Ben Roethlisberger offers Steelers advice for their DK Metcalf problem

The struggles of Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf have become a hot topic on local sports-talk programs after the Steelers fell to 1-1 on the season when they suffered a 20-3 loss to the New England Patriots. 

During the latest edition of his podcast, retired quarterback and Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger shared some advice for his former club regarding how it could potentially help Metcalf produce some bounce-back performances. 

Ben Roethlisberger to DK Metcalf: "Don't overthink it"

"He's probably in his own head a little bit,"  Roethlisberger said about Metcalf, per Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot. "...Sometimes when you start to struggle, the issue is you start pressing too much. You start trying too hard. ...If I was talking to DK, I would say, 'DK, let me ask you a question. How many balls have you caught in your life? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Maybe hundreds of thousands? In your life, probably hundreds of thousands of footballs. You know how to do it. Don't overthink it. Just play. Just be you. You're trying too hard.'"

On Tuesday, former NFL wide receiver and current analyst Steve Smith Sr. said that Metcalf has been "pressing" and was "looking for the home-run hit" over the campaign's first two weeks. In total, Metcalf has caught eight of 19 passes thrown his way for 67 yards and no touchdowns this season. 

According to Mike Jones of The Athletic, Metcalf was unofficially responsible for four drops against the Patriots. 

Is confidence not an issue for DK Metcalf?

After Pittsburgh's loss to New England, Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy suggested that Metcalf's "confidence isn’t right." Roethlisberger seems to disagree with that assessment. 

"I don't think it's a lack of confidence," Roethlisberger said about Metcalf. "I think receivers are some of the most confident people in the world. ...I think people will say something like, 'Does he need to catch more passes? Before practice, catch 100 balls. After practice, catch 100 balls.' No. It's not about that. It's not about reps. ...He's got hands. He can catch." 

It could be interesting to see how often quarterback Aaron Rodgers targets Metcalf in the first half of Pittsburgh's home game versus the 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals this coming Sunday. As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Steelers as 3.5-point underdogs against the Bengals.