Steelers

Roethlisberger rescues Switzer from worm in his food

Hunter Homistek
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Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continues to take care of his receivers — on and off the field. Ryan Switzer explains.

 Teammates Ramon Foster (73) and Ben Roethlisberger (7) check on Ryan Switzer (10) after a hit – MATT SUNDAY / DKPS

That’s a real headline. This happened.

Ryan Switzer was enjoying a pleasant day off with his family and settling in for lunch at Coal Hill Steakhouse when…

So yeah, there was pretty much no way I wasn’t going to get Switzer on camera to break down this situation. Normally, I’d transcribe the quotes, but this one’s fun, Lunatics. His “You sure?” when I start the question still cracks me up. That little bit of hesitancy proved to be nothing but a stutter step before the cut to the end zone, as Switzer finished strong with the storytelling:

Solid, right? Gotta love Ben Roethlisberger tagging in and offering to make things right, too:

Sure, Roethlisberger doesn’t run his Twitter account, but you better believe we’ll be on the lookout for the follow-through here. I’m sure the dinner will actually happen, as Switzer addresses above. The bigger-picture story, though, is one of team chemistry. It’s been talked about over and over throughout OTAs and minicamp, and it’s something that struck me immediately on Day 1 of OTAs.

This team is tight and engaged both in the locker room and on the field, constantly celebrating each other’s successes and generally just … getting along. It’s a friendly and fun environment, and it’s no surprise or coincidence to the ones involved.

“I think we’re just goofballs,” T.J. Watt was telling me at the Rooney Complex. “We hang out a lot off the field and I think that kind of builds that relationship. There’s nothing fake out here. This is all real emotion. We truly care about each and every guy out here, and I think that’s why you see us having so much fun.”

Even the new guys are feeling it.

“Everybody’s in tune with each other,” Steven Nelson was telling me. “Everybody’s ready to practice every day, so it’s a good thing.

“I can say they have good chemistry here. Everybody — and myself — only because a lot of guys have been here training in the offseason, so that’s when you spend a lot of time bonding with each other.”

This was represented well in May, when Roethlisberger invited his teammates to his lake house in Georgia for a week of fun, food, team-building and, of course, some football, too.

The lengths to which Roethlisberger is going to ensure a strong bond with his teammates is not lost on Switzer.

“It’s hard. I wasn’t here this time last year, so this is all kind of new to me,” Switzer said. “From everything I’ve kind of heard and, you know, the relationships I’m building, it’s been nothing but love. It’s been a joy to come to work [here] and hopefully that continues.”

And, hey, if Switzer keeps doing stuff like this, the team might have no choice but to keep him around. You can’t just not have ice cream after practice. Everybody knows that: