Big Ben reveals he tore 3 elbow tendons 'off the bone'

Ben Roethlisberger is coming close to the end of a long road to recovery following season-ending elbow surgery last September, and the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback revealed the gruesome extent of his injury Tuesday.

Roethlisberger told reporters he tore three of the five elbow flexor tendons "off the bone" in Week 2.

"There's no real name for it," Roethlisberger said of the surgery in his first comments to the media since the injury, according to Ed Bouchette of The Athletic. "It's not Tommy John or anything like that."

The veteran quarterback thinks he'll be making history when he returns to an NFL field in September.

"As far as I'm aware, it’s happened to everyday people on the street, if you will," he said. "From what I've been told, it's never happened to a quarterback to this magnitude. I believe there was at least another quarterback who had one, maybe two torn off, but not three. That’s just what I’ve been told."

Roethlisberger looked comfortable throwing Monday as he continues to ramp up his activity at the early portion of training camp.

While Roethlisberger, who turned 38 years old in March, was sidelined, many have questioned how much football he has left.

In addition to his extensive injury history, the fast demise of Roethlisberger's 2004 draft compatriots, Eli Manning and Philip Rivers, has led to speculation he could retire.

Manning ended his NFL career this offseason, while Rivers was released by the Los Angeles Chargers after a poor 2019 and signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts.

But Roethlisberger is not only confident he can play for years to come, the two-time Super Bowl winner also said he believes more "Lombardis" could be in his future.

"I've had no setbacks," he said. "It feels really good. I'm excited about that. I'm actually lighter than I've been since maybe 13, 14 years. I feel really good. I feel strong, I feel healthy, I feel young."