Former NFL QB Mark Rypien: Ben Roethlisberger Should Be Cautious About Returning
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) – Former Pro Bowl NFL QB Mark Rypien joined The Fan Morning Show on Wednesday, and during the interview, he offered some words of caution to Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger.
Rypien, who dealt with a multitude of injuries in his career, thinks that Roethlisberger should play it smart when it comes to deciding on when to return to the field.
"My recommendation would be for Ben, or for anyone coming back from an injury, make sure you're healed," Rypien said.
Rypien, like Roethlisberger, wanted to come back sooner rather than later in order to help his team, but he thinks that may have been the wrong mindset.
"I saw my team suffering," Rypien said. "I saw my team not playing to the level that they could. I should have been out 6-8 weeks. I came back in 5 weeks after our bye week, and tried to be the same guy that I was, and I wasn't."
Rypien added that the decision to rush back had negative effects not only on his team, but personally as well.
"The unfortunate side of that is now you get labeled as maybe a guy that his better years are by him," Rypien said. "So that's one of the unfortunate things, is if I would have waited, maybe even taken the whole year off, and then come back with the anticipation of being stronger and healthier, I wouldn't have been labeled as a guy that's injured and the better part of his career is behind him. I think that's what Ben has to worry about if he does come back to soon, that that could possibly happen."
The interview can be heard here: