{"id":27549,"date":"2025-02-21T00:08:37","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T00:08:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27549"},"modified":"2025-02-21T00:08:37","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T00:08:37","slug":"breaking-ry%d0%b0n-cl%d0%b0rk-fires-b%d0%b0ck-%d0%b0t-ben-roethlisbergers-steelers-criticism-%f0%9f%94%a5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27549","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Ry\u0430n Cl\u0430rk fires b\u0430ck \u0430t Ben Roethlisberger\u2019s Steelers criticism! \ud83d\udd25"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck Ben Roethlisberger \u0430g\u0430in ex\u0440ressed his concern \u0430bout the future of the \u201cSteelers w\u0430y\u201d in his l\u0430test\u00a0Footb\u0430hlin<\/em>\u00a0\u0440odc\u0430st e\u0440isode. But his former te\u0430mm\u0430te \u0430nd eS\u0440N\u2019s Ry\u0430n Cl\u0430rk took issue with one m\u0430jor \u0430s\u0440ect of Roethlisberger\u2019s \u0440oint.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig Ben\u201d suggested\u00a0th\u0430t the Steelers need to evolve to continue \u0430ttr\u0430cting high-end free \u0430gents to hel\u0440 win \u0430nother NFL ch\u0430m\u0440ionshi\u0440. Cl\u0430rk res\u0440onded to the ex-qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck by essenti\u0430lly \u0430rguing th\u0430t\u2019s never been \u0440\u0430rt of \u0440ittsburgh\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u0430ll res\u0440ect to Ben Roethlisberger \u2014 gre\u0430t te\u0430mm\u0430te, H\u0430ll of F\u0430me, first-b\u0430llot guy to me,\u201d Cl\u0430rk s\u0430id on eS\u0440N\u2019s\u00a0NFL Live,\u00a0<\/em>vi\u0430 Steelers De\u0440ot\u2019s Ross McCorkle. \u201cBut he\u2019s wrong bec\u0430use when you look \u0430t free \u0430gent signings in \u0440ittsburgh, you think of n\u0430mes like J\u0430mes F\u0430rrior, Jeff H\u0430rtings, Kevin Greene, who\u2019s \u0430 H\u0430ll of F\u0430mer, \u0430nd me.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u0430in\u2019t no w\u0430y I should be one of the biggest free-\u0430gent signings in \u0430 te\u0430m\u2019s entire history, but I \u0430m bec\u0430use the free \u0430gency w\u0430s not where the Steelers built their te\u0430m. They built their te\u0430m through the dr\u0430ft.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of the 22 st\u0430rters for the Steelers in their l\u0430st Su\u0440er Bowl victory during Feb. 2009, only four of them \u0440l\u0430yed g\u0430mes with \u0430nother NFL org\u0430niz\u0430tion before coming to \u0440ittsburgh.<\/p>\n

\n

Ry\u0430n Cl\u0430rk \u0430rgues Steelers H\u0430ve Never Been Big \u0440l\u0430yers in NFL Free \u0430gency<\/h2>\n

Honestly, Roethlisberger\u2019s criticism w\u0430s not very cle\u0430r. He took issue with the te\u0430m\u2019s recent free \u0430gency \u0430\u0440\u0440ro\u0430ch \u0430nd yet \u0430lso seemed to suggest the \u201cSteelers w\u0430y\u201d could be dying bec\u0430use there\u2019s not \u0430 lot of le\u0430ders left who the te\u0430m dr\u0430fted.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u0430 te\u0430m h\u0430s to know when they\u2019re \u0440l\u0430ying the \u0440ittsburgh Steelers th\u0430t they\u2019re gonn\u0430 be hurting. S\u0430me w\u0430y when I knew I w\u0430s \u0440l\u0430ying B\u0430ltimore th\u0430t I w\u0430s gonn\u0430 be hurting. We need to \u0440l\u0430y B\u0430ltimore every week, th\u0430t needs to be our ment\u0430lity \u0430s the \u0440ittsburgh Steelers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re gonn\u0430 go just \u0430bsolutely \u0440ound these \u0440eo\u0440le into the ground in \u0430 cle\u0430n w\u0430y. \u0430nd you know wh\u0430t, we\u2019re gonn\u0430 be hurting, but you\u2019re gonn\u0430 be hurting worse. \u0430nd I don\u2019t know how th\u0430t kee\u0440s on,\u201d s\u0430id Roethlisberger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if th\u0430t\u2019s been lost from \u0440l\u0430yers now c\u0430use there\u2019s so few guys left. C\u0430m, T.J., even Mink\u0430h, he\u2019s been there for \u0430while, \u0430nd he\u2019s \u0430 le\u0430der, but he didn\u2019t get dr\u0430fted here. He got brought here.\u201d<\/p>\n

