Friday, January 25th, 2008 by Adam Wagner
Roethlisberger causes dissension
Reporters managed to talk to Hines Ward about Ben Roethlisberger’s comments to the Post-Gazette last week and the Steelers’s receiver is not happy. Roethlisberger was quoted as saying that he wants a taller receiver, something that one of his favorite tiny targets is upset about.
Ward claims that neither Tom Brady nor Peyton Manning ask for taller receivers, which Manning does not need to do because he has Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison, two of the best short receivers in NFL history, and Brady was probably intelligent enough to do behind the scenes (If you honestly believe that he was not campaigning for Randy Moss, you need to watch all 18 Patriot games from this season, in a row. And then listen to all of their press conferences.). Roethlisberger is still a little bit of a kid in terms of his attitude, and his words here completely show that. Instead of going to Kevin Colbert and asking for a receiver as a late round pick or a free agent, Ben went public.
This could definitely be seen as a slap in the face to his receivers, especially considering that Ward and Santonio Holmes both played excellent football and that Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth are both at least 6′5, meaning that Roethlisberger already has that bailout target he was asking for. The issue with receivers next year is not going to be quality, but rather quantity. The Steelers are going to have Holmes, Ward, Cedrick Wilson, and Nate Washington under contract. I assume that Willie Reid will be on his way out shortly, as he has done absolutely nothing to show that he belongs on an NFL field.
That means that the Steelers need to bring in at least two decent receivers in order to have a full receiving corps. These could end up being Jeremy Bloom and Dallas Baker, but the ex-skier is probably more of a project than anything else and Baker, last year’s 7th-round pick, has had difficulties running routes. If either one can develop, the Steelers will be set at wideout.
Roethlisberger should be worried about the offensive line, as he is going to spend even more time on his back next season than he did this year, particularly if the Steelers fail to resign Alan Faneca. The request that the quarterback should have made was one for a couple of offensive linemen, not for wide receivers. The Steelers are still a running team even though Bruce Arians is doing everything he can to mess with that formula for success, but if they have no offensive linemen they will not be a running or a passing team, but a punting team instead.
Roethlisberger is still worrying more about himself than about his team, something that he will hopefully grow out of as he grows into the role of franchise quarterback. After all, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning would never try to influence their franchise’s decision making through a public media outlet.
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