. And if the Steelers strike that kind of balance, they'll be a much better team for it.
YOUR TURN: Will less Roethlisberger equal more success for the Steelers?
