Lighter Roethlisberger believes offense can still be dynamic without Bryant

By Chris Bradford

PITTSBURGH -- There's something noticeably different about Ben Roethlisberger since the last time we saw the Steelers quarterback trudge off the field after last January's playoff loss in Denver. And, no, it's not just the beard that he grew at the end of the 2015 season.

Roethlisberger has shed quite a few pounds, but exactly how much, he isn't saying. In polite company you should never ask a quarterback his weight, you know. But Roethlisberger, with his hair shorter and appearing svelte, looks more like the guy the Steelers drafted a dozen years ago than the one who missed a career-high five starts last season due to assorted injuries.

"A lot of cardio," Roethlisberger explained after the first day of OTAs at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side on Tuesday.

At age 34, the clock is ticking on what remains of the prime of Roethlisberger's career. He's signed through 2019 but with an offense that is expected to rank among the best after averaging 395.4 yards per game in 2015, Roethlisberger is leaving nothing to chance.

"You want to be the best you can be," Roethlisberger said. "You want to win Super Bowls. Just felt like it was the right thing to do at the right time."

READ MORE: http://www.timesonline.com/sports/steelers/lighter-steelers-quarterback-roethlisberger-believes-offense-can-still-be-dynamic/article_5ecf8a20-21dc-11e6-8f8c-ab4e392b6451.html

Time for everyone to shut up about how FAT Ben is. Hopefully he will get the protection he needs to throw from the pocket but he can also move around better.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what this years offense can do but I also hope our secondary is better.
I think Butler's simplified defense will help the younger guys get on the same page and that should pay off.

Seems like this team is in a really good place right now. A lot of guys seem to be buying in, and are putting in extra work to make sure their conditioning is top notch. Golson added some weight, Ben lost weight, Coates has been putting in work, Harrison is setting the bar for these younger guys... All of it's pretty exciting.

To comment on Ben it's been really cool to see him evolving from a talented boneheaded kid, to a genuine leader of this team. He's taking guys under his wing, setting expectations, and the guys are following him.

Ben is going to be thin like he was early in his career. Again, just goes to show that Tomlin can only win with Cowher's skinny QB.

Ben Roethlisberger hopes to win by losing (weight)

Posted by Darin Gantt on August 6, 2016

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger passes during NFL football minicamp, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
AP
Big Ben has always been a very good quarterback. Slightly Less Big Ben might be even better.

According to Albret Breer of TheMMQB.com, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is “noticeably trimmer” this summer, the result of a deliberate effort to get into better shape going into the season.

While there are plenty of “best shape of my life” stories in every camp, Roethlisberger said entering the offseason without lingering injuries enabled him to build another 30 minutes of cardio into his daily workouts.

“My legs felt good enough to do it,” Roethlisberger said. “That’s kind of the other key—you have to be healthy enough to do it. You’re not going to push through an injury. I still don’t throw. I don’t ever throw in the offseason. That’s always been my mentality, you throw enough balls out here. I guess I changed a little bit.

“But for the most part, it was just still taking care of myself, feeling healthy and getting after it.”

As he enters his 13th season, he’s at the helm of what should be one of the top offenses in the league. And as many players who last that long, he’s figured out he has to work harder than when he was younger.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/08/06/ben-roethlisberger-hopes-to-win-by-losing-weight/