NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell dropped a 6 game suspension on Ben Roethlisberger, while at the same time it was reported by The Schef (That’s my new name for Adam Schefter) that the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to deal Big Ben for a first round pick or non douche bag player or both. It will be difficult for the Steelers to get anywhere close to Roethlisberger’s long term value since teams will be thinking of next season when they won’t have their starting douche-bag quarterback for the first 4-6 weeks of the season. Roethlisberger is a two time SB winner and in the prime of his career all while being a douche bag, which is a multi-tasking nightmare!
So what happens? I believe the odds are on the side of him staying and getting his sentence reduced to four games if he gets some aversion therapy, which would go something like this: Scientist-type: Ben, let me introduce you to these 3 co-eds under 21. And here is a plate of jello shots. Ben: Hey ladies, would you like to do some jello shots off my double chin? ZZZAAAAAAAPPP!!! (Ben’s head is smoking from the 220v shock) Scientist-type: Continue. Ben: Uh, well, have you ever seen a Super Bowl ring? (He flinches) Co-ed: Wow, that’s big. Ben: They call me Big Ben, but they call this Bigger Ben. ZZZAAAAAAAPPP!!! And so on and so forth.
But I also wouldn’t be surprised if he’s gone today, if they can get something even close to his worth. The Schef says the Rams have already thwarted the Steelers’ advances, even though they got them drunk first. Al Davis is half crazy so I could see him giving them enough and of course Buffalo, Cleveland, Carolina, Jacksonville, Seattle and Arizona all have to at least contemplate a move. He would help any team he goes to, but like I said, I have a feeling he’ll continue to be a moral quandary for Yinzers and Yinzer-ilk for years to come.
So with that bold prediction I’ll investigate what this does to his fantasy value. First, it will make it difficult to draft him unless you have drafted an equally talented QB. It could make for an interesting strategy if his value falls enough that you can draft a decent QB around round 5 and then Ben later, but we’ll have to see how his ADP shapes up. It will also be tough to predict how long it will take for him to get back into the groove. I think he’ll be fine in the second half of the season and that’s when the playoffs are usually scheduled. At least that’s what I’m told.
This will obviously hurt Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Heath Miller and Rashard Mendenhall. Losing the leader of your offense for a quarter or more of the season can’t help. Mendenhall will see more work, but getting into the endzone will be tough with Leftwich or Dixon at the helm. Take away a touchdown or two and you have less fantasy points; it’s math.
Of course we have to wait and see what actually happens, and with the draft starting today we might just hear something soon. If he gets traded, we’ll have the fantasy breakdown of the move, but until then I hope your team drafts the guy you want and that he doesn’t murder a Spotted Owl on his way to sign his contract.
