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Dec 28, 2008 8:40 pm US/Eastern
Steelers Fans Worried Over Ben's Crushing Tackle
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
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In Week 10, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger directed a 31-28 victory for the Steelers over the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh.
Rick Stewart/Getty Images
Steelers Nation fell silent when Ben Roethlisberger went down from a crushing tackle late in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns.
Big Ben did give a thumbs-up as he was being carted off the field, but many fans remained concerned about their quarterback's condition.
"When he first went down, we weren't quite sure if he was going to get back up because he'd been knocked down so many times this year," said Steelers fan, Ike Bennett. "Then, after he'd been down on the ground quite a bit, concerns started coming through."
"We were hoping he wasn't hurt that badly, but obviously they put him on the backboard and took him off," said Steelers fan, Tom Martini. "So it looked like it could have been kind of severe. I don't know."
Roethlisberger was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment and officials say he suffered a concussion.
Meanwhile, the big hit left many fans wondering about whether Coach Tomlin should have pulled him from an apparently meaningless game considering the fact the Steelers are already in the playoffs.
"He was going to get controversy either way. If they didn't put him in, he would have gotten controversy," said Steelers fan, Janet Duzicky. "So now, it's going to be, what are those chances of him going down."
"He should not even have been in in the first place because he's the team; he is the franchise," said Steelers fan, Rob Clay.
Backup quarterback Byron Leftwich played the rest of the game and did well as the Steelers pounded Cleveland 31-0.
"At least they've got the back-up, they got a pretty good back-up," said another fan. "Leftwich is doing a good job, so hey; we'll see what happens from here."
As for Roethlisberger, some fans think he'll bounce back.
"Ben has been through a few things before, he's been banged off a few things before, his metal plates will keep him together," another fan added.
After the game, Steelers officials said hospital tests revealed no additional injuries.
"All tests are negative - which is a positive," coach Mike Tomlin said. "We are optimistic of where he is going to be (in the playoffs). The bye is going to be helpful in regards to that."
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