Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could be playing in the final month of his storied Steelers career, but the veteran signal caller isn’t focusing on his final season in Pittsburgh, instead putting his attention on a late-season push for a playoff berth.
Roethlisberger, 39, has been telling former teammates and organization members that he intends this to be his final season in Pittsburgh, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter a few weeks ago.
“I’m living right here, right now,” Roethlisberger said on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “We’ve got to make a run. We’ve got to play good football. We’ve got to play great football. That starts right here with me. I can’t get caught looking at the end because I need to focus on right here, this week.”
The Steelers are currently sitting at 6-6-1 and at the bottom of the AFC North division, but seem within striking distance of both the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Baltimore Ravens as the season heads to the stretch run.
“You look at guys sometimes and look in their eyes and see what they have,” Roethlisberger said. “The crazy thing about this game and this sport is you can look at guys and you can feel that guys have all the heart in the world and the passion and they want it and they’re going to give you everything they have.
“Sometimes the other team is better or they make a play and you don’t. Just because you’re losing a football game or the season isn’t going the way you want it to, doesn’t mean these guys don’t have heart and don’t love it and aren’t passionate for it. It doesn’t mean that. I just want to see that guys are never going to quit.”
