Injured Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will help tarnished former star Michael Vick prepare to take over in time for Thursday's NFL game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Roethlisberger, the 33-year-old star who has guided the Steelers to two Super Bowl titles, suffered a severely sprained left knee ligament and a bruised bone Sunday in a 12-6 victory at St. Louis.

Now it's former Atlanta and Philadelphia star Vick, a one-time run-pass threat now best known for going to prison over his role in financing a dogfight ring.

"We brought him in here for a reason," Roethlisberger said. "He's got a good group around him here. Everybody's got to do their job. We'll be just fine ... He has helped me and I'll continue to do what I can to help him."

Vick lost a multi-million-dollar deal with the Atlanta Falcons after it was revealed he had killed poorly performing animals in brutal ways.

Rams safety Mark Barron hit Roethlisberger's left leg and sent him to the turf clutching his knee. He was carted off the field and underwent an MRI exam Monday to determine the extent of the injury.

"This is pretty painful," Roethlisberger said while leaning on crutches in the Steelers locker room Tuesday, saying he thought he had suffered a broken leg when the hit was first made but felt it was not a "dirty" hit.

Doctors told "Big Ben" he will need four weeks for his knee to heal and stabilize and must play with pain as his bruised bone has not yet recovered.

"It's already frustrating," Roethlisberger. "I want to be out there with my guys. We'll have to be smart. We don't have a timeline right now."

But "Big Ben" admitted he has already looked ahead to a November 1 game against the Cleveland Browns as a possible comeback date, telling doctors he could accept wearing a knee brace for several weeks upon his return.

Source: AFP