Shoule We Be Concerned?

It has been reported by various media outlets that Ben Roethlisberger has had one or two x-rays during the week leading up to the Superbowl on his back/ribs. If you remember correctly, (I may not because I was a little tipsy in the Bellagio sports book)during the AFC Championship game, Ben was seen in the hallway rubbing his back/ribs with Bruce Arians while Byron Leftwhich warmed up on the sideline. Ben said he was very sore after the game, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. All reports out of the Steeler's camp have not listed Ben on any injury report this week and he has been practicing normally.

However, speculation has been going around that the injury could be to Ben's rib cartilage. This is a very painful injury that cannot be easily cured by a pain relieving injection. If this is the injury, it could have a large effect on Ben's ability to through the ball with zip and deep balls. Anyone who watches the Steelers on a regular basis knows that Ben has a tendency to underthrow deep passes anyway. This injury could exacerbate that effect and lead to turnovers. Also, Ben's arm strength allows him to throw balls effectively with defenders draped all over him. If there is a measurable reduction in arm strength from the pain associated with this injury, he could be limited in this aspect as well. Let's hope the injury really is just a little left over soreness and the x-rays were precautionary. But the fact that he is getting x-rayed during the week of the game tells me there must be some serious discomfort that has him or the team concerned.

Ben has played fairly effectively through injuries all season. He had an injured shoulder for most of the season. Then he suffered the scary concussion/spinal concussion in the last game of the regular season. He played well despite those injuries. If Ben comes out underthrowing, wincing, or with lack of zip on his passes we will know the reason.