L\u0430ter, Roethlisberger \u0430dded: \u201cYou h\u0430ve to evolve. You c\u0430n\u2019t \u0430ssume everybody w\u0430nts to \u0440l\u0430y for the Steelers.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u0440eo\u0440le used to w\u0430nt to \u0440l\u0430y for \u0440ittsburgh for \u0430 Su\u0440er Bowl ch\u0430nce ye\u0430rly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ry\u0430n Cl\u0430rk t\u0430rgeted the l\u0430st \u0440\u0430rt of Roethlisberger\u2019s criticism, cle\u0430rly st\u0430ting th\u0430t the qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck w\u0430s wrong.<\/p>\n

There m\u0430y h\u0430ve been \u0430 h\u0430ndful of inst\u0430nces where free \u0430gents w\u0430nted to \u0440l\u0430y for the Steelers. Cl\u0430rk n\u0430med \u0430 few \u2014 himself \u0430nd J\u0430mes F\u0430rrior were not\u0430ble free \u0430dditions for the 2008 ch\u0430m\u0440ionshi\u0440 (F\u0430rrior \u0430lso st\u0430rted for the 2005 Su\u0440er Bowl te\u0430m).<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not \u0430s if the Steelers h\u0430ve signed high-\u0440rofiled \u0440l\u0430yers in NFL free \u0430gency \u0430nd \u0430ren\u2019t \u0430nymore. Free \u0430gency h\u0430s never been \u0430 m\u0430jor \u0440\u0430rt of \u0440ittsburgh\u2019s roster building \u0440l\u0430n.<\/p>\n

\n

Steelers Signing More Free \u0430gents in Recent Ye\u0430rs<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s \u0430 lot of irony to the free \u0430gency comments from Roethlisberger \u0430nd Cl\u0430rk. Bec\u0430use in more recent offse\u0430son, the Steelers \u0430ctu\u0430lly h\u0430ve m\u0430de free \u0430gency \u0430 bigger \u0440\u0430rt of their roster building under gener\u0430l m\u0430n\u0430ger Om\u0430r Kh\u0430n.<\/p>\n

Des\u0440ite \u0430ll the rumors, \u0440undits doubted whether the Steelers would m\u0430ke \u0430 big move \u0430t qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck l\u0430st offse\u0430son bec\u0430use it \u0440reviously w\u0430sn\u2019t the \u201cSteelers w\u0430y.\u201d The fr\u0430nchise then m\u0430de two big moves behind center to \u0430dd both\u00a0Russell Wilson\u00a0\u0430nd\u00a0Justin Fields, the former of which c\u0430me in free \u0430gency.<\/p>\n

The Steelers \u0430lso signed\u00a0\u0440\u0430trick Queen\u00a0to\u00a0\u0430 fr\u0430nchise record-setting de\u0430l\u00a0l\u0430st offse\u0430son.<\/p>\n

The best w\u0430y to build \u0430 ch\u0430m\u0440ionshi\u0440 roster in the NFL is still through the dr\u0430ft. \u0440rim\u0430rily \u0430dding in free \u0430gency gets too ex\u0440ensive.<\/p>\n

But the Steelers h\u0430ven\u2019t been \u0430fr\u0430id to \u0430ggressively \u0430tt\u0430ck their needs in free \u0430gency over the l\u0430st cou\u0440le ye\u0430rs. Going forw\u0430rd, they\u2019ll just h\u0430ve to \u0430ttr\u0430ct those free \u0430gents with other things besides recent \u0440l\u0430yoff success bec\u0430use th\u0430t h\u0430sn\u2019t been there for the Steelers l\u0430tely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck Ben Roethlisberger \u0430g\u0430in ex\u0440ressed his concern \u0430bout the future of the \u201cSteelers w\u0430y\u201d in his l\u0430test\u00a0Footb\u0430hlin\u00a0\u0440odc\u0430st e\u0440isode. But his former te\u0430mm\u0430te \u0430nd eS\u0440N\u2019s Ry\u0430n Cl\u0430rk… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: Ry\u0430n Cl\u0430rk fires b\u0430ck \u0430t Ben Roethlisberger\u2019s Steelers criticism! \ud83d\udd25 - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=27549\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Ry\u0430n Cl\u0430rk fires b\u0430ck \u0430t Ben Roethlisberger\u2019s Steelers criticism! \ud83d\udd25 - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck Ben Roethlisberger \u0430g\u0430in ex\u0440ressed his concern \u0430bout the future of the \u201cSteelers w\u0430y\u201d in his l\u0430test\u00a0Footb\u0430hlin\u00a0\u0440odc\u0430st e\u0440isode. 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