Steelers Notebook: Roethlisberger seeking playing time Saturday
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Ben Roethlisberger shares a laugh with Dick LeBeau, not pictured, before the start of afternoon drills Thursday.
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Ben Roethlisberger said he has "no clue yet" if he will start or even play in the preseason opener against the Detroit Lions, but emphasized he would like to get on the field at some point Saturday night at Heinz Field.
"Absolutely," Roethlisberger said. "I want to be out there with the guys."
Earlier in the day, coach Mike Tomlin was noncommittal about which quarterback would start against the Lions -- Roethlisberger, Byron Leftwich or Dennis Dixon -- and even suggested Roethlisberger might not play at all.
"We're going to make you come to the stadium to find out," Tomlin said in a morning news conference at Saint Vincent College.
When the Steelers opened training camp nearly two weeks ago, Tomlin had Roethlisberger take the first snap and run the first series with the starting offense. It is not known if he will follow a similar approach in the preseason opener.
Regardless of who starts at quarterback, Tomlin said he will use his starters for eight to 12 plays against the Lions.
"If he says I'm not going to play, that's his call," Roethlisberger said after practice Thursday afternoon.
Asked if it mattered if he played with the second-team offense -- something Tomlin suggested as "theoretically" possible -- Roethlisberger said, "Nope."
This will be Roethlisberger's first game since his much-publicized incident in Milledgeville, Ga., in which he was accused, but never charged, of sexual assault against a college student. He was asked if he is worried about how he will be received by the fans at Heinz Field.
"They've been awesome," Roethlisberger said, referring to the fans at training camp. "I think and hope it will be awesome."
Tomlin said he came to training camp with a plan of how he was going to use his quarterbacks and is sticking to that script. He said he wanted to provide Roethlisberger with "enough opportunities to have a productive camp and preseason" and said his quarterback has looked "exceptionally sharp."
Added Tomlin, "To this juncture, you can say it's a double thumbs-up and, hopefully, it continues."
First Published August 13, 2010 12:17 am
