<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>PITTSBURGH (Sept. 3, 2006) -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had an emergency appendectomy after becoming ill before practice and will miss Pittsburgh's season opener at home with Miami on Sept. 7, the NFL's marquee opening-night game.Coach Bill Cowher is not certain how long Roethlisberger will be out following the quarterback's third operation in 10 months -- and second in 2? months."The surgery went well," Cowher said. "He is obviously going to be out this week and we will go week to week from there."Charlie Batch, the former Lions starter who was 2-0 as a fill-in last season when Roethlisberger hurt his knee, will start against the Dolphins in the NFL's first game of the season."This is why Charlie is here. Charlie will be fine," Cowher said. "It's a situation that can happen to any football team. You can go out there and have a starter go down, whether it's an ankle or something else of that nature. That's the nature of the business."The appendix attack is yet another medical setback for Roethlisberger, who nearly died in a June 12 motorcycle accident only to make a remarkably fast recovery. He missed no practice time during training camp and played better in the preseason than he did a year ago before leading the Steelers to their first Super Bowl victory in 26 years.Roethlisberger missed four games last season because of two knee injuries, one that required surgery, and injured his right thumb late in the season. He later said he broke it, though the Steelers never have confirmed that, but he missed no playing time because of that injury.It was not immediately known if the motorcycle accident might have caused any internal damage that subsequently resulted in the appendix attack. All of Roethlisberger's known injuries from the crash -- a broken nose, orbital bones and upper and lower jaw, damaged teeth and a concussion -- were to his head.According to various medical journals, one cause of appendicitis can be a perforation in the appendix.The Steelers were to begin the season with only two quarterbacks, Roethlisberger and Batch, plus rookie Omar Jacobs on their practice squad. But Cowher said they would bring in another quarterback this week.One possibility might be former starter Tommy Maddox, who knows the Steelers' system better than any other quarterback they could bring in on short notice. But Maddox played poorly while losing two starts when Roethlisberger was out last season.Unhappy at being cut after the season ended, Maddox was the only Steelers player who did not attend a White House ceremony honoring the Super Bowl champions this summer."We will assess the backup (situation) as the week goes on. This is the situation we are being dealt and we are not asking for any pity nor are we going to make any excuses," Cowher said. "We are going to get ready for Miami accordingly."Roethlisberger is the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, doing so at age 23 when the Steelers beat Seattle 21-10 on Feb. 5. He is off to one of the best starts of any NFL quarterback in history, leading the Steelers to a 27-4 record in his 31 starts and to two AFC championship games and one Super Bowl in two seasons.The Steelers made the playoffs last season even with Roethlisberger sitting out one-quarter of their schedule, and Cowher said they will overcome this latest setback."Adversity is not what knocks you down, it is how you handle it and how you respond to it," he said. "This football team with its veterans has been down this road before, facing challenges and adversity."There is a possibility the Steelers could be without their two top skill position players against Miami. Wide receiver Hines Ward didn't have a full training camp practice after Aug. 3 because of a sore hamstring and is listed as questionable. He did not play in the preseason.</div>This gives Miami a major advantage. It should be a close game now..
Yeah it would have and with Ward maybe missing the game Miami should win this. Good news for the Ravens with the Steelers starting 0-1.
I would have expected the Steelers to win with Roethlisberger starting. They have a great defense, and an effective offense with Roethlisberger at QB. And of course, they will be fired up on their banner game. Now the game is up for grabs because Miami also has a great offense, and a very solid defense.That's what I mean.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ArizonaFan @ Sep 4 2006, 03:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Yeah it would have and with Ward maybe missing the game Miami should win this. Good news for the Ravens with the Steelers starting 0-1. </div>Easy there. Ward is questionable, but will probably be ready for the game. Dont forget that Charlie Batch was 2-0 last year starting in place of Roethlisberger. It isnt an automatic loss if Ben is out. They still have one of the best defenses in the NFL.I would hardly give the game to Miami already.
No doubt Pittsburgh would have been the favorites with Ben starting and playing at home, but now with him out, there's really no excuse for us to lose imo. Still isn't going to be a walk in the park though, just means Pit is gonna have to run the ball more and rely even more on their incredible defense. But obviously, whenever you have your starting quarter back out, you're going to be at a huge disadvantage, which is why I was estatic when I heard the news.. :beerchug: And Ward is most likely going to play now...
