Update: The Associated Press is reporting that in a vote of the Steelers players, wide receiver Hines Ward and tight end Heath Miller were selected as offensive captains, but quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was not, despite being granted the distinction the past two seasons.
Fantasy Impact: This doesn’t seem like major news on the surface, but given that there is no measuring stick for team chemistry and trust between teammates, this could have implications that reach beyond what it appears at first glance. Brett Favre was voted a captain on both the Jets and Vikings the past two years, despite not reporting to either team until mid-August of the respective seasons. Numerous Steelers players were quoted as saying that their support of and respect for Roethlisberger would not change as a result of his off-field issues or the suspension they led to, but the proof would seem to be in the pudding given that they took away a distinction that almost every starting quarterback in the league holds and which Roethlisberger himself held the past two seasons. It seems like it will pretty tough for Roethlisbgerger to return to the team Week 5 with a questionable offensive line and receiving corps, on a team that no longer features Santonio Holmes and is without Willie Colon and will likely no longer feature center Justin Hartwig, who will likely be traded by then. In addition to this, there is the lingering feeling that Roethlisberger’s teammates have lost respect for him and trust in him, which for some of the other Pittsburgh players, might very well be true.
