Injured Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been helping tarnished former star Michael Vick prepare to take over for Thursday night’s NFL game against the Baltimore Ravens.

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Roethlisberger, the 33-year-old 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.

That has opened the door for 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. But the controversial 35-year-old insists he never lost the belief he would be able to resume his career.

“I kept the faith and kept believing,” Vick said. “This is what I love to do, so I continue to work hard at it. I just have to keep fighting every day.

“I feel like I have a chance to go out and play freely and enjoy the game, enjoy this moment and be out there with my teammates. God has put this in front of me and it’s up to me to handle it like a professional.”

Should Vick perform well, he could be needed for much more than just tonight’s game against the 0-3 Ravens.

Roethlisberger is expected to be out for a month after Rams safety Mark Barron hit his left leg, causing significant damage to his knee at the weekend. 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, adding that he thought he had suffered a broken leg when the impact 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 stabilise and must play with pain as his bruised bone has not yet recovered.

“It’s already frustrating,” added 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 the Steelers’ star man 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.