The freedom to audible into certain plays is a luxury only afforded to quarterbacks who have earned it. You would think Ben Roethlisberger has earned such a right, but the two-time Super Bowl winner and future Hall of Fame quarterback swears he doesn't have the freedom to audible. And that's just one of the confusing things cropping up about Ben's future, including a specific timeline for how long he wants to play.
According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Roethlisberger has specifically told his teammates he wants to be in the NFL for "at least another three years," which should be welcome news for the Steelers.
"Since Roethlisberger has told teammates his plans to play at least another three years, management must know too, and that would have to come as a relief because they can now plan accordingly," Bouchette wrote in the wake of Pittsburgh's season ending in the Divisional Round.
Ben played it coy when appearing Tuesday on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, a CBS Sports Radio affiliate.
"I'm just playing it one year at a time," Roethlisberger said. "I'm excited to come back next year. I know Ed said that he heard that some guys said something about me playing for another three years. I'm not going to look past one year. I'm going to look forward to next year and give it everything I have."
Allow me to look one more year ahead: Ben has a contract for two more seasons that will pay him $20 million per season. He'll be back in 2019 barring something very odd happening. And it's likely he will get another extension from the Steelers that carries him a few years further, albeit an extension with some outs where Roethlisberger can walk away if he wants. All the talk last offseason was probably more about ... other things that bothered Ben.
Roethlisberger even said before the Jags-Steelers game, which ended in a 45-42 Jaguars win, that it would not likely be his last game.
This is very good news for the Steelers, who don't need to think about drafting a quarterback this year unless one falls in their laps. They need to develop someone, but there is time while they wait on Ben to wrap up his career.
A bigger question for the immediate future is what happens with Todd Haley, the oft-criticized offensive coordinator. There's been friction between he and Roethlisberger this season, something Roethlisberger admitted when he said "there's always issues in a competitive field like we have." And he pointed out he doesn't have "any control" over who the coaches are.
"I don't have any control over the coaching staff, who's hired and fired," Roethlisberger said. "Obviously that's very apparent a few years ago when [Bruce Arians] was gone, everyone knows that we had a great relationship and he was still let go as well. And that's up to the coaches and Mr. Rooney, and that's fine, I go play football. And I play for whoever I need to play for, coaching wise."
The most interesting thing Ron Cook and Andrew Filliponi asked him about, though, was whether or not he can audible into a quarterback sneak in a situation where it's 4th-and-1, like the two plays the Steelers faced against the Jaguars.
Roethlisberger said on the show he does not have the freedom to audible to a QB sneak in those situations.
"I'd love to [sneak the ball]," Roethlisberger said. "I actually literally tuned in to you guys for two minutes and heard you guys and the fans bashing us for not quarterback sneaking and not believing me when I say that we don't run it and I want to do it. Since it's my show now, I can speak freely and tell you guys, my co-hosts, that I truly have never said 'I don't want to run it' and I don't have the freedom to check to a quarterback sneak because we don't have that call if we're not in the huddle."
Apparently there isn't even a call to get there in the playbook.
"If you're at the line of scrimmage, we don't have a call to get to a quarterback sneak … am I supposed to whisper to everyone 'quarterback sneak?,'" Ben asked.
Roethlisberger claims that Mike Tomlin chuckles at him when he asks if they can build in a two-point conversion play that involves spreading out the defense and having Ben sneak it.
"When we get to like the 2-yard line, two-point play, to spread the defense out and go empty and run quarterback draw," Roethlisberger explained. "I've asked for that. He laughs at me and says 'Ben, maybe in your younger days, not now.' I still ask for those things. I would love the quarterback sneak. Hopefully we'll get into more of it."
This is WILD. The veteran franchise quarterback doesn't have the authority to audible to a sneak?? If that's the case then it would presumably put the blame on Haley for the fourth-down playcalling against the Jaguars. Which means that Ben, when he returns next year, could very well end up with a new offensive coordinator.
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