Actually, he doesn't.

You know, if this was a couple of years ago, sure.

For Big Ben and Roethlisberger.

Let me be very clear.

For a 38 year old coming off a catastrophic injury for which he missed a season, especially member.

It was.

It was the ligaments in his right elbow.

I remember Roethlisberger talking about like the doctor told him he'd never seen like this has never happened to a quarterback before, like that kind of injury.

For him to come back and play the way he's played is amazing.

By those standards.

He's doing great, and he's a really NFL quarterback again.

But he hasn't been Ben Roethlisberger.

Quite not yet.

He's been like, You know, if you wanna hold him to his previous standard, he's not yet measuring up.

I didn't expect him to right out the gate, and yet it is what it is through a bunch of interceptions.

Last time we saw him, he looks like a solid right now, kind of middle of the pack quarterback with a great defense and, by the way, some receivers in a running game too.

Roethlisberger.

When he's really Roethlisberger is, if not an M V P candidate, then the very next thing to it.

We haven't seen that from him.

And furthermore, I believe is Muchas.

You know, Stephen, I'll leave Lamar Jackson to you.

But whatever struggles they have in their passing game, the Steelers, also through the year, have not been amazing.

They're the Steelers gonna beam or dependent on Roethlisberger being the best version of himself.

If they're serious about contending for a Super Bowl championship this year and they have the team to do it, please Ben Roethlisberger don't have anything to prove until playoff time.

He's a super boys.

A two time Super Bowl champion.

He's been the three Super Bowls.

He's coming off an injury and even still there, 60 with him completing 68% of his passes, just 13 touched 13 touchdown with just 14 such brothers bowling even don't think.

Who cares?

The bottom line is that again he's going to be held accountable.

Comm playoff time.

Lamar Jackson, even though he's got something to prove in the playoffs and they got the second worst passing attacking football.

The second word's passing attack they ranked 31st.

He's completed about 63% of his passes.

He's running the football effectively because he always does.

But he clearly still hasn't been that.

Dude, you need him to be as a passer when you talk about having something to prove, going up against the Steelers defense with that secondary, the way they've been getting after the quarterback a well, the way they've been playing overall as a defense, Lamar Jackson needs to show up and do his thing, not running the football.

I'm talking about cause we all know what he could do with that.

I'm talking about actually throwing the football.

That's what Lamar Jackson needs to do.

I think he's the one that has to show a lot.

Big Ben Roethlisberger just needs to stay healthy and get into the playoffs.

Then we'll just I don't know if I don't know if I don't know if either you guys know this, But this is the first meeting between Big Ben and Lamar Jackson.

Very first, very first meeting.

This this is huge for Lamar Jackson.

Okay, because since he's been the starting quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, he hasn't had to deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

What the what?

The quarterback of the statute that big Ben Roethlisberger is.

OK?

And Stephen A.

You you already talked about talked about as far as Lamar Jackson.

Concern with one area that Lamar Jackson absolutely needs to improve on is the passing game, particularly his passes.

Explosive plays down the field, you know, because he hasn't been accurate at all, exposed in that area off the field in the passing game.

And so when you're talking about now Steelers team, that's not what that's not playing with a third string quarterback and still going 88 Now you're talking about Steelers team with Big Ben Roethlisberger.

He may not be the old big Ben big Ben Roethlisberger, but he is more than enough to have his team being the best team in the A F.

C.

In my opinion, right now, with the weapons that the Steelers have, we need to see Lamar Jackson take the next step.

Yes, he's been the M v P.

Yes, he's been spectacular as far as Russian running the football, but unless he takes another step in the past game because that's where you have to win football games late in the year and come playoffs.

You gotta be able to beat people from the neck up.

If we don't see that from Lamar Jackson, it's absolutely all the pressures on him in this in this game.

Well, e think you guys are addressing something slightly different, or at least you are Damien.

I mean, the idea is look Roethlisberger through what three interceptions last week and beat an undefeated team in one of the best teams in the conference.

And he did that because he has a defense and also their special teams were quite good.

So it is true he doesn't.

He's not going to have to do as much as Lamar Jackson is gonna have to do in order for his team toe win.

But what they have to prove is a little different.

Big Ben Roethlisberger, at some point, is gonna want to show people that he's still himself.

He hasn't done that yet.

As I said, I started out by giving him credit for a 38 year old who's been off a year with that injury.

He's been amazing, but by his own standards, he's not yet been Ben Roethlisberger.

The Steelers will absolutely need him to be himself.

And because there because then their championship contenders, Lamar Jackson, has to show that he can beat you.

You know, with his arm.

Because the Steelers run defense is ridiculous, although the past events pretty good, too.

So, yes, he had.

It's not that he doesn't have things to prove.

They both do, but he's not the one coming off injury.

He's the one coming off in M V P season, and if you look at the seasons they're having so far where he's considered a disappointment, in fact, he's probably playing better than Roethlisberger right now.

Max, you you mean to tell me that you're putting more pressure on on a guy who's 38 years old?

That had what, like Tommy John surgery on his on his elbow or something like that?

Then the guy who hasn't who hasn't won a playoff game yet?

I'm saying Lessing for the reasons you point out.

He has more to prove more to prove.

I mean, he's I mean, he's a Super Bowl winning here match.

What?

What are we talking about?

A guy that really on the back end of his he's a guy that's clearly on the back end of his career.

Yes, he got pieces around him that helped him win games.

But as far as more to prove, you're not talking about the whole of fame resume, guys, we're not talking about their Hall of Fame resumes.

Ben Roethlisberger is in the Hall of Fame, right?

He's gonna be in the Hall of Fame one day.

I'm not talking about their resume, but he proved that a long time ago about this.

Ben Roethlisberger, who just came off missing a season who came off elbow surgery to his throwing arm, who has been miraculously considering all that but has not yet played to his standards.

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