Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Misses First Half of Practice Thursday

The Pittsburgh Steelers were without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as they opened practice on Thursday.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers decided to keep their starting quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, off the field for the early portion of practice for multiple reasons. 

Roethlisberger didn't practice on Wednesday for his scheduled day off and did not enter the field Thursday until roughly halfway through practice. Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said Roethlisberger's missed time was scheduled to allow backups Mason Rudolph and Josh Dobbs to see more reps.

"He's good," Fichtner said on Thursday. "Part of our maintenance program that we do, some of the things help with the development of our young quarterbacks. We've got to step back at times and make sure we're doing that. He finished practice really well and did a nice job."

The decision isn't a route the Steelers typically take, but even Roethlisberger said he's fine. 

"It feels great. No setbacks, no issues," said Roethlisberger on Wednesday. "Every once in a while, I will bump it on the ground or get hit and I'll feel at it. But those are more just bump, nothing on the surgical side. Everything is going great."

The Steelers face the 5-0 Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Sunday. Roethlisberger has shown no indication of missing game time. 

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.