One thing McDonald’s missed last year that doesn’t miss him now is Ben Roethlisberger. McDonald’s and Roethlisberger had a strong bond on the pitch, and even stronger off the pitch. Roethlisberger’s return after missing the majority of the 2019 season with an elbow injury is something McDonald’s loves.
“Ben has been very successful in his job. He’s been doing it for a long time,” McDonald said. “I’ve never seen ‘7’ like that. And like that, that means he’s got a fire under him. He’s so hungry not only to start the season, but to win it all. It was so cool. to see that.
“Thinking about it now, it was horrible to have him out there last year. It was so cool to see the transition to flying through the elbow injury, the surgery, and now seeing him there a few days in the camp and he digs the ball around.
“It’s amazing to have that ‘7’ I saw when I first came here.”
This is not the only aspect of the offense that seems to excite McDonald’s. The addition of quarterbacks coach Matt Canada could result in more offensive play action, and that bit McDonald’s.
“It’s something that we’ve strayed from in the past, the action game,” McDonald said. “That was a big part of Ben’s success early in his career. I think the way the game is going, you see a lot of teams heading towards that. If we can beat you before the shot is taken, why? You see a lot of communication that has to happen on the defensive end of the ball. When a player is not on the same page, it is an opportunity for the attack. The fact that Coach Canada is us presents that and the mix to what we’ve done in the past is new, but a great marriage for the offense. I think we’re going to see a lot of very good things. ”
The full audio of the call is below.
