The Steelers might have one of the league's most explosive offenses, but a rash of injuries have left them woefully thin at key positions on both sides of the ball. Yes, it's football, and injuries are as much a part of the game as the forward pass, but Ben Roethlisberger thinks there's more to it than plain bad luck.
"We have a lot of injuries," the Steelers quarterback told 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I think a lot of our stuff stems from we're one of the most physical football teams in training camp, in practice, you know. We do more hitting than most teams do and more [practices in] pads."
The team's first two picks in the 2015 draft -- linebacker Bud Dupree and cornerback Senquez Golson -- were both injured in training camp and neither has played a snap in the regular season. Veteran wideout Markus Wheaton missed the first two games of the season with a shoulder injury, and neither fullback Roosevelt Nix nor interior lineman Cody Wallace have fully recovered from training camp injuries. Meanwhile, these starters are currently sidelined after missed at least one game: right tackle Marcus Gilbert, wide receiver Eli Rogers, inside linebacker Ryan Shazier and safety Robert Golden. And now, one of the team's best players, defensive end Cam Heyward, is out for Sunday's matchup against the Dolphins.
Roethlisberger also pointed to the training camp scrimmages against the Lions, a team that "hadn't even gone a day in pads and we had already done like two weeks."
"We're talking to their players how physical our practices are. I think sometimes it takes a toll on some guys, you know, hamstrings and quads and guys reinjuring things. ... We talk about being a physical football team and we are a physical football team, but we also have to take care of our guys."
Not surprisingly, Roethlisberger was asked about his comments on Wednesday and he didn't back down.
"When you're doing it over and over and the guy's shoulders are getting sore and knees start getting sore and hips and hamstrings and quads and things, and then they re-occur, you've got to maybe take a look at what you're doing," he said, via ESPN.com. "We pride ourselves as the Pittsburgh Steelers being a physical football team, so it's a fine line you have to walk."
So should the Steelers change how they prepare?
"I'm not the coach or the owners or the league or the office," the quarterback said. "I'm just a player."
A player who clearly has given some thought to why his teammates can't stay healthy.
The silver lining is that the Steelers, despite the injuries, are 4-1, which is a testament to their depth. They face the Dolphins on Sunday, host the Patriots on October 23, and then get their bye.