Mike Tomlin says Big Ben appears better, Pittsburgh Steelers yet to name him starter – NFL News
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is trying to stage a return to action this weekend but coach Mike Tomlin in spite of his eagerness to see the offence leader back on the field at earliest is extra cautious to name him the starter for Sunday’s
game.
Ben returned to practice for second consecutive week, working even harder than previous session but the coach has challenged the QB to prove his health and fitness to assume the offence charge once again.
"I'm getting there. I've got to talk to (tight end) Heath (Miller). He's my barometer. He lets me know how close I am to 100 percent on velocity and stuff like that."
Tomlin who saw Ben throwing football conceded the player has improved a lot from past week’s level. He yet wants to see more throws from the quarterback before confirming him the starter next week.
The coach said:
"I thought it was a positive day for Ben. He threw the ball around both vertically and horizontally. I thought the ball had good velocity, particularly in a few instances. So, it was positive."
He added:
"We'll see what (Thursday) holds for us. We'll make sure that there (are) no steps backward (Thursday) morning."
Big Ben has missed three straight games since suffering a dislocated rib and shoulder injury, and if he is out this week, it will be a month that he has spent on recovery and rehab.
Although veteran Charlie Batch has managed to lead the team to a win after two consecutive losses, his performance is unpredictable. Being 38 years old he is unable to generate as much pace and velocity in his throws as Ben. His effort against the Baltimore
Ravens was nevertheless a strong showdown. The win has helped the Steelers open up the playoff opportunity once again.
The coach has not offered any comment about return of QB Byron Leftwich, but he appears to be more uncertain for this week than Ben. It is likely that the team might come out with a clearer decision about Ben’s participation for the weekend’ s game by Friday,
if Leftwich joins him for the next tie, it will be a great positive development for the team.
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