PITTSBURGH -- New Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger arrived at Heinz Field today to meet the press and some of his teammates.
During the press conference, Roethlisberger said he is "ready to learn from the quarterbacks" and "might be able to provide some motivation."
Roethlisberger is a 6-foot-4, 242-pounder from Miami of Ohio, and was picked by the Steelers in the first round of the NFL draft as the No. 11 overall pick.
Roethlisberger showed off a black and gold "7" jersey at the press conference. He wore that number all through school because of former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway.
On Saturday, Coach Bill Cowher said the Steelers are happy with Tommy Maddox and Charlie Batch, so Roethlisberger will have the luxury of sitting on the bench and learning the ropes in 2004 instead of starting right away.
Roethlisberger didn't predict he would beat out Maddox or Batch in training camp, nor did he promise to have better rookie statistics than Mississippi's Eli Manning or North Carolina State's Philip Rivers, both of whom were picked ahead of him.
Roethlisberger says he's eager to gain whatvere knowledge he can from the Steelers' veteran quarterbacks and he's ready to do what the team asks while waiting for playing time.
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