Ben Roethlisberger Needs to Stop Complaining About Pittsburgh Steelers Playbook

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has twice mentioned to the media that new offensive coordinator Todd Haley's playbook is like the "Rosetta Stone," the ancient stone written in three languages that helped archaeologists decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics. 

While Roethlisberger was clearly being hyperbolic in his assessments, these comments indicate he's not yet comfortable with the changes that his offense has undergone this offseason.

But, with OTAs scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Roethlisberger would better serve both himself and his team by keeping quiet about his issues and focusing on learning that new terminology.

While the Steelers' offense won't appear that changed to the average eye come gameday—the schemes may change but the plays will be similar, and the team will likely continue to rely heavily on the pass rather than what's going to be a more efficient running game—the language that Haley uses is different from that of longtime Steelers coordinator Bruce Arians.

It's not easy to learn a whole new system's worth of terminology and thus it should take a little time for Roethlisberger to get up to speed. But his repeated public comments about the playbook's complexity simply must stop.

It's no secret that Roethlisberger wasn't entirely in support of Arians' dismissal and the hiring of Haley. After all, Arians helped develop Roethlisberger into the Super Bowl winner he is today.

But the NFL is a world of change, even if the Steelers are an organization known for their general coaching staff stability. This is merely part of the game, and Roethlisberger has had months to embrace the new system.

Roethlisberger's recurrent comments make it seem like he's complaining; they also make him seem a bit daft. It's a playbook, meaning it's football terminology. While there will necessarily be differences between Haley's plays and Arians', the end result is the same. This is Roethlisberger's job, after all, so he shouldn't be struggling so mightily to make the switch.

Further, the job of a quarterback extends beyond what happens on the field—he must also take on a leadership role in the locker room as well. If Roethlisberger feels comfortable repeatedly doubting his ability to master Haley's new playbook, he's setting a poor example for the rest of his offensive teammates.

How can Roethlisberger engender confidence in his receivers, offensive linemen, running backs and others who are surrounding him if he's constantly telling the media the playbook is too difficult to understand? What can Roethlisberger be accomplishing by his remarks other than not-so-subtly attempting to undermine Haley's regime before ever even working with him?

Roethlisberger could have avoided these questions from even being asked if he would have been more tactful in his comments. No, he didn't have to like the team's decision to move on from Arians, but that move came months ago.

In the intervening time, Roethlisberger had ample opportunity to accept the change and move forward, but it seems as though he'd prefer to whine about how hard his job will be instead.

Maybe he doesn't think Haley will help the team as much as Arians did, and that's his right. However, as the Steelers' starting quarterback, Roethlisberger needs to consider how his actions can harm or help the team as well.

That means he must stop complaining and start doing the actual work to master his new playbook. He needs to accept that though not everything will go his way, he must make the best of it in order to lead his team to wins.

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