How Ben Roethlisberger's tug-of-war with the Steelers is hurting the franchise

Senility hasn't been so kind to Ben Roethlisberger.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback can't seem to remember the things he's said. Well, maybe that's actually a good thing.

He'll surely want to forget his latest rumblings.

Roethlisberger, who sits at an ancient 36 years old these days (Oh, wait, Brett Favre might have thoughts on this? Or you, Mr. Brady?), has been talking about hanging up his shoulder pads off and on for a while now. Most would surmise that he's getting close to calling it quits, right?

Well, now that the Steelers drafted a quarterback - Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph - in the third round, Roethlisberger is talking like a guy who's going to be around awhile.

He recently went on record expressing his disappointment that Pittsburgh didn't draft someone who can help the team now. Well, it makes sense. If Roethlisberger is indeed going to keep playing (which he has committed to next season), a backup quarterback won't help right away.

But what about the future? These comments come from a guy who can't seem to make up his mind and says he's taking it year by year. Well, that sure is helpful.

So should the Steelers be looking toward the future or be all in on winning now? The blunt truth is that in sports, especially a league like the NFL where one position is so important, you've got to try to do both.

Who is to say there will be a quarterback of Rudolph's abilities in the coming drafts - a time when Roethlisberger might be sitting at home watching in a recliner.

There's no guarantees with Rudolph, just like there's no guarantee with top pick Baker Mayfield nor the other QBs who went high in the draft. But getting Rudolph, considered the No. 6 QB in a draft in which most were considering six seriously, he was worth it in the third round.

Now, in the near future it could hurt the Steelers' chances. Of course, Roethlisberger could also start talking about hanging it up in the midst of the season once again.

Nothing is guaranteed.

To Rudolph's credit, he took it all in stride. He said he would feel the same way as Roethlisberger.

In the end, this will probably be no big deal. But what Roethlisberger highlighted was not the team's lack of focus on the right priorities.

Instead, he shed light on how much power he has over this franchise, which puts Pittsburgh in a tough spot.

Ben, my man, help yourself by helping the team. You are the one who could have stopped this confusion by simply letting the team know just how much longer you want to play. They will one day move on without you.

They just don't want to do it empty handed because of your mixed messages.

You're soon for retirement, man. It's time to grow up.

This story was originally published May 8, 2018 at 5:02 PM with the headline "How Ben Roethlisberger's tug-of-war with the Steelers is hurting the franchise."