STATELINE, Nev. — Ben Roethlisberger has a new outlook on life.

He talks to his family more. He appreciates those around him more. He even hugs more. Nearly dying in a motorcycle accident last month certainly has changed everything for the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.

"I think the accident was kind of God's way of saying, 'Ben, maybe you need to step back a little bit,"' Roethlisberger said yesterday before teeing off at a celebrity golf tournament at Lake Tahoe. "Maybe I was taking things for granted a little bit too much. It's almost like you get a feeling of invincibility."

If he felt that way, it's because of his demeanor on the field. Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl in February, when the Steelers beat the Seahawks. He spoke to Joe Theismann about the accident this week while they got ready for the golf tournament, and the former Redskins quarterback said all players feel invincible on the field.

"But it's almost hard not to take it off the field because people and fans — you know in Pittsburgh it's even worse because they put you on a pedestal," Roethlisberger said. "They elevate you so much to this level and sometimes you forget that you are human and I think that it's really helped me remember that I am."

Roethlisberger had seven hours of facial reconstruction surgery June 12 after ramming his motorcycle into a car that turned in front of him on a Pittsburgh street. He broke his jaw and nose and was thrown over the car onto the pavement. He was cited for riding without a license and not wearing a helmet.

Roethlisberger wasn't exaggerating when he said he was in danger of dying, said Dr. Daniel Pituch, chief of oral maxillofacial surgery at Mercy Hospital, where Roethlisberger was taken after the accident.

Pituch, one of the surgeons who operated on Roethlisberger, said at a news conference in Pittsburgh yesterday that he has seen patients in similar accidents suffocate after their airways became obstructed by blood from their wounds.

Roethlisberger's injuries — and the plates and screws implanted in his face — won't affect his vision or increase his risk of injury, Pituch said. Surgeons kept scarring on the quarterback's face to a minimum by making incisions through the back of his lips, he added.

Though Roethlisberger has parked his bike for the season, he said the accident hasn't changed his belief that people should make their own decision on whether to wear a helmet on a motorcycle. To that end, Roethlisberger said he doesn't plan on doing public safety announcements for motorcycle or helmet safety.

"I'm not going to be on billboards with words about helmets and stuff like that," he said.

Roethlisberger had praised paramedics and doctors for saving his life.

Daniel Capatolla, the first paramedic at the scene, said he recognized the Steelers quarterback instantly, even though initial accident reports gave no indication of his identity.

"Motorcycle accident, man lying in the street — that's all we got," Capatolla said.

Capatolla and other paramedics declined to discuss details of Roethlisberger's injuries and treatment, citing medical privacy laws. But Capatolla confirmed comments by Roethlisberger, who asked paramedics whether the accident was a dream.

"I assured him it wasn't," said Capatolla, adding he was glad to hear Roethlisberger talking.

Roethlisberger estimated he has received hundreds of thousands of cards and letters of support "and I've read every one of them."

"The first thing I said to all my teammates was I'm sorry for putting them through this and for worrying them and just taking the chance of being hurt and not being able to play for them," he said.

"My own teammates didn't recognize me at first... A couple of them walked right by me and waved to me like I was a fan. It was pretty funny."

"I remember when I could first open my eye, the second day after the accident and being in the bathroom looking into a mirror and thinking 'This is ugly. I mean, am I ever going to look even close to normal again.' "

Now, however, with five metal plates in his head, he said, "I think I look pretty normal — at least the way I was."

Roethlisberger expects to be ready for the start of training camp July 28 in Latrobe, Pa.

"My goal is to be 100 percent and I think I can get there and if not, I'll be 99 percent," he said. "I've been working out for two weeks now throwing, running, lifting."

But he is most thankful for being alive.

"I'm appreciating things more," Roethlisberger said. "I talk to my family more and hug. When I see a lot of these guys I haven't seen in a while, instead of shaking their hand, I'll give them a hug. I'm just thankful for every breath I get to take now."

Associated Press writer Michael Cowden contributed to this story from Pittsburgh.