Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger drops his latest bombshell on former teammate Ron Cook.Ron Cook, the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers offensive writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, announced his retirement on Monday.
Steelers media reported Ed Bouchet retired last year and Stan Savran was suffering from cancer. It’s only natural that the voices that helped define Steeler Nation continue. That doesn’t mean we’re happy about it. That means we all age. Cook defined his time and shaped the opinions of generations of fans.
After announcing their retirement and heading to sunny Florida, Joe Starkey and Bob Pompeani hosted several guests. Cook was greeted by fans on 93.7 The Fan’s Cook & Joe. One of the biggest surprises was a call from a future Hall of Famer and former partner on The Ben Roethlisberger Show Chef. Ben Roethlisberger and Cook have been working together for seven years on a 20-minute program that has drawn a lot of attention on game days. Pompeani introduced the two-time Super Bowl champion on the air, joking that it was an improvised episode of the nostalgic This Is Your Life, broadcast between 1950 and 1987. He did not identify Roethlisberger by name.”Long time call, first time.
” Roethlisberger joked. “Big fan of the show, it wouldn’t have been the same if Ron hadn’t insulted Starkey or Bob Pompeyani. It just wouldn’t have been the same without Ron.””What’s going on Ben?” Starkey laughed. “I didn’t recognize your voice at first.”Roethlisberger and Cook stopped working together in 2019, and the Steelers’ all-time leader has rarely been seen since. Roethlisberger retired in 2021 and has limited his regular appearances primarily to Steelers football commentary on the YouTube podcast Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger.
Cook asked his former partner if he was considering retiring and returning to the Steelers as the franchise coach.”Son, Benjamin asks me, what do you think about this?” I am a friend. Do you want to see me or never see me again? “I think it was a good decision not to come with me,” he said.Pittsburgh recently hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator through the 2024 season. That should calm the public sentiment plaguing Steeler Nation. Several pundits on social media and various local radio programs have suggested that Roethlisberger will work with Kenny Pickett again after he comes out of retirement to maintain the Steelers’ offense.
Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers was a thankless local announcer who got his last name wrong in his coaching debut.As offensive coordinator fever rises under Matt Canada, fans are clamoring for Roethlisberger’s return. The now-retired tight end has repeatedly turned down offers to become an offensive coordinator in the NFL. He toned down a bit this offseason and admitted he might end up in a high school quarterback coaching position, but that appears to be due to his son Benjamin Roethlisberger’s budding football career.
Roethlisberger’s legendary improvisational skills may not make him a successful coordinator in pro football, but it would be fun to watch him try. Gone are the days when a quarterback like Terry Bradshaw would call every play on the field. Roethlisberger may be the closest thing to a modern quarterback in this era of quality control game coordinators and assistant coaches. Additionally, the Steelers have not filled an assistant coaching position.Cook recalled the post-split 93.7 The Fan coup when Roethlisberger agreed to host a weekly show on the station.
Cook recalled that this was a risk that was not well received in the city.”We’ve had this show for seven years, and I think it’s given the channel a lot of credibility,” Cook recalls. “They were upset that they came to us because we are not a flagship station. I asked him why he was put on a ventilator. He said Ron was the only one who asked me.All said and done, Cooke’s retirement took away another connection to the Steelers from his youth. It will certainly feature a new voice from one of the Post-Gazette’s current writers, but in today’s endless world where everyone has a podcast, it just isn’t quite the same. Somehow, it seems like I’ve lost something while gaining everything. Not better or worse, but different.
Leave a Reply