Ben Roethlisberger responds to James Harrison signing with New England Patriots

PITTSBURGH — For the first time, we are hearing from one of James Harrison's teammates who played with him for a long, long time.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger talked to Channel 11 after practice Wednesday about the playoffs, the Cleveland Browns game Sunday and the most-talked-about story in town this week: outside linebacker James Harrison signing with the New England Patriots.

When asked if he was disappointed the way Harrison's signing went down, Roethlisberger said:

"I've been blessed to play with one of the best guys, football players, a friend for a long time. We've played in a lot of games together, the biggest games. He's been one of the biggest players in Super Bowl history and it's truly been an honor to call him a friend and a teammate and I'll miss him. I only had to go against him a few times when he was in Cincinnati and you know it won't be the same in here without him, especially because he was the oldest and now I'm the oldest, but you know like I said, I count my blessings for all the time I got to share with him."

Big Ben also talked about what he will miss most about having Harrison on the team.

"He truly was one of the best to play this game at the outside linebacker position. (He) just really struck fear in quarterback's eyes. You could see it," Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger said he played Harrison once during their college years. Despite Harrison now playing for a rival team, there don't seem to be any hard feelings from this former teammate.

"James has to do what James has to do. It's not like he called and asked me if he should or not. James was out there as a free agent. He's going to do what's best for his family and like I said, I wish him the best. I've had a lot of good years with him," Roethlisberger said.

Fans have expressed concern that Harrison may share Steeler team secrets with the Patriots.

That's something former teammates always wonder about, Roethlisberger said, and is up to each player how they handle it.

Aside from this news, the Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for their matchup Sunday against the Browns, treating it like a normal week when it comes to preparations.

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You can watch Big Ben's full interview below:

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