Ben Roethlisberger, who has been out because of a shoulder injury and dislocated rib, made few dozen passes in his trademark style to prove his fitness Wednesday.
It's some much-needed good news for Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, especially after losing one of his most valuable players -- cornerback Ike Taylor -- for two weeks with a fractured right ankle. Tomlin is confident his premier quarterback can lead the Steelers offense soon.
Roethlisberger was injured in a game against Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 12 and was out for three weeks. He is now likely to take the field against the San Diego Chargers at Heinz Field Sunday.
"I'm getting there," the Associated Press quoted Roethlisberger as saying. "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 is taking his time before declaring Roethlisberger's name in the playing squad against the Chargers.
"I thought it was a positive day for Ben," he said. "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."
Two-time Super Bowl winner Roethlisberger has played a vital role in the Steelers progress in the season so far.
In Roethlisberger's absence Charlie Batch had 276 total yards, a touchdown and an interception.
"We'll see what (Thursday) holds for us," Tomlin said. "We'll make sure that there (are) no steps backward (Thursday) morning."
Roethlisberger looked in good shape in the team's practice session.
"He's still getting back into his rhythm," Emmanuel Sanders said. "This is his first time really throwing and the wind is out there so he's going to be off a little bit (but) ... we're very optimistic about the direction he's going to go."
If Roethlisberger plays in the Sunday's game then Batch will have to go back to the bench, an eventuality which the young quarterback accepts.
"You always want to play but my role is the backup," Batch said. "So, if he's ready to play you can't be sad about that.
"Ben is the guy. So, whenever Ben is ready to go he's going to be out there and he's going to do everything in his power to be out there."
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
