Pittsburgh Coordinator: Roethlisberger Having the Best Camp of His Career

At age 36, the veteran quarterback has cut back his workload to prevent wear and tear.

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Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

At training camp, the Pittsburgh Steelers have three quarterbacks behind their starter on the depth chart.

And, if the way camp has been going for Ben Roethlisberger is any indication, Landry Jones, Mason Rudolph, and Josh Dobbs aren’t going to hit the field in meaningful games anytime soon.

The longtime Steeler is having the best camp of his career entering his 15th season in the NFL, according to his new offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. 

He knows what he’s talking about because, despite just getting the OC job, Fichtner has been a member of head coach Mike Tomlin’s staff in Pittsburgh since 2007 and has served as Roethlisberger’s quarterback coach for a number of seasons. 

It sounds contradictory, but the biggest reason the 36-year-old is excelling on the field is he is spending more time off of it thanks to a new routine.

As part of the switch, Roethlisberger practices for a full day, does a half practice the next day and then takes the third day off completely.

“I would say it’s the best camp he’s had,” Fichtner said. “The only reason I say this is because he’s in the best shape since I’ve had him. Now, obviously when you’re younger you know you can probably move a little better, maybe his arm might have been a tad livelier. I know he feels better walking off the fiel. He’s not iced down all the way with two [practice] periods left to go.”

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