For almost 20 years, Ben Roethlisberger was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ franchise quarterback. From his first season, he helped elevate them to Super Bowl contenders. However, he wasn’t the only quarterback that the Steelers had on their roster. Byron Leftwich, a former first-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, had two separate stints with the Steelers. The first came in 2008, with the second being from 2010 to 2012. Roethlisberger recently explained how Leftwich’s first time in Pittsburgh brought some tension.
“We were relatively cool with each other before, just because we were only a year apart. We both played in the MAC,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his podcast, Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger. “We knew each other, did some football things together.
“Very cordial to each other. Then, when he came here, I thought we were gonna be that way, and it turned into this competitive thing. There really wasn’t much of a friendship. It was kind of weird, I thought.”
In 2008, Roethlisberger was the Steelers’ solidified starting quarterback. He had already won a Super Bowl with them and just made his first Pro Bowl the year before. His spot was safe, as evidenced by his Super Bowl heroics that same year. Therefore, it’s odd to hear that Leftwich was trying to compete with him.
However, it’s important to look at the context of where Leftwich was in his football career at that time. He flamed out with the Jaguars, not living up to his draft spot and being cut right before the 2007 regular season started. Leftwich signed a two-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons shortly after that, but he didn’t do much there, either. The Falcons cut him after just one season with them.
Then, Leftwich signed a one-year deal with the Steelers. At that point, he likely felt that he could still be a starter in the NFL. He probably had something to prove. However, his role in the NFL was changing. By that point, he fit better as a backup.
While Leftwich left the Steelers after the 2008 season, signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he would return to Pittsburgh. As Roethlisberger explains, Leftwich was much more helpful and accepting of his role in his second outing with the Steelers.
“When he came back, he was like, ‘I was wrong. I’m not gonna beat you out. I’m here to support you and help you.’ We’re still really good friends… I think he went and came back, and it was like he learned how to be a pro.
“I think he’d be the first to tell you how that whole thing went down. Having him in that room with me the second time around was so valuable to me. It helped me grow so much because I trusted things that he said.”
Roethlisberger has been a supporter of Leftwich in the past, and it’s easy to see why with what he says here. Roethlisberger was a fantastic player when he was younger, but there were some aspects of his game that he needed to clean up. During the 2010s, he started to develop more as a passer.
In 2010, Roethlisberger threw only five interceptions in 12 games, helping the Steelers return to the Super Bowl. The following year, he made his second Pro Bowl and also recorded his second 4,000-yard passing season. During Leftwich’s final season in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger threw for 26 touchdowns and only eight interceptions.
Those years brought a lot of growth for Roethlisberger, and it seems like some of that can be attributed to Leftwich. He only appeared in three games in those three years with the Steelers, but his value was more present off the field. Considering that Leftwich was a coach in the NFL from 2016 to 2022, it’s clear that his mind is razor-sharp. Without him, Roethlisberger’s career might’ve been different.
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