Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger says the quiet part out loud about Minkah Fitzpatrick trade

USA Today

12 hours ago

Minkah Fitzpatrick may not be a Pittsburgh Steeler anymore — but that hasn't stopped the legendary Ben Roethlisberger from defending his play regarding the recent splash plays narrative.
Many speculated that Fitzpatrick's lack of production played a role in facilitating his trade to the Miami Dolphins — and while Roethlisberger didn't deny that as a possibility, he argued that a downward trend in splash plays were a poor measure of talent.
"[Minkah] set his own bar really high,' Roethlisberger said on Tuesday's episode of his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. "…As a defensive back — corner, safety — if I'm a cornerback and I don't have a lot of interceptions or pass breakups, a lot of times it's because people don't throw it at me. And that also speaks to how good you are. So maybe his production is down because people just aren't taking those shots."
Roethlisberger acknowledged that analytics may paint a different picture — but Big Ben arguably hit the nail right on the head.
One could also blame the defensive game plan, as it's unfair to expect interceptions from Fitzpatrick when quarterbacks are throwing away from his side of the field — scheming him out of the game.
It hardly matters, though, as Fitzpatrick is heading back to the team that drafted him — while the Steelers have their new cornerback in Jalen Ramsey to potentially replicate their loss at the safety position.
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