From Bryan DeArdo, CBS Sports:

Bill Cowher says he received over 600 congratulatory text messages shortly after receiving his Hall of Fame announcement during an NFL broadcast on Jan. 11, 2019. At about 7:50 p.m. ET, Cowher — a member of CBS Sports’ NFL coverage since 2007 — was greeted by Hall of Fame president David Baker, who informed Cowher that he would be part of the Hall of Fame’s centennial class.

At 7:51 p.m., Cowher received his first congratulatory text message. The sender? Ben Roethlisberger, Cowher’s quarterback during his final three years as coach of the Steelers.

“Congratulations, Coach. I’m so happy for you,” Roethlisberger said in the text, according to Cowher in his new book, “Heart and Steel.”

“Through the years, he’d sent multiple messages saying he wished he’d played for me later in his career,” Cowher wrote of Roethlisberger. “He says he would have appreciated me more than he did in the first few years. I only coached him for three seasons. He’s had a tremendous career, and Mike Tomlin’s done a great job with him.”

In his book, Cowher detailed what it was like coaching Roethlisberger during his record-setting rookie season. After meeting with him several times before the draft, Cowher and Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert decided that, while they wouldn’t trade up to select him, Roethlisberger wouldn’t get past them if he was still on the board with the 11th overall pick. Roethlisberger ultimately was, and the Steelers made a decision that would impact the franchise for the next two decades.

Roethlisberger’s immense talent was apparent during his first summer in Pittsburgh.

“Ben could make something positive out of a broken play, which nobody can teach,” Cowher wrote. “He also had that big ego on the field that great quarterbacks have. He just didn’t know enough to be hesitant. And that competitiveness, which Kevin Colbert and I’d noticed early, shone. When a play broke down, he improvised, he took chances, he did unconventional things to make something good out of something bad.

“With some quarterbacks, a broken-down play is their opportunity to extend it, not lose yardage. But Ben was all about turning it into a plus-yardage play. Right away I could see our challenge would be to make him work within our system while not […]

From his media interview today, per Teresa Varley at Steelers.com:

This year is the first time that Fitzpatrick has taken part in OTAs with his Steelers teammates. He missed them his first year in black and gold because he was traded early in the season, and in 2020 there weren’t OTAs. So, this year he is taking advantage of everything and using them to get ready for 2021.

And speaking of that, a perfect example he gave after Tuesday’s OTAs was Ben Roethlisberger. Fitzpatrick had the luxury of working against Roethlisberger on Tuesday because the veteran quarterback, in his 18th season, has been taking part in voluntary OTAs on a regular basis, something that is benefiting everyone on the field and giving the secondary some good looks to prepare for.

“I am happy Ben is out here,” said Fitzpatrick. “He has been doing this a while. He doesn’t have to be out here competing against us. He chooses to come out and compete. When he is out there everyone gets better.

“It’s a great look for me. Not too many quarterbacks can do the things he does. The very first play he held me in the field a little bit and made a throw backside. Not too many guys are doing that across the league. Me going up against that, I get to go back and watch film, or on the field say I could have done this better, remind myself of the fundamentals when I go against a guy like Ben. This year we are going against a lot of guys that are high caliber. Him coming out here, I respect it, appreciate it. We are going to see some great looks. Everybody gets better when Ben is out there.”


You can read more from Minka Fitzpatrick’s interview here.

Photo: Karl Roser/Steelers

Mr. Bailey’s list at SI.com:

Over the last two decades, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has given us a lot to marvel at.

Whether it’s a throw that was fit into the tightest of windows, extending the play for a large gain, or the two Super Bowl rings, there have been a large number of notable Big Ben moments. Trying to break it down into the ten best was a chore, but here are the ten best moments of Ben Roethlisberger’s career.

10. 3rd and 18 scramble vs. Bills: 2010

This was a crucial moment in the game and vintage Ben Roethlisberger. On 3rd and 18, with just over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of a tied game in Orchard Park, Roethlisberger broke away from a sack and sprinted to his right, where there were no Bills defenders. Roethlisberger dove forward for a gain of 19 and a Pittsburgh first down. The Steelers would get a field goal to take a 16-13 lead before the Bills tied the game to send it to overtime. Shaun Suisham would win the game for Pittsburgh with a 41-yard field goal.

9. Touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes vs. Baltimore: 2008

The first of two crucial late-game touchdowns on the season for Holmes came in Week 15 in Baltimore with the AFC North on the line. Trailing 9-6 with 40 seconds left, Ben Roethlisberger scrambled to his left, raced back to his right before finding Santonio Holmes in the middle of the field, catching the ball just inside the goal line for the touchdown. The Steelers beat Baltimore 13-9 and secured the AFC North title.

8. Comeback Win vs. Broncos: 2015

The Steelers entered halftime down 27-13 to the Brock Osweiler-led Denver Broncos, who also fielded the best defense in the NFL that season. Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to score 21 unanswered points in the second half, throwing for 380 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers completed the comeback to beat Denver. This was also a huge game for Antonio Brown, as he hauled in 16 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns.

7. Game-Winning Touchdown pass to Mike Wallace vs. Packers: 2009

The Steelers had started off 2009 on a hot streak, going 6-2 in their […]

From his Zoom interview today with the media, compiled by Teresa Varley:

Before the question could even fully be asked, Ben Roethlisberger was smiling and shaking his head.

The answer was an easy one for him.

“I am black and gold through and through,” said Roethlisberger.

That he is.

For 17 years Roethlisberger has worn the black and gold, playing in a Steelers record 233 games and starting a record 231. So, when the question arose about his Steelers legacy and would he consider finishing out his career anywhere else, there was no doubt. It’s the reason he approached the team about taking a pay cut when he signed a new contract for the 2021 season, his 18th with the team after being selected in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft.

“It was my idea,” said Roethlisberger of taking a pay cut. “I told them I want to help the team out however we can. I went to them and told them I would do whatever I can to help the team sign guys who are going to help us win football games. I have been extremely blessed to play this game for a long time. That is one of the reasons I wanted to come back. I knew we had a great defense, some amazing weapons on offense. I wanted to come back and be a part of what I think is a special football team that everyone is overlooking, which is kind of cool too. In order to do that, I thought it was necessary to do that.

“I didn’t want to go anywhere. That is why I told the Rooneys and Coach (Mike) Tomlin I want to be here. I don’t want to be anywhere else. This is home to me. I will always bleed black and gold. Almost half of my life has been here playing football for the Steelers. That is why I told them I would take a pay cut to stay here because this is what I believe in, this group, this city. This is home. I am honored to have my career be here.”

Roethlisberger made it clear pretty quick after the 2020 season that he wanted to be back this season. He led the team to an 11-0 record to start the year, while coming […]