Could the Pittsburgh Steelers Team Culture Push Ben Roethlisberger to retire?
By Luke Drage
The end of Big Ben’s career?
Realistically this team doesn’t look likely to win in 2017. The toils of another offseason and dealing with the emotional fluctuations of the locker room seem like too much for the beloved quarterback.
He has nothing to prove as a player. He’s won his titles. He’s proven his personal ability and can walk away as one of the best to play the game at his position.
The group that he leaves behind will likely get a shock of a lifetime without his influence both on and off the field. Brown and co have done nothing in terms of postseason success.
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Roethlisberger is highly self aware. He has been publicly asking for help from his organization for over a year now through his comments on losses and the behavior of his teammates.
The coaching staff has done nothing to change the way they approach football. They even still participate in more padded sessions than any other NFL team in the offseason and they continue to pay for that in their injuries.
Big Ben looks like he has reached the end of his tether with this group. It would be no surprise to see him walk away at the end of 2017. It would be even less of a shock should Tomlin be out of work shortly after the franchise leader departs.
Without his leadership and on field excellence, this would likely be a middle of the pack franchise.
That simply isn’t good enough for this quality organization. They need to become more in tune with details and less reliant upon emotion if they are to recapture the championship winning days and keep their quarterback happy.
It might be too late now though. Big Ben has been a tremendous player and ambassador for the Steelers on and off the field. He deserves better from the coaching staff and his teammates.
Should he retire in early 2018, the Steelers only have themselves to blame.