Big Ben nervous for season opener: 'I'm gonna be shaking like a leaf'

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger admitted Wednesday he's nervous for the season opener, which will mark his first NFL action in 365 days.

"You always have a little bit of jitters and nerves for the first game, but the way I feel now is more than I've felt in a very long time," he told reporters Wednesday, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I'm sure it's going to intensify as the week goes on and then Monday night I'm sure I'm gonna be shaking like a leaf."

Roethlisberger, who's entering his 17th campaign, played in only two games last year because of an elbow injury that required surgery. With their veteran signal-caller on the shelf, the Steelers missed the playoffs for the second time in six seasons.

The 38-year-old will make his highly anticipated return on the season debut of Monday Night Football, where the Steelers will face the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.

"It's one of those things that you get out there and hopefully it all comes back to me really quick," said Roethlisberger, the NFL's passing leader in 2018. "There's gonna be rust, there's no doubt about it, but hopefully we can get it knocked off sooner than later."

A six-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion, Roethlisberger has been a popular pick to win the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2020.

"If I wasn't nervous, if I didn't have that anxiousness, then I think that - you shouldn't be out there, right?" he said. "There's not a love for the game if you don't have that. Since I have those nerves already, it just shows that I still love this game, I'm still passionate for it, and I want to go out, win for my teammates, the fans, and this city."