Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger Detailed Exactly Why Offensive Players "Get Left Behind" In Pittsburgh

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took to his Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast on Tuesday night and had some thought provoking comments on the current state of the franchise -- specifically on offense. Amidst recent struggles, the Steelers have been looking everywhere for answers. They are set to travel to face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in a crucial matchup between two 6-6 teams. The winner leaves that game with sole possession of first place in the AFC North.

With how stagnant the offense has been in recent weeks, Roethlisberger dove into why he believes certain players aren't shining as bright as they could be on that side of the ball.

"If you’re not an Arthur Smith guy, you get left behind… maybe it’s Aaron [Rodgers]."

Roethlisberger is alluding to the fact that perhaps Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith is picking favorites. This is why Roethlisberger also discussed during his podcast why he's not sure how tight end Pat Freiermuth isn't getting the ball more as well. Freiermuth was not targeted a single time in the Steelers' 26-7 home loss Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

There has been a lot of finger pointing and blame to go around for the Steelers' recent struggles and a lot of it has been a debate of schematics versus roster construction. Aaron Rodgers also eluded to a lack of preparation heading into Week 13 against the Bills when he spoke with the media on Sunday following the game. In fact, many former players have spoken out about the Steelers' issues this season including former linebacker James Harrison. Harrison mentioned the issue of schematics last week on his podcast Deebo and Joe with former Steelers cornerback Joe Haden. The schematics discussion has now entered as a topic of discussion on Roethlisberger's podcast.

Steelers Schematics Versus Roster Construction

The clearest answer to the debate of the schematics the Steelers use as opposed to how their roster is constructed is that both of these subjects are an issue. The Steelers signed Rodgers' former teammate Marquez Valdes-Scantling back on November 3rd, but have yet to give him the jump to the active roster from the practice squad. In fact, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat writer Ray Fittipaldo said last Friday on Sports Radio 93.7 The Fan that the Steelers are not "gung ho" to elevate Valdes-Scantling. This is a peculiar decision by the Steelers, as they are struggling to push the ball downfield, and Valdes-Scantling can be that type of threat for them. The Steelers also just signed veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen to their practice squad, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, on Tuesday afternoon. Thielen has totaled just 8 receptions for 69 yards on 18 targets thus far in the 2025 campaign, one in which he already announced would be his last, as he plans to retire following this conclusion of this season.

The schematics are just another issue plaguing the Steelers, as they have had plenty of big spots this season where play-calling under Arthur Smith has looked highly questionable. There have been times they are not using the right players in situational downs, times where they go back to a call that previously had not worked in hopes that running it again will yield a different result, and have run a flat out vanilla offense this year. 

Roethlisberger's comments Tuesday night point the finger at both issues the Steelers have faced in regards to the roster and the schematics of the team. Suggesting that the potential issue could be Rodgers as well when discussing getting "left behind" for not being an Arthur Smith guy is also telling. However, looking at this team and their offensive shortcomings which have been a huge problem in their recent struggles, both schematics (Smith) and roster construction (Rodgers) are to blame. The Steelers issues are not mutually exclusive, in fact, they coincide with each other more often than not in games.

#SteelerNation