Big Ben still a marvel
LATROBE — When the Pittsburgh Steelers players first heard about Ben Roethlisberger's motorcycle accident six weeks ago, many feared the worst — worried more about him living, not about whether he would play football again.
"A lot of players thought he was on his deathbed," Hines Ward said as the Steelers opened training camp Friday.
Instead, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback was expected to be right there with his teammates when they went through their annual running test Saturday. He's lost some weight as his broken jaw heals, but he's in much better shape than they possibly could have imagined.
During the June 12 accident near downtown Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger flew off his high-performance motorcycle and landed headfirst on a car windshield, resulting in numerous cuts and so much bleeding that he was told he easily could have bled to death at the scene.
"But you look at him, and it's like nothing's happened to him," guard Kendall Simmons said. "I'm impressed with the way he looks and I'm excited about him going back out there and throwing the ball around a little bit."
That might occur as early as Sunday, when the Steelers hold the first practice of their 40th training camp at St. Vincent College.
The Steelers expect him to be ready for the Sept. 7 opener against Miami, and Roethlisberger likely will take about as many snaps in exhibition play as he did last year — or, not very many.
"Everything has worked out for the best," Ward said.
Most of his teammates have seen Roethlisberger since the accident, as he attended the now-retired Jerome Bettis' recent wedding in Jamaica. Several players said Friday that he apologized to them then, saying he never meant to jeopardize their chances of repeating their Super Bowl championship by getting hurt riding his motorcycle without a helmet.
Ward said there was no second-guessing of Roethlisberger by teammates.
"We all make mistakes in life, and it's an unfortunate incident that happened," Ward said. "We're not going to harp on the past. It's just great to have him in camp early."
First-round draft pick Santonio Holmes reached terms Friday on a five-year contract, a deal that apparently does not include added contract language protecting them against additional off-field problems.
By reaching terms with Holmes minutes before coach Bill Cowher held his first full-squad meeting of camp, the Steelers locked up their last remaining unsigned player. Earlier in the day, they signed third-round pick Willie Reid, the former Florida State receiver.
Holmes, a former Ohio State star wide receiver, has been arrested twice since being the No. 25 pick in the April draft. He faces an Aug. 15 trial on an assault charge involving a woman in Columbus, Ohio, who is the mother of one of his three children. He also pleaded innocent to disorderly conduct charges brought Memorial Day weekend in Miami.
The Steelers made one roster move by releasing former Pitt quarterback Rod Rutherford, who spent time on their practice squad last season. They also added NFL Europe wide receiver Marvin Allen, who will spend the season on their practice squad and cannot be activated.
