Tweet
Ben Roethlisberger feels he has some advantages over the Giants' Eli Manning and Chargers' Philip Rivers.
Ben Roethlisberger arrived Monday in Pittsburgh as the No. 3 quarterback in the NFL draft and, for now, no better than No. 3 on the Steelers' depth chart.
He doesn't expect either situation to last very long.
Roethlisberger, only the second quarterback drafted in the first round by Pittsburgh in 33 years, didn't predict he would beat out incumbent Tommy Maddox or backup Charlie Batch immediately. He didn't promise to have better rookie-year statistics than Mississippi's Eli Manning or North Carolina State's Philip Rivers, the two quarterbacks drafted ahead of him.
But he said he lacks nothing Manning and Rivers possess -- he dismisses talk the Manning family lineage gives Eli an edge -- and is eager to show it. Even if he must wait a little longer to play than Manning does with the Giants or Rivers does with the Chargers.
"Eli's been getting a lot of hype leading up to this, but I said coming in it all boils down to this: it's just football," Roethlisberger said. "That's what I've been wanting to do for a long time, just get on the field and start playing."
Roethlisberger didn't criticize Rivers or Manning, but said, "I think I bring a little more athleticism than both of them, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.
"Everyone seems to think they have better systems, better teams they played on in college, were born into a football family," said Roethlisberger, who played at Miami of Ohio. "Once I get the field, my will to win is much greater than both of them."
Roethlisberger has already created more buzz in Pittsburgh than any Steelers quarterback draft pick since Terry Bradshaw in 1970. The Steelers haven't yet started selling Roethlisberger's No. 7 jersey, but no doubt they will quickly order up a batch to satisfy fan demand.
They might want to order a few in extra-extra large, too; obviously not accustomed to having 6-foot-4 1/2, 240-pound quarterbacks, the Steelers badly underestimated Roethlisberger's size and gave him a much-too-small uniform for Monday's photo shoot.
Now, they've got to find out how Roethlisberger fits into an already crowded quarterback mix.
Maddox, a starter who is earning backup-like wages, apparently wanted to meet Monday with Steelers chairman Dan Rooney and coach Bill Cowher to discuss his future, however short it may be.
But there was no meeting, with Rooney saying one was never planned, and no hint when there might be one. It's possible Maddox and Cowher might talk on the phone later this week, though Cowher prefers to talk in person.
While Maddox is underpaid for an NFL starter at $750,000, he now has little bargaining power. The Steelers won't pay Roethlisberger millions to sit very long, and that means Maddox may remain the starter only one more season -- or less. Maddox could find himself playing this season for the chance to earn a contract elsewhere next year.
Roethlisberger was diplomatic when discussing playing time, at least for this season.
"I'm willing to do whatever the team asks of me, whether that's play right away or sit," he said. "I want to talk to Tommy and Charlie a little bit about what's going on. Whatever they're willing to help me with, I'm going to take it all in."
Wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who is signed only through this season and could also be playing for a contract, is curious to see how the quarterback situation plays out. Cowher hasn't ruled out Roethlisberger's starting this season.
"The best man's going to win. That's the reason why we have minicamps and training camps," Burress said. "I don't really have an idea who it's going to be, but when you bring a quarterback in that high, I guess it kind of sends a red light up to Tommy. I guess he's kind of down about the situation, but I've been playing with him for two years and I'm sure he'll step up and defend his position."
Source: AP