Even in his 17th training camp with the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger continues to have some eye-opening moments in his career. And he is relieved they have all been good.
Not surprisingly, they all have to do with the most discussed subject in town — the state of his throwing arm.
The latest came the other day when Roethlisberger said he wasn’t able to step into a throw when he lofted a deep pass down the left sideline. “It felt when it came off my hand it was going to be short,” he said. But, like a baseball player surprisingly seeing a routine fly ball go over the fence for a home run, Roethlisberger was surprised when his pass hit the receiver perfectly in stride.
“I’m pleasantly surprised how my arm strength has come back, maybe even better than it was before,” Roethlisberger said on Thursday.
Roethlisberger has said he had discomfort in his elbow for a number of years prior to his season-ending injury. But, after having three of the five flexor tendons in his right arm surgically reattached, Roethlisberger has had another eye-opening moment: The discomfort is gone.
"No more sharp pains or dull pains in my elbow,” Roethlisberger said. “I'm thankful for that."
Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said he pays particular attention to the state of Roethlisberger’s throwing arm and has seen no hesitation from his quarterback to cut loose with deep throws.
“I like the idea that, from a script standpoint, he hasn’t wanted to shy away from any of those deep opportunities if it presented itself,” Fichtner said.
With all concerns about his arm seemingly out of the way, the last remaining hurdle for Roethlisberger is playing in a game again and testing his arm in live action. He has not appeared in a game since Week 2 last season, when he left in the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks and never returned — the longest playing drought of his career.
In fact, when he opens the regular season Sept. 14 against the New York Giants in East Rutherford, N.J., it will be one day shy of a year since his injury.
“Try not to be too nervous,” Roethlisberger said. “I’ve noticed when we’ve done some two-minute drills I’ve actually felt the jelly kind of legs. I felt nervous on the practice field, which I’ve never felt before, maybe for a long time. So I know if I’m nervous on the practice field, now I know the games are going to be a different feeling.
“That is going to be the last hurdle — and getting hit. Getting hit and calming the nerves are going to be big ones for me.”
Fichtner said Roethlisberger remains on a pitch count in practice, even though he practiced three days in a row last week. However, the Steelers do not want him hanging around to throw after practice or engage in his usual pre-practice competition with center Maurkice Pouncey where they try to hit the goal-post crossbar from various distances on the field. Fichtner called that “fluff stuff.”
But, other than some fatigue that is associated with any day of heavy throwing, Roethlisberger feels good as new after an off day. During the regular season, he gets back-to-back off days following a game.
“It’s amazing how fast it bounces back and feels great the next day,” Roethlisberger said. “I feel very confident going into the regular season schedule.”
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac.
First Published: August 27, 2020, 8:19 p.m.