Roethlisberger initially thought his season was over
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is helped off the field after injuring his knee during the third quarter Sunday against the Rams.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger holds his leg after injuring his knee Sunday during the third quarter against the Rams.
PITTSBURGH – Ben Roethlisberger’s lower left leg hurt so badly after being hit by St. Louis safety Mark Barron Sunday that he feared it was broken.
It turned out that Roethlisberger suffered a sprained MCL in his knee and bone bruise during the third quarter of the Steelers’ 12-6 win over the Rams. It’s an injury that is expected to keep him out of the Steelers’ lineup for four to six weeks, but it could have been much worse.
“Initially my whole my knee, my leg, everything hurt, and eventually my knee started to feel a little bit better,” Roethlisberger said. “As I was going off the field I told (Dr. Tom Bradley), ‘I feel like my leg’s broke,’ like my lower leg was broke. It just felt really bad and that’s when he said that was the bone bruise, the effect I felt.”
As the night went on, the next fear for Roethlisberger was a torn knee ligament, an injury that would have ended his season. Concerns about that injury ended after he underwent an MRI, the results of which came as a relief to the Steelers’ starting quarterback.
“Yes, it was. Obviously, you’re always scared of season-ending ACL surgery,” Roethlisberger said. “Doc got in and said he thinks he feels the ACL but still wanted to get an MRI. You still have that little bit of nerves until you get the MRI and he tells you (the results) afterwards.”
The frustration stems from the fact Roethlisberger will not be in the lineup when the Steelers (2-1) host the Baltimore Ravens (0-3) Thursday night at Heinz Field.
Mike Vick, signed Aug. 25 after backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski was lost to a season-ending hand injury, will make his first start for the Steelers.
Roethlisberger was still on crutches Tuesday but said he hopes to be off of them by Thursday night.
“I’m trying to convince Coach (Mike) Tomlin to let me be on the sideline,” Roethlisberger said. “I’m still negotiating that with him. I guess he has a no-crutch rule on the sideline, so if I can get rid of these we’ll see what happens.”
The wait-and-see attitude is something the Steelers are taking with Vick, who made three starts last season for the New York Jets, including a 20-13 win over the Steelers.
Vick, 35, wasn’t great in that game, completing 10 of 18 passes for 132 yards, but he did throw a pair of touchdown passes and also scrambled eight times for 39 yards.
“It felt good out there,” said Vick Tuesday of his first day of practice as the Steelers’ starter. “We’re trying to build some chemistry and get on the same page.”
Roethlisberger, who said he’ll have to wear a knee brace for at least a couple of weeks when he returns, will do whatever he can to help Vick prepare to play. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley said he will tailor his game plan to help Vick.
“This is a quarterback who touches the ball on every play,” Haley said. “Just like any other player, we work hard as a coaching staff. We take pride as a coaching staff of playing to each player’s strengths.
“He’s not just stepping in and doing what Ben did. He’s going to step in and do what Mike Vick does to give us the best chance to succeed.”
In the meantime, Roethlisberger will continue to work his way back onto the field. His return has been estimated at four to six weeks, though neither the Steelers or Roethlisberger are putting a schedule on it.
“I don’t know,” Roethlisberger said. “(I’m) trying to talk to doctors. Trying to drink my milk and try to get back as fast as I can. We’ll take it week by week. I know I’m out this week. We’ll re-evaluate next week and go from there.”
In addition to Roethlisberger, tight end Matt Spaeth (hand) did not practice Tuesday. … The Steelers released center Barrett Jones from the practice squad and signed center B.J. Finney, who was with the team in training camp but injured in the preseason finale. … The Steelers are 1-5 without Roethlisberger against the Ravens since he became the starter in Week 3 of 2004.