Exclusive: Roethlisberger On Mike Wallace, Carson Palmer, More
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - From pushing for the return of Plaxico Burress to his fantasy football picks, Ben Roethlisberger opens up to KDKA's Bob Pompeani.
Bob Pompeani: "How hard did you lobby [for Plaxico Burress] and why did you want him?"
Ben Roethlisberger: "Well, I just, you know, it's not like I was going to hold out unless Plax came – nothing crazy like that, but you know, Plax was a friend of mine. We lived next to each other when he was here and we only got to play one year together and we spent a lot of time talking. We both kind of had the same sentiment that we felt like there was still a lot that [he] and I could accomplish and we wish we could have accomplished."
Pompeani: "Mike Wallace, your teammate, pretty bold prediction. He thinks he could be the first receiver in history to pick up 2,000 receiving yards. Is that possible?"
Roethlisberger: "I guess it depends on what system you play in. I don't know if it's realistic for this system, but it's always good to set goals and if that's Mike's goal and he wants to strive for that – that's awesome, as long as he doesn't come to me every day and tell me how many yards he needs, we'll be alright. [Laughs] The first year, he kind of had two routes – go deep and go short. And then last year we kind of added maybe five or six more routes to him. And then this year, we've added five or six more, so now his arsenal, his repertoire has grown immensely and I think that's just a credit to him and the focus and the hard work that he puts in and the determination that he has to want to be a great wide receiver."
Wallace will be a popular pick in fantasy football.
Pompeani: "This is also the time of the year, Ben, for fantasy football. If you had to play, who would be your No. 1 pick?"
Roethlisberger: "Wow, that's tough. … I guess I'd probably have to go with probably everyone's No. 1 – Adrian Peterson or one of those running backs that seem to rack up the points."
Pompeani: "Quarterbacks – who would you pick?"
Roethlisberger: "Probably either Tom Brady or Peyton Manning."
Pompeani: "Would you want to be a No. 1 pick in somebody's fantasy draft?"
Roethlisberger: "That's an honor, but I'd tell them they're stupid. [Laughs] I shouldn't say stupid. They're ridiculous for picking me first because I'm probably not going to put up the numbers others would."
Pompeani: "Who will blink first – Carson Palmer or the Cincinnati Bengals?"
Roethlisberger: "The Bengals. I don't think … Carson's not … I don't think Carson's going to fold at all."
Pompeani: "So he would walk away in your opinion?"
Roethlisberger: "Yes."
Pompeani: "He still wants to play though, right?"
Roethlisberger: "I definitely think he wants to play and given the opportunity, he would go play somewhere, but he's done in Cincinnati. … Yes, I think he would retire."
Pompeani: "You open up with the Baltimore Ravens. Like it or dislike it – so quickly, a rivalry right off the bat?"
Roethlisberger: "Like it. [We] get to play at Baltimore at [1 p.m.] – that's a good thing – better than a prime-time game there."
Click here to read part one of the exclusive interview!
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