Ben on NFL Network today

Found this article on NBC via Yahoo, but I watched the "interview" on NFL Network. To my surprise the NFL Network crew was actually giving the Steelers some respect, even Sapp a few times.

Ben Roethlisberger: I don?t know how to avoid taking hits

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 13, 2012, 6:18 PM EDT

AP
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says that for anyone who wants him to change the way he plays to avoid taking hits and stay healthier, he has some bad news: He doesn?t know how.

Roethlisberger spoke to reporters in the Steelers? locker room today and said that the key to staying healthy is to avoid getting hit. But the only way he knows how to play the quarterback position is the way he?s always played it, and sometimes contact is part of that.

?I don?t think there?s this big revelation, like I need to do this or I need to do that,? Roethlisberger said. ?It?s, ?Don?t take hits.? But I don?t know how to do that.?

Of course, it could be on the Steelers? coaches ? specifically new offensive coordinator Todd Haley ? to teach Roethlisberger how. But Roethlisberger said that all the coaches can do is change the Steelers? protections, because he has no intention of changing the way he plays.

?I?m not going to change my game,? Roethlisberger said. ?Coach can do what he wants to add protection and do things like that, but I?m going to play the game the way I know how. It?s worked OK for me so far.?

It?s easy to see why Roethlisberger would think he doesn?t need to change: He?s been awfully successful the way he is. But three months after he turned 30 years old, it may be time for him to think about how he can keep playing well for years to come, by finding a way to take fewer hits.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...d-taking-hits/

I have never thought his "style of play" was to blame because his "style of play" is avoiding a sack due to our poor O line play and O play calling. I don't think he needs to try and find a way to change his game, the additions to the O line and proper play calling will change it enough on their own. I also could see why he wouldn't want to change much due to his success as the article mentions. That said, (and you can look through all 1200+ posts of mine and you will be lucky to find 2 that are negative about Ben), he had ANOTHER ridiculous answer. To say "the coach can do what he's going to do but I'm not changing" will be interpreted by many as "the coach can f*ck off because I know how to win". Everybody has talked about Haley getting in players faces and I have been saying since day 1 that with as much as Ben has accomplished Haley doesn't need to be "getting in his face" since he has never won anything. But you don't go off saying things to the media about it that sound disrespectful. Also, this is the second time he has admitted to not knowing how to do something, first he said he would just now have to start learning where protections are coming from, and now about not getting hit. He just makes himself sound stupid. To be clear, I don't think Ben is stupid, it makes him SOUND stupid IMO. I love Ben but he just doesn't seem to get how to deal with the press, he either reads a proper speech off of a paper or he freelances it and sounds like a dumb ass.

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