I personally believe it's the absence of a running game.

They've had Ah, bottom three running attack in the National Football League the last three years, which is just unthinkable for Pittsburgh Steelers franchise that I've known and loved since I was a kid.

But here's the bottom line.

What are the choice?

Do you have?

I think it's incredibly pivotal because as of right now, if you don't have big Ben Roethlisberger, what you've gotta refer to is Mason, Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins.

Here's my response to that as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

Hell, no, no way in hell.

Should that be the case?

Now listen big Ben Roethlisberger.

I think he's prone to mistakes.

I think if you get him to throw the football 50 times, he's gonna make a couple of mistakes.

Relatively pivotal Mistake's.

I recognize that, but the brother still through for nearly 4000 yards, he still had 33 touchdowns, just 10 interceptions.

He still completed over 65% of his passes.

He's been to three Super Bowls.

He's a two time Super Bowl champion.

He does make plays.

He does make enough big plays.

And when you consider the plethora of weapons that they have available to them, whether it's James Washington, Juju, Smith, Schuster, Claypool, Eric Ebron and the crew, the bottom line is you've got weapons to throw the football, too.

And you have somebody in big Ben Roethlisberger who can throw them the football.

You can't struggle of tackles the way that he used to.

He can't even scramble the way that he used to and extend plays to the degree that he used to.

But he can still do it if you gave him a running game.

My biggest issue for saying that Ben Roethlisberger, Ben Roethlisberger's return his pivotal is the fact that there can't be a leaning on Mason.

Rudolph.

I don't wanna hear that Mason Rudolph is a new quarterback for the prisoners.

E just don't wanna hear it.

I don't wanna hear it.

I've seen enough of him.

I don't believe in him.

I believe in him as a backup.

I believe in him is an emergency due to lean on for a few possessions or even a couple of games, but the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I'm gonna say it again.

Hell, no.

You don't get me started with Dwayne Haskins.

I don't wanna hear it.

Let him show that he's professional enough to be in the league and to be responsible, Max, without getting himself in compromising situations during the Rhona during the Rhona.

Okay, You would think you know better as a quarterback.

Do not expose yourself to the Rhona.

Okay, but this dude was sitting up there being irresponsible.

I don't know.

The details aren't gonna get into the details.

All right?

This is a PC is a PG program, but damn it, he shouldn't have been in those situations.

Okay, so I'm not trusted him.

And I certainly don't trust Mason Rudolph on the football field.

And that is what elevates the level of urgency when it comes to big Ben Roethlisberger returning as the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Because I don't know if they have the assets backs to pull off a trade and get the get a guy at quarterback, and I certainly don't believe they could do it.

Do it, do it through the draft.

That's where I am with Big Ben.

Well, Stephen A.

You're being very emotional.

May I say you're being quite emotionally and you are.

You are a fan of the team without me, even though everyone in our generation had a rooting interest, either Cowboys or Steelers, Right?

So I'm with you on the Steelers, but let me as not a hard core Steelers fan, give you an objective, uh, take here.

It would be really cool if Roethlisberger ended his career with Steelers, eventually the only team he ever played for one of the greatest franchises ever as a great quarterback.

All that the way Eli did for the Giants.

Same draft class, right?

When you won Super Bowls with the franchise and been toe a bunch of them, and it's cool.

If you could do that, it ain't necessary.

Joe Montana was the goat before Tom Brady was Joe Montana and end his career in San Francisco.

Tom Brady replaced Joe Montana is the goat.

Tom Brady didn't end his career in New England and even other guys who were just associated with franchises and didn't win Super Bowls but were excellent for a bunch of years.

Like Philip Rivers in San Diego and later Los Angeles or Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia.

They didn't end their careers with the teams they started with.

That's the NFL.

So from from that point of view, it would be cool.

It ain't necessary.

That's 12 from the Steelers point of view.

Roethlisberger is a competent quarterback still, and he's clearly the best option that they presently have at least that we're aware of.

But we like he ain't gonna win in the Super Bowl.

I don't know if you can win a Super Bowl right now with Roethlisberger, unless you are like the most loaded team in the league.

Given his age, the injuries and the change in his game, especially with the offensive line the Steelers have, that's why they don't They don't run because they don't run block.

They don't pass.

Protect that.

And then And then he lost his his dude on the line, who retired.

Okay, so I don't think Roethlisberger makes the difference.

But you say, Yeah, but at least he's competent.

The Steelers won't be like a laughing stock without him, but here's the thing.

You might be forgetting Stephen A.

They got Mike Tomlin Mike Tomlin's never been under 500 in his career is a head coach, even without Roethlisberger, as little as what?

13, 14 months ago, 15 months ago like Belichick, has been under 500 now, not Tomlin.

So what you know about the Steelers with Mike Tomlin's coach, they will feel the competitive team.

Does Roethlisberger make a difference?

Yeah, but it's marginal in the sense that he ain't gonna win the Super Bowl or make a deep playoff run.

I don't believe at this point.

So from the Steelers point of view, it would be cool to have Roethlisberger.

It's not the end of the world, if you don't.

And from Roethlisberger's point of view, in the rest of ours, same sort of thing.

Yeah, it'd be nice.

It ain't that important, Stephen A.

Well, you could say that.

I disagree with you again because of Mason Rudolph in Dwayne Haskins.

And even though I love me some Mike Tomlin all right, you know how I feel about Mike Tomlin, my brother Big Tom coach, and he deserves a lot of credit.

This is the one point where you could, you know, I pinpoint things because I'm a Steelers fan year.

For years, I had issues with secondary.

All these short dudes.

He puts in the secondary, but the athletic and they could playing well, now that you've got make a Fitzpatrick back there with my boy Joe Haydon and the crew, I mean, I'm good with it.

I would love a jail pass rush.

I wish J.

J.

Watt will go to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Join the brothers, joined the brothers Derrick and TJ, join the brothers and show up in Pittsburgh.

JJ, that's the way to go.

That's the way to go.

But here's the deal, Max.

I can't let Mike Tomlin or Kevin Colbert off the hook.

When the last three years your running game has has been 29th or worse this past season, it was dead last at 32.

That's unacceptable.

He's a Pittsburgh Steelers we're talking about here.

You gotta be able to run the football, okay?

And yeah, you got to do some run blocking and I think James Connor can play.

He's not a scrub.

I just don't view him as a game changer.

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