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Steelers Legend Ben Roethlisberger Sympathizes With Kenny Pickett Over This Alarming Issue He Also Faced With Iconic Receivers Like Hines Ward and Antonio Brown

Published 12/13/2022, 5:00 PM EST

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Last year, legendary Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, announced his retirement from football. Since then, many NFL fans are waiting for Big Ben to pull off a Tom Brady-type reversal of retirement. However, Ben is pretty happy with his decision and even enjoys going after some of his former teammates, now that he is not passing to them anymore.

Ben Roethlisberger took a subtle dig at former wide receiver teammates when he brought up the subject of current Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. Big Ben had former Steelers OLB James Harrison on for the watch party episode of the ‘Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger’ podcast. The Steelers faced the Atlanta Falcons. And Ben made some shrewd observations with a personal anecdote.

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When rookie Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett threw a 3-yard pass to rookie wide receiver George Pickens, Ben was quick to spot that there was something wrong. The 2x Super Bowl champion explained that it was a pass to keep Pickens satisfied after the latter was acting up on the sidelines. “They just showed him on the bench sitting there, pouting. They showed the coach come up and sit down next to him. I guarantee what just happened…… They threw him a three-yard pass to try to keep him happy,” Big Ben said.

Ben Roethlisberger had some hungry wide receivers to feed

Ben Roethlisberger won the fifth and sixth rings for his franchise with some quality help in the receiving department. That included a young Antonio Brown and Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward. From time to time, it was difficult to satisfy all the receivers equally for quarterback Ben. And Roethlisberger did exactly what Pickett and Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada did. Put a smile on your receiver’s face. “We would do that to guys, hey we have to do something so and so is mad. He is fighting with everybody. We gotta throw a screen,” the 6x Pro Bowler recounted.

USA Today via Reuters

Antonio Brown definitely wouldn’t have been happy with just one catch in the game given his final explosive exit mid-game after being refused to put in the game. George Pickens was also visibly upset and threw his helmet after his only completed catch for the night.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers overcame the Falcons 19-16. However, this week Roethlisberger saw his dear Steelers lose to the Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens. And backup Ravens QB Tyler Huntley threw only 12 times for less than 100 yards. Surprisingly, that was enough, as the Ravens’ running game saved the day. The 5-8 Steelers are at the bottom of the AFC North. However, their playoff hopes are still alive. Next up, the Carolina Panthers.

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Written by:

Soumyapriyo Ganguly

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Soumyapriyo Ganguly is an NFL writer at Essentially Sports. He holds a degree in Economics and Statistics from the Indian School of Business and Finance. Rivu is a sports nerd with his favorites being Soccer, American Football, Basketball, UFC, and Formula 1.
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