Hines Ward: Big Ben 'needs to do more' than call out teammates on radio

As the Pittsburgh Steelers field offers for Antonio Brown, former receiver Hines Ward is chiming in on the team's dramatic offseason and Ben Roethlisberger's role as a veteran.

"Ben is the leader of that team. He's been there, he's done that," Ward said Friday on NFL Total Access, according to Grant Gordon of NFL.com. "I just think he has to take the initiative to kinda do more as a leader. Not just being able to call guys out on his radio show. Take them behind - treat them like, you know we always say we're a band of brothers - like, pull me to the side, let me know what I can do to get better.

"You don't have to air it out to the public where everyone can hear. So I just think he needs to do a better job of that."

It was Roethlisberger's comments that reportedly caused a rift between him and Brown this past season, leading the receiver to miss Pittsburgh's Week 17 contest.

General manager Kevin Colbert said earlier this week he has "no problem" with Roethlisberger criticizing his teammates.

Pittsburgh ended its 2018 season with a 9-6-1 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Ward, who played eight seasons with Roethlisberger and won two Super Bowls, hopes the franchise can return to its winning ways.

"For the Steelers, just get back to playing football," he said. "That's always been our motto, just lining up and kicking tail and that's what I think, for the Pittsburgh Steelers, they gotta get back to just doing that."

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