Ben Roethlisberger's thoughts of retirement haven't scared many around the Steelers yet. In fact, one of his long-time offensive linemen doesn't think he should be considering it at all.
"Not yet from my perspective, man," Steelers guard Ramon Foster said Thursday on Good Morning Football. "He's one of those guys who keeps a competitive edge. Whether he's shooting hoops into the garbage can in the locker room or playing pool or ping pong man, the competitive edge is in him. I think, for him, to be able to win another Super Bowl on the team we have which is capable of doing it and going down in history as one of the best -- this year at least and possibly next year you know, he's going to be a guy that hopefully sticks around. We love him and he's the ultimate competitor."
Roethlisberger's flirtation with retirement always felt like more of a power move than anything. At 35, he's still one of the most feared quarterbacks in the NFL. He has the league's best receiver and running back. His offensive line is almost tailor made to his specific needs.
Foster confirming that the competitive fire is still there seems like the last important step. The only reason for Roethlisberger to stop playing football at this point is because he doesn't want to.
If that's not the case, it's time for Pittsburgh to surround him with any and every possible weapon he needs for the stretch run.
Roethlisberger's presence over the last 13 seasons has allowed the Steelers to largely set the offense on auto pilot and rebuild their once-dominant defense from scratch. In four of their last five seasons, the Steelers have taken a rush linebacker in the first round. The other year? They took cornerback Artie Burns.
The hope is that all of these investments combine for at least one more deep run into February. If Roethlisberger still cares about his garbage can basketball score, we can bet he'll want another shot at the Patriots this January.
