The Philadelphia Eagles could learn from Ben Roethlisberger’s resurgence
By David Esser
The Philadelphia Eagles could learn quite a bit from Ben Roethlisberger’s dominant 2020 season.
While it wasn’t the prettiest of wins, the Pittsburgh Steelers got the job done today against the Baltimore Ravens, and in turn improved to 11-0 on the season. Led by their franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have been one of the most surprising teams in 2020, and are going to have a genuine shot at finishing the year undefeated. With that in mind, I think the Philadelphia Eagles could learn quite a bit from how Pittsburgh and “Big Ben” have manufactured wins this season.
For the majority of his now 17 year football career, Big Ben has been a bit of a loose cannon at the quarterback position. He would rarely make quick decisions, instead relying on his large stature and physical strength to create big plays. Ben would regularly eat hits and stay in the pocket for 4-5 seconds, shrugging off defenders as he hunted the long ball. Considering the fact that Ben delivered two Super Bowls to Pittsburgh, it’s hard to say that his style of play didn’t work, but it appeared to be dwindling as he got older and less athletic.
Roethlisberger led the NFL in interceptions in 2018, logged double digit picks in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and ultimately missed the majority of the 2019 season due to a shoulder injury. Big Ben’s previous “Iron Man” status seemed to be fading, and the Steelers hadn’t been considered an “elite” team for some time.
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With all that in mind, Ben and the Steelers pulled a complete 180 heading into the 2020 season. Entering today’s game against Baltimore, Roethlisberger had the fastest average release time, and it’s completely rejuvenated the Pittsburgh offense.
Ben currently has 25 touchdowns, close to 3,000 yards, and just six interceptions. His new style of quarterbacking has also obviously resulted in an abundance of success for the Steelers.
Entering into the league, Carson Wentz was actually compared to Big Ben quite a bit. They had a similar play style, and their desire to hunt the big play was prominent (think Wentz in 2017). Considering just how bad Wentz has struggled here in 2020, surrounded by injured offensive linemen and below average receiving talent, the Philadelphia Eagles should take inspiration from some of the Steelers’ passing success this season.
Structuring the offense around quick reads designed to get speedy players into space would do wonders for Wentz in the passing game, and would undoubtedly help out struggling rookies like Jalen Reagor and John Hightower as well. Both of these guys (along with Quez Watkins) were drafted for their speed and YAC ability, yet none of them have really been used in a way that maximizes their skills. Putting Reagor on some routes similar to what Diontae Johnson runs in Pittsburgh would instantly improve the Eagles offense.
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It’s unknown what Doug Pederson’s future will look like, but it’s become clear that he needs to start switching up his playbook. His lack of innovation has completely broken the team’s franchise quarterback, and the Eagles continue to flop when it comes to integrating young receivers into the offense. Simply taking some inspiration from Big Ben and the Steelers would be a great starting point, as they have clearly cracked the code on generating quick and effective air yards.