by Aaron Wilson
What happens if the Pittsburgh Steelers are thriving during star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s league-mandated four to six game suspension?
It’s a legitimate question considering that anticipated replacement Byron Leftwich is more than capable of engineering wins on a football team that has a strong defense and a solid offense.
And the hypothetical scenario was broached during a Sirius NFL Radio interview with Leftwich when Adam Schein asked Leftwich what happens if the Steelers are winning with him under center when Roethlisberger is reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
“I don’t know,” Leftwich said. “That’s not a decision for me but that’s a good problem to have. (laughs) It’s a good problem to have and I’m quite sure he’ll say the same thing. You want to go out there and, every chance you get, get a chance to win football games because we’re all in it for one thing. We’re all trying to win football games and hopefully you can win a championship. So if that’s everybody’s mindset and that’s everybody’s plan I don’t really see that as an awkward situation.
“I see that as a situation that’s good for the Pittsburgh Steelers and if it happens that way they’ll handle it the way they have to handle it. But it’s not something that you really think about. Man, it’s too hard in this league to be hypothetical, you know? We’ve still got a long way to go and we’ll see what happens.”
Leftwich was also asked if Roethlisberger, who was accused of sexual assaulting a 20-year-old Georgia woman and ultimately not charged with a crime, still commands respect in the locker room.
“I believe anybody that has won two Super Bowls, guys are going to respect,” Leftwich said. “You’ve got to think, one thing about Pittsburgh, these guys stay together for a long time and a lot of guys in that huddle, a lot of guys in that locker room have championships because of some of the things he’s done – two Super Bowl rings. So anytime you win two Super Bowl rings, guys can’t do nothing but respect that. But it’s not a thing that people around the locker room talk about this and that.
“I believe they still respect him. I know I do. As a player I respect what he can do out there on the football field. So from that standpoint I don’t see anything really different. If there is anything different I don’t know and I don’t tend to really want to know because I try to just focus on the things that really matter the most. And the things that really matter the most right now is going out there and making sure I’m prepared and, if I’m the guy, try to lead this football team.”
About the Author Jim McMillen
The Editor & Chief, the brains so to say, behind Pittsburgh Blitz. Jim is a rabid sports fan who just loves his Stillers, Pens and Buccos. Feel free to contact us at steelerguy26[@]yahoo.com if you have any questions or comments or would like to join our staff and write for Pittsburgh Blitz.
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