Jay Glazer Buries Ben Roethlisberger’s Fitness, Says Fitness And Roethlisberger “Are Allergic To Each Other”

Holy crap. ⁦NFL insider Jay Glazer⁩ on Big Ben’s offseason workout regiment in his ⁦@TheAthletic⁩ mailbag. Not all that flattering. pic.twitter.com/CRoUTx6aSq

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) May 6, 2020

I’m not an Athletic subscriber currently but with fire takes like this one from Jay Glazer on aging Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s offseason workout program, I may need to finally bite that bullet. I don’t think Glazer says anything too surprising about Ben that you couldn’t pick up by, I don’t know, having eyes:

But to see it spelled out like that on the record by a reporter with the track record of Jay Glazer is a bit of a tough look for ol’ Ben. Ben’s no spring chicken as he just turned 38 in March. As we’ve seen, the end of a quarterback’s run can come at you fast, even if you’re going all-in on self-care like Tom Brady.

I don’t know you necessarily need to go to insane lengths like Brady does with his TB12 Method, cutting out shaded vegetables and tomatoes for “circulation” reasons. You’d probably feel a bit better as a Steelers fan if Big Ben watched his intake, went for a light jog, or even busted out the old Wii Fit.

But in a lot of ways, I kind of respect that about Ben. He’s the last gunslinger in some ways, a guy who may refuse to take the many physical advancements available to extend his longevity. He’ll still stand in the pocket and get absolutely blasted on the hope he can get a deep throw going despite other QBs knowing to do their best to avoid contact. I’m sure he will tighten things up when the season rolls around, but would it completely shock you to hear that Ben indulged in a Red Sox classic “fried chicken and beer” halftime snack during what seems to be an easy game against an AFC also-ran?

I’ll choose to view the positives in Glazer’s mini-takedown. Ben’s had his missteps over the years but we’ve got to enjoy him while he lasts. If he feels adequately prepared by doing one tree pose, 18 holes, then calling it a day as he houses a case of Victory Golden Monkeys, then I’ll trust that process. And, if not, we may see the last dance for Big Ben and he’ll make a more than viable Santa Claus at future Steelers Christmas events as he collects his NFL pension. Win-win.