Steelers HC Mike Tomlin opens up on life without Ben Roethlisberger

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has a big decision to make this offseason in relation to who will be his next starting quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger, who was the Steelers' quarterback for the last 18 years, retired this offseason.

Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls in his time with Pittsburgh, one of them coming under Mike Tomlin. Tomlin appeared on the Pivot Podcast to talk about the departure of 'Big Ben', saying:

"When you watch somebody do something at a certain level for so long, it messes up your perception of what's regular and what's not. The dude's arm talent was so special for so long. When you see special stuff every day, you get used to it. I've enjoyed that comfort, we've all enjoyed that comfort. I'm excited about being uncomfortable."

Tomlin added that while they might not have a quarterback like Roethlisberger on their roster, they do have signal callers who are capable of getting the job done.

Tomlin added:

"Yeah, we might not have the type of quarterback play that we've had. We might not have the special talent that we've had, but we got capable dudes. And we've got a team."

The Steelers signed Mitchell Trubisky in free agency and used their first-round pick on Kenny Pickett. The two will battle for the starting job this season.

Mike Tomlin has high expectations for Najee Harris

Pittsburgh Steelers v Baltimore Ravens

With Roethlisberger gone, there will be new leadership on the young Steelers roster. Mike Tomlin hopes Najee Harris will be one of those leaders.

"There's going to be some new leadership here. Some of them you can anticipate, like [Najee Harris]. But make no mistake, we are not sitting around hoping any of it happens. We're thoughtfully constructing it."

Mike Tomlin added that Harris can become a leader who is capable of improving his teammates.

"That dude is a bell cow. He's gonna have to be a bell cow for us. If this train is going anywhere in 2022, he's going to be a major component of it, and he's capable. I ain't even talking about from a talent standpoint. We know that. I'm talking about he's capable from an intangibles standpoint."

Harris was taken in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. He had a solid rookie campaign, running the ball 307 times for 1,200 yards and adding another 467 yards on 74 receptions with 10 total TDs.

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