Steelers Will Need a RB Next Year

Good morning,

Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of exaggerating and maybe over-dramatizing some injuries to him in the past – the broken toes at the end of his rookie season being the most infamous instance. So when he insists there is nothing wrong with his right wrist, it’s easy to believe him.

Also, he was adamant about it when he spoke to me and he wore no wrap or support of any kind on his wrist all day yesterday. There also would be no reason for the Steelers to not list the injury on their official report to the NFL Wednesday if it were true.

The report of his fractured wrist came yesterday from a blogger in Indianapolis who cited a source close to Ben Roethlisberger. Yesterday, the blogger wrote a Tweet standing by his story in response to our own quoting Roethlisberger and Steelers sources that there was no broken bone.

Onto some other stuff:

--- Under the new drug policy the NFL adopted recently, Le’Veon Bell is subject to a two-game suspension by the NFL, even though his DUI charge could be wiped out legally after he pleaded to a deal. Pleading to deals is not recognized in such cases by the NFL. Only if the charges were thrown out or if he were found not guilty in a trial would he not have been subject to that NFL discipline.

The good news for the Steelers is that Roger Goodell most likely will wait until next year to suspend him. The other news is that they need to find a halfback to play in those two games who is not on their current roster. But then, they will need to find a backup halfback anyway.

--- Nine years later, the Steelers would appear to be in a similar boat as they were in 2005 when they needed to win eight straight to win the Super Bowl. If they win their final four games, they will win the AFC North Division but unlikely to get one of the two first-round byes in the AFC. So they would have to win a home playoff game, then go on the road to play one of the top two seeds, then (barring upsets) play the AFC title game on the road and then the Super Bowl in Arizona.

--- Anyone out there think they can do all of that?

Here is James Harrison, a member of that 2005 team:

“We have a chance, that’s it. That’s all you can ask for, go out and play the games and see how they roll out. I always feel good anytime I get an opportunity to go out and play, get an opportunity to go out and try to get the job done, an opportunity to go out and compete.”

--- Last year it was James Harrison, and now the Cincinnati Bengals have another former Steelers linebacker on their roster. Chris Carter – remember him? – was signed by the Bengals on Wednesday. The Steelers waived him before this regular season after he played three seasons for them. They drafted him in the fifth round in 2011. Carter hooked on with Indianapolis, where he played one game but was released by the Colts early in October. Carter also started the first two games of the 2012 season at right outside linebacker for the injured Harrison. He replaces injured Jayson DiManche on the Bengals roster.

--- When Mike Tomlin on Tuesday said about Jarvis Jones that “He possibly could be an asset to us in this football game,’’ he had to mean on special teams. Jones has not played since the third game of the season, when his wrist was injured so badly it required surgery. This is his second week of practice. The Steelers have all of next week as well to determine if they want to activate him off injured reserve or keep him there the rest of the season. They can activate him at any time before then too. Naturally, someone must go if they put him on their roster.