There’s nothing like seeing your franchise quarterback throw a football in a gym to rally a franchise. From the moment the short video of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throwing came out, the public perception of the Steelers has been on an upturn. You mix that in with some smart pluses and minuses on the roster and you have a recipe for a contending team.
The NFL Network certainly appreciates what the Steelers have done. In their latest power rankings, Pittsburgh makes a big jump from No. 16 to No. 10. Here’s what they had to say about Pittsburgh.
All I want to do is talk about Ben Roethlisberger’s beard. It’s magnificent and mysterious and hideous and bizarre and comforting … all at the same time. It looks like Big Ben has been in quarantine since last March. The exit of Javon Hargrave to the Eagles hurts, but the Steelers acted quickly to address the loss by trading with the Ravens(!) for defensive lineman Chris Wormley. On offense, Roethlisberger gets a new red-zone weapon in tight end Eric Ebron, who is one season removed from a 13-touchdown campaign with Andrew Luck and the Colts. Ebron is a flawed player, but the former first-round pick has a chance to put up numbers in Pittsburgh’s two tight end offense.
