Ben Roethlisberger turns 39 in March, and if wants to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021, his former teammate, Ike Taylor has some advice for him: lose some weight.
“He got to get on the Tom Brady level,” Taylor told JR SportBrief. “He got to get some of his mobility back, and that’s losing weight – just to give yourself a shot.”
Roethlisberger, of course, has never been much of a scrambler, but he was excellent at buying time in the pocket and keeping plays alive. If he wants to win another Super Bowl, that needs to be part of his game.
“He got to want to do it,” Taylor said. “He says he wants to come back. In order for 7 to come back, he got to want to be mobile a little bit – and for him to be mobile a little bit, he got to have a hell of a offseason.”
Taylor, 40, spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and won two Super Bowls with Big Ben. If Roethlisberger doesn’t lose weight, well, he – and the Steelers – could be in trouble next season.
“If defenses know 7 can’t move or don’t want to move, man, I’m going to blitz you all day,” Taylor said. “If 7 wants to come back, that’s a sacrifice 7 has to [make].”