Steelers fans who suffered through the Jacksonville debacle might find that tough to believe, and there certainly is a chance that Roethlisberger has begun the type of sharp decline that other older quarterbacks have fought off through intense conditioning, nutrition and overall wellness regiments.

“There is a part of me that thinks if Ben has knocked around this retirement thing, what if his brain this past offseason was wrapped around that retirement word just a little bit more than normal where it crept in just enough to affect a level of commitment, where he started to do a few shortcuts?” one of the insiders asked. “Maybe this is what he is, then. But we don’t know unless we are in his head.”

There’s a line of thinking that says if Roethlisberger were to suffer an injury that sidelined him at an advanced age, he might be prone to put on weight quickly and that he would never be the same. That time is not here, but the Steelers surely need to brace for the end, however it comes. They need to prepare accordingly, even if Roethlisberger pulls out of this current dive and plays a few more seasons.