Roethlisberger or defense to be introduced? Who cares?

By Jeff

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pittsburgh is a football town and people want any Steelers news they can get. But do fans really care if the offense and Ben Roethlisberger or the defense is introduced prior to the start of the game Sunday?

I get it. The game will be Big Ben's return to the lineup after his 4-game suspension for allegedly sexually assaulting a young woman. The quarterback put his team and the city in a spot with his actions, so people are curious about the reaction he will receive. But do we really need the radio shows and "PTI" asking who the Steelers should introduce?

If you can't tell, I would say no. Ben probably thinks he should be introduced. Twice. His ego is that large.

Expect Ben to make a similar face if
he doesn't get the intro.

No one watching on television ever sees much of the pregame intros. Maybe CBS or FOX show a few seconds of it before going back to their in studio shows, and that's it. Even if CBS shows the intro, which they will if Steelers offense gets the nod, that's not the reaction to Roethlisberger that any one should care about.

What people should pay attention to is how fans react when Roethlisberger throws a touchdown, or a pick. Will fans support him when he succeeds and fails? Those are interesting questions. How they act when he runs out of the tunnel is a giant who cares.

Instead of asking how Ben will be received, the national guys should be more concerned about how the man plays. Will he be rusty and out of sync with his teammates? Will he be the guy who broke the franchise record for passing yards in a season last year? These are the important questions that will be factors in the team winning or losing the game (Yes, it's possible. Just look at the game the team lost to the Browns last year).

Bottom line is it doesn't matter what side of the ball is introduced. It won't play a role in the outcome in the game and it's not a real story. Now if you want to talk about matters like what is the potential of Mike Wallace with Roethlisberger passing to him, I'm more than happy to listen.

Don Henley - Dirty Laundry