Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Sees Critical Difference In New Regime

The Pittsburgh Steelers officially began training camp last week at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, and full pads finally came on this past Monday. New head coach Mike McCarthy and his staff are busy evaluating talent on the field in drills and preparing the team not only for the regular season, but their preseason opener in a little over a week. There is a ton of speculation as to what changes may be seen with this new coaching staff, and some have even compared the new leadership to former head coach Mike Tomlin and his crew. 

Last week, McCarthy revealed that team will see one change in training camp when he spoke to the media. That change is that given his experience as an NFL head coach, the team will not be doing live tackling. He cited his past experiences, as well as new sports technology that gives the staff data they need as some reasons behind deciding not to do it. 

On the latest episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the former legendary franchise quarterback discussed this change under the new regime. Ben Roethlisberger is someone that people listen to when he speaks, and he did not seem entirely against the change. However, he did compare it to his time playing under his former coach in Tomlin.

“That's going to, that's going to turn some heads,” Roethlisberger said. “That's going to make some people go crazy. Now all of a sudden, if he runs by and does one of these taps that we do. As Coach Tomlin would say, ‘Did you put your face in the fire? Did you put your face in the fire on both sides of the ball?’ We’re not going to be able to see that. I don’t think as well. I guess maybe he’s just saying listen, show me on the field in preseason.”

One of the taps he was referencing is for a defender to tap an offensive player, essentially ruling them down with this change in the way the team approaches training camp ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Despite that, the legendary Pittsburgh quarterback does not seem to be entirely opposed to the idea, given his comments about feeling that the coaching staff may want the players to show it to them on the field during preseason games. Despite this change and his thoughts on it though, it is the first of what could be several changes under a new regime in the Steel City.

Steelers' Training Camp Change Could Have Long-Term Benefits

While this change to training camp may be a bit unorthodox under McCarthy, it is not far-fetched, especially when looking in terms of the potential long-term benefits it could have on the team. In many sports over the last several years, the integration of technology into the game has come a very long way and the new head coach in the Steel City appears to feel confident in that technology to give them the data they need, especially given that he has run training camps in the past with live tackling.

Given that this change has been made, his philosophy could be exactly what Roethlisberger eluded to where McCarthy wants to see players take the work they have done in training camp and translate it on to the field once the preseason begins. It could benefit them in the long run, especially when it comes to injuries. 

One area this can help the defense is in terms of staying healthy, specifically with explosive safety DeShon Elliott. He had his 2025 season cut short after an impressive first season with the organization in 2024. In 14 starts that season, he produced one interception, as well as two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. For a defense looking to turn things around, the change to no live tackling in training camp could help in terms of longevity and health down the road.