Ben Roethlisberger excited about his return
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said on Wednesday that he is excited about getting back into the lineup for Sunday’s game when the Steelers will host the Cleveland Browns
at Heinz Field.
"I'm excited. But I'm not to the peak of my excitement yet, that will probably come later," Roethlisberger said before Wednesday's practice. "I'm anxious, excited, a lot of emotions. But,
like I said, a lot of it is under wraps right now because we're focusing on practice."
Roethlisberger has just completed a four-game suspension after violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
With Roethlisberger serving his suspension the Steelers have started the season strong with a 3-1 record with the quarterback tandem of Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon. With wins against
the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Steelers started the season with three straight wins before suffering their first loss to the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday.
The Steelers have counted on a solid defense and have been having great success with a strong running attack with tailback Rashard Mendenhall. Through four games Mendenhall has already
rushed for 411 yards and has averaged 4.62 yards per carry.
The Steelers don’t have plans of abandoning their running game but according Roethlisberger he feels he can bring more balance to their attack.
"I think we will be very balanced, and we're going to take what they give us," Roethlisberger said of the Browns. "If they're loading up the box, we will try to throw it. If they're sitting
back, we will run the ball."
"We don't want to force anything; that's going to be key for me," Roethlisberger said. "I'm going to go out there and play my game. But I've said it before, that if we go out and put up
20 yards of offense and win 3-0, winning is what matters to me."
Heading into his first game Roethlisberger also commented on what he expects the reaction from fans will be, as many were disappointed with his off-field conduct and subsequent suspension.
"Hopefully a lot of cheers," Roethlisberger said when asked about the fans. "In the preseason there was a lot of it. So I hope nothing will change."
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