By: G.Stryker, Twitter & IG @SNStryker
SteelerNation.com
#SteelerNation was excited to see their franchise quarterback throwing the football again. Ben Roethlisberger released a well produced video showing him practicing with teammates for the first time on his Instagram page @_BigBen7. There isn't much footage, but G.Stryker was able to break this video down frame by frame to get some inside info and see how far Big Ben is progressing.
Feels good to be back out there with my guys! @TeamJuJu @JamesConner_ @Switz pic.twitter.com/hAlOwr7Ias
— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) May 18, 2020
0-15sec: First we have an interview with Ben where he is enjoying a large seat on what appears to be a private jet. Due to his lack of facial hair, this was probably recorded within a week or two of his elbow injury that ended his season in 2019. Ben states, “I’m not going to shave or cut my hair until I can throw a football again”. After Ben was asked to clarify, he made it very clear when he’d shave his beard, “When I can throw it to one of my teammates. Like a legit NFL pass.”
16sec: In this frame you can tell it is an overcast day. This means it was probably filmed either on Sunday, May 17 or early Monday, May 18. The video was released in the 1pm hour of May 18, so the cut up had to either occur quickly from a morning practice, or overnight from the day before. I’m leaning towards this being a Sunday practice due to the production value and since it looked like some family is on the sideline later, but I’m making an educated guess because of it. You can see a beige strip mall behind him and a Get Go convenience store in the right hand part of the screen. Ben is wearing a black “Just Do It” Nike shirt, grey shorts, and black sneakers. The wind is in his face as it’s forcing the shirt against his body. No bulge in the gut area. Perhaps Ben is in better shape than Jay Glazier has been speculating? Ben appears to be standing just in front of the midfield logo (40-45 yard line range). I do like the stylistic shot of the simulated snap covering Ben’s face. Does he have a beard or not? Either way, it creates a little mystery into the condition of Ben’s facial hair and sets the story.
19sec: Close up of Ben and his beard doing their best Brett Keisel impression. The reveal showing Ben with a full beard furthers the story. He still has his beard, so maybe he’s not there yet? Again the Get Go is clearly seen to his right.
23sec: Same shot as 19sec, but he’s dropping back and setting his stance.
25sec: We see Ben release the ball with a fluid motion. This confirms that he can throw the football, but how far?
26sec: JuJu Smith-Schuster is catching a ball in the end zone. I can tell it is the end zone since there are no yard line markers. You can see Ben outside of the right hash (from his perspective, and since he has the same outfit: black shoes, grey shorts, black t-shirt).
27sec: JuJu has moved just far enough along that I can clearly see all of the yard numbers on the field, and can count 10, 20, 30, 40 to where Ben is standing between the 40 and 50-yard line markers. This tells me that the pass was between 40-45 yards in the air! This ain’t no toddler pass! There appears to be about 12 people on site as well.
28sec: Ben is fully into the motion of throwing the football, so much that he pushed off from his plant leg and it is in the air. More like a baseball motion than a football motion. Either way, this shows me he’s not holding back from winging a football downfield. Ben is throwing from behind the 50-yard line. The back side of the midfield logo is visible as well as the X which is the 40-yard line which is where high school teams kick off from. Flash to Ryan Switzer in a blue shirt catching an out route at the 20-yard line. Perhaps a 30-yard pass in the air if we put the frames together.
29sec: James Conner is making a one-handed catch along the sideline just inside the 25-yard line. By cross referencing other frames, I’ve found that both 30-yard lines have a dark blue line running along them, so this is how I know what yard line James Conner is on the field. Perhaps this is a 25-30 yard pass in the air? The practice location is verified by viewing “QV - The Quakers - Chuck Knox Stadium” on the scoreboard and clearly indicates that this is Pittsburgh’s local Quaker Valley High School field. The Get Go further confirms the location on Google Maps. Nine people are visible in this shot. Add Switz, JuJu, Ben, two cameras, and you have at least 14 people on site.
30-32sec: Ben is smiling in the barber chair after a haircut and the barber is still trimming his beard. From the reflection in the mirror behind him, there are at least four people in the room. Obviously a sports themed barber shop with a Muhammad Ali photo, along with a picture of a Pittsburgh Steeler, I just can’t make out the player. This scene properly closes the composition with a smile. Since it looks like Ben was throwing 25-50 yard passes, he is happily enjoying his first haircut, pain free!
32-38sec: JuJu confirms what Big Ben’s haircut already shows by saying, “He’s Baaaaaack! Stay tuned!” Both JuJu and Switzer look like they are in tremendous shape and showing off how swole they’ve gotten in the off-season.
Even though they had a down year last year, they will have something to prove, and they are all capable of competing at a Pro Bowl level. Look out NFL, you have just been put on notice by the big three of the Steeler offense: @_BigBen7 @TeamJuJu @JamesConner_ .
Here is my video break down as well:
Did you see something in these videos that I missed? Perhaps you recognize the barber shop? Leave your insights below!
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