Roethlisberger worried Steelers losing their way: 'You have to evolve'

Pittsburgh Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger is concerned his former team is losing its way.

"You have to evolve as a team. You can't just assume that everybody wants to come play for the Steelers anymore like they used to," Roethlisberger said on his "Footbahlin" podcast, per Sports Illustrated's Brigid Kennedy.

He added: "People used to want to come play for Pittsburgh 'cause you had a chance every year to win a Super Bowl. I used to joke that we'd be up three or four points before the game even started. Right? Because there were people saying, 'Man we're about to get hit in the mouth by these guys.' I think you've lost a little bit of that."

Pittsburgh built a decades-long reputation as a hard-nosed team. Roethlisberger expressed that should be a priority for the current iteration of the Steelers.

"A team has to know when they're playing the Pittsburgh Steelers that they're going to be hurting," he said, adding, "We're going to absolutely pound these people into the ground in a clean way, and you know what? We're gonna be hurting, but you're gonna be hurting worse."

The Steelers made the playoffs four of the past five seasons but haven't won a postseason game since the 2016 campaign. Pittsburgh lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round last season, the team's fifth straight loss to end the campaign after a 10-3 start.

Pittsburgh is tied with the New England Patriots for most Super Bowl titles with six, two of which were won by Roethlisberger. The franchise's last Lombardi Trophy came in 2008.

Roethlisberger was a pillar in Pittsburgh for 18 years before retiring after the 2021 season. The Steelers have had a different Week 1 starting quarterback in each of the three seasons following his retirement.