Roethlisberger: 'You're absolutely nuts' if you think I don't care about football anymore

Big Ben may not have eye-popping stats but critics are wrong to say he doesn't care

Back in October, shortly after throwing five interceptions in a lopsided loss to the Jaguars, Ben Roethlisberger told reporters, "Maybe I don't have it anymore."

Was the Steelers quarterback confirming what his critics had been saying through the first month of the season? Or was the 35-year-old quarterback being facetious after one of the worst outings of his 14-year career?

Turns out, the latter, at least according to Big Ben.

Three days after his initial remarks, Roethlisberger said he did not, in fact, question himself and it didn't matter to him how "quote-on-quote professional talking heads" question him. 

Now, more than a month later, the Steelers are 8-2, currently hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff race, and Roethilsberger is coming off his best performance of the season, a four-touchdown, no turnover effort against the Titans in a game where the Steelers scored 40 points for the first time since Week 4 of the 2016 season. After the game, Big Ben was asked if it was satisfying to play well in the face of skepticism.

"A lot's been made about me not caring or whatever," he said at the time. ... "Nothing further from the truth. I go out there and give everything I have. It's fun to go out here and have one of these games."

Roethlisberger reiterated that commitment on Tuesday during his weekly appearance on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, claiming critics "don't know what they're talking about."

He added, via ESPN.com: "In a way it's like, 'Wait a second, you're going to take a shot at me and you don't know me?' I'm going to go out here and bust my butt every day and be limping with bruises and put my body and my family through this and not care? You're absolutely nuts."

Just so we're clear: The implication that Roethlisberger doesn't care? "It couldn't be further from the truth," he said. "You don't know what you're talking about."

And while Roethlisberger is completing just 61.8 percent of his passes -- the lowest since offensive coordinator Todd Haley took over in 2012 -- he is as efficient as ever. According to Football Outsiders' metrics, he ranks eighth among all quarterbacks in value per play and fifth in total value.  If Big Ben doesn't care he's doing a terrible job showing it.