Ben Roethlisberger: 10 Ways He Must Improve This Offseason
Ben Roethlisberger was a last-second drive away from winning his third Super Bowl ring by age 28.
But it wasn't meant to be, as the Pittsburgh Steelers couldn't get much going on their final possession and lost the game 31-35.
With the way Roethlisberger played--25/40 passing, 77.4 QB rating and two interceptions--many will point to him as the main reason why the Steelers lost Super Bowl XLV.
And any which way you slice it, Big Ben did not have a big game.
So what should the Steelers quarterback work on prior to next season?
Here are 10 ways Roethlisberger must improve before the start of the 2011 campaign.
10. Lead More Touchdown Drives
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The 2010 Steelers were far from an offensive juggernaut.
Pittsburgh scored just 23.4 points per game and was held to less than 20 points in seven of 16 games.
Of course, that Steelers defense helped them get the "W" in most of those games. But Big Ben can't expect to win 12 games against next season if the offense is rather stagnant once again.
Why? Because as good as Pittsburgh's defense may be, it won't be as good in 2011
9. Avoiding Controversy
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Was the Roethlisberger piano bar fiasco blown completely our of proportion? A thousand times yes.
But was the severity of him being accused of sexual assault twice? Absolutely not.
Roethlisberger needs to avoid controversy this offseason to further solidify his status as the leader of the Steelers rather than a guy who can't stay out of trouble.
No drunken nights, no questionable decisions.
Just do what you're supposed to do--be the QB of the Steelers--and leave any drama to high school girls and any sexual assault cases to TV shows.
8. Study, Study, Study
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Roethlisberger may be a great QB--or he may not--but what do all great QBs have in common?
They know the playbook like the back of their hands.
See: Peyton Manning.
This isn't to say Roethlisberger is an idiot who doesn't know Pittsburgh's playbook, but he's not the field general that a guy like Manning is.
If Big Ben can study his tail off this offseason, though, maybe he could be.
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7. Stop Relying on His Legs So Much
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Roethlisberger has been heralded as a great improvisational quarterback--which he is--but this isn't an improv comedy act here.
There is a fine line between extending the play with your feet and looking to extend the play with your feet.
Big Ben needs to become more of a traditional pocket passer, one that can bounce out of the pocket if everything breaks down, not just one who constantly does that because it's his style of play.
We saw Michael Vick mold into a pocket passer this season, and he became a passer first and a scrambler second.
Roethlisberger needs to do the exact same thing: Move from a "run first, pass second" quarterback to a "pass first, run second" gunslinger.
6. Consistency
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In the 2010-11 playoffs, Roethlisberger was all over the place with his performances.
Divisional Round (against Baltimore): 19/32, 228 yards, two touchdowns, one fumble and a 101.8 QB rating
NFC Championship (against NY Jets): 10/19, 133 yards, one rushing TD, two interceptions, two fumbles and 35.5 QB rating
Super Bowl (against Green Bay): 25/40, 263 yards, two TDs, two interceptions and a 77.4 QB rating
How about some consistency, Ben? These up-and-down performances aren't going to translate into championships.
5. Play Like The Greats
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I'm not going to argue against Roethlisberger being good in the clutch--he is--but how often has he literally taken over a game?
How many times have you seen Big Ben just shred a defense from start to finish?
I mean, his biggest passing performance of 2010 came against the New England Patriots, but the Steelers still lost that game.
Roethlisberger is not the type of guy who's going to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns all the time. And fans of his or the Steelers know that.
But sometimes, that's what it takes in the NFL.
3. Just Throw It Away
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In 2010, the Steelers gave up the eighth most sacks in the league (43), including 32 with Roethlisberger behind center.
With a shaky line ahead of him, Big Ben has to learn that throwing the ball away every once in a while is OK.
Not every play needs to be a big gain or one that's extended by scrambling.
An incomplete pass and a punt is much better than a fumble or interception any day of the week
Accuracy
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During the 2010 season, arguably Roethlisberger's biggest problem was his accuracy.
Or is it inaccuracy?
Roethlisberger completed just 61.7 percent of his passes in the regular season, and his completion percentage dropped to a low 59.3 in the playoffs.
Roethlisberger's regular season completion percentage ranked just 15th in the NFL, behind guys like Shaun Hill and Carson Palmer and only slightly ahead of Chad Henne and a struggling Brett Favre.
If Big Ben wants to be grouped with the likes of Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning, then he needs to get back to his 2009 form when he completed 66.6 percent of his passes
1. Protecting The Ball
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In the regular season, Roethlisberger threw just five interceptions, but he did fumble the ball seven times (three lost).
It was in the playoffs, though, that he really struggled at protecting the ball.
In three postseason games, Roethlisberger thew four interceptions and had three fumbles (one lost).
He absolutely cannot afford to be lackadaisical with his passes or while stepping up in the pocket, or his turnover issues will continue to hurt his performance.
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