Ben Roethlisberger isn’t counting his victories just yet, and the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback said he is hoping Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is on the field when the teams meet in New England for the NFL Kickoff game in September.
“He’s a guy, I’ve said for a long time, he’s the best in the business, and he proved it again last year winning his fourth (Super Bowl),” Roethlisberger said. “If he’s not out there, it’s not the same. I have a lot of respect for him on the football field and some of the unbelievable things that he’s done. I guess we’ll wait and see what’s finally going to happen.”
Roethlisberger said the Sept. 10 game would be lacking without Brady, but he’s also not convinced Brady’s four-game suspension will keep him off the field that night when the Patriots are scheduled to celebrate their Super Bowl victory.
The Steelers are planning to work without All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell, who is serving a two-game ban for a marijuana-related arrest.
His likely replacement, veteran newcomer DeAngelo Williams, said he doesn’t and won’t care if Brady suits up in September.
“It’s not my team. I don’t play against Tom Brady anyway,” Williams said. “I play against the defense.”
Patriots re-sign LB Fletcher
The New England Patriots re-signed linebacker Dane Fletcher to a one-year deal and he was at the start of the team’s offseason workouts Tuesday.
The Patriots also signed rookie wide receiver Zach D’Orazio.
The 28-year-old Fletcher signed with the Patriots as an undrafted rookie in 2010 and was with the team through the 2013 season before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year. Fletcher, known for his strong special teams play, started four games on defense in 2014 and has 10 career starts at linebacker.
The Patriots also re-signed Brandon Spikes earlier this month to fortify the inside linebacking corps behind Dont’a Hightower and Jerod Mayo, who are both recovering from injuries.
D’Orazio, 23, started for two years at Akron as a wide receiver and finished his college career with 119 receptions for 1,422 yards and five touchdowns, including 62 catches for 658 yards as a junior in 2014 after he switched to wideout from quarterback.
Former NFL receiver rips Goodell
Former New Orleans Saints receiver Joe Horn criticized NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during an interview posted Tuesday online, calling him “the devil.”
In a conversation with TheFootballGirl.com website, Horn offered candid remarks about the current state of the NFL.
“Here’s what I don’t like. I don’t like what Roger Goodell is doing,” Horn said. “He has so much power that he can almost shut people down. I just don’t like him. And I don’t like that on draft day these kids don’t know that they’re hugging the devil. I hate to see kids that are lost and then happy, but they really don’t know that the man they’re hugging will rip their throat apart.
“If the owners are happy with Roger Goodell, the fans, the media, no one can take his job from him. I hate it.”
Horn, who played in the NFL from 1996 to 2007 with the Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, also offered his take on New England Patriots quarterback Brady and “Deflategate.”
“I’m not mad at Tom. He’s a great athlete and he does what he needs to do to win the football game,” Horn said. “If he deflated balls and the guys did for him, I’m not mad at Tom for that. Guys do things all the time to get ahead that the NFL doesn’t know about.
“Who I’m mad at, who I do disrespect and who should be suspended for a year, it should be his head coach (Bill Belichick) because he knows what everyone is doing.”
Flooding delays Texans’ OTAs
The Houston Texans delayed the start of their Organized Team Activities (OTAs) due to flooding in the Houston area following a heavy rainstorm on Memorial Day.
The Texans were scheduled to open their OTA on Tuesday, but pushed it to Wednesday with the southwest Houston area reportedly hit with up to nine inches of water. Nearly 60,000 Houston residents were reportedly without power as of Tuesday morning.
“Stay safe, Houston,” the Texans posted on their Twitter feed Tuesday morning.
About 350 fans at the Houston Rockets’ victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night were forced to stay at the arena following the game due to the storm. Rockets center Dwight Howard also stayed at the Toyota Center as the rain continued to fall, per the Houston Chronicle.