“We have a lot of weapons and the offensive line protects well. I can’t say enough about how well they played. It’s a really good defense and they protected me. It’s a good team win against a really good team.” — Ben.

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

Nobody’s perfect. Well, maybe some people are at least for a game. Last Thursday night Ben Roethlisberger was just that in a 52-21 win over the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field.

Roethlisberger completed 22 of 25 passes for 328 yards, with five touchdowns, no interceptions, and a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3, before coming out early in the fourth quarter.

Seven different players scored and 10 players caught passes from Roethlisberger. On the Steelers first offensive play of the game Roethlisberger hit JuJu Smith-Schuster in stride around the 47-yard line and he took it 75 yards for a touchdown to tie the game, 7-7, and there was no turning back.


You can read more from Ms. Varley here.

Recap provided by 93.7 The Fan:

The past two week Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has worn “Stronger Than Hate” cleats to honor the 11 lives lost during the Tree of Life synagogue shooting on October 27.

In Baltimore, Roethlisberger wore white cleats that said “Stronger Than Hate” on them and last week against Carolina at home, Roethlisberger wore a black pair that had the 11 victims’ names on black cleats.

Jennifer Halle, an employee at the Fan’s brother station KDKA Radio, lost her uncle during the shooting. Halle was so touched by Roethlisberger’s gesture she wrote a hand-written note to thank Roethlisberger for honoring her uncle and the 10 other lives lost.

“That’s touching. That means a lot. Obviously I’m so sorry for her loss as well. So is everybody who lost somebody that they knew or loved those weeks ago . . . in Baltimore I just wore the kind of plain white with the “Stronger Than Hate” logo on it. That’s the first game since the incident, obviously the first game was the next day,” said Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger said during his weekly show on The Fan, it was a way to honor, remember and think about the victims.

“Carolina was our first home game since we had some time to reflect and everything. I had some shoes made. They had the ‘Stronger Than Hate’ logo on the back and then had all the victims’ names on the toe. Really it was just a way for me to really honor those people and their families. You know, so many times it’s easy for people that weren’t directly affected, you know someone like me or somebody that didn’t have an immediate family member or whatever, to just kind of move on. And it’s not easy for other people that did lose somebody to just move on. And so I’ve always said how proud I was of all the guys on our team that we’ve been able to give the fans, give those people maybe three hours of a break. Not to forget, but just to kind of take their mind off it for a little while. And we’ve been able to do that the last few weeks.”

Roethlisberger adds he and some […]

….is to Marine Corps veteran and Steelers fan Greg Yakubik (afterall, it IS the same weekend as the Marine Corps Birthday!):


“I joined the United States Marine Corps on November 7th, 1999 and was sent to Parris Island, South Carolina for basic training. After graduating from basic, I did infantry training in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. After my training, I was sent to Camp Pendleton, California for my permanent duty station where I spent 4 years. My unit was sent to Australia to do training with Australian forces, then on to Etajima Island Sasebo, Japan; Nagasaki and Okinawa, Japan. In 2003, my unit was sent into Iraq. We were the first unit to cross the border into Baghdad, which was on St Patrick’s Day. My unit took down Baghdad on April 11th.”



I loved being a Marine & fighting for my country! When I left the Corps, I started working in the Emergency Room at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. I guess protecting others is just a part of who I am, which is why I went on to college for Criminal Justice. I am now a Senior Safety Officer for UPMC’s Western Psychiatric Institute.



I grew up in the Pittsburgh area (and will always live here) and have been a Steelers fan all my life! I was lucky to marry a girl that loves Steelers football just as much as I do, and we never miss a game. We are huge Ben fans in this house since he came into the league. I really enjoy watching him play every game day. I also love the work his foundation does for the police around the country. I have a lot of friends that are cops in the Pittsburgh area, so this really means a great deal to me. My wife and I have tried to do our part for Ben and his foundation over the years – we’ve volunteered at the kids’ camps he holds every summer, and also at his charity golf tournaments. We have even attended his charity events as guests. I’m proud to be a Marine, a Pittsburgh native, and a life-long Steelers fan!” — Greg Yakubik.
[…]

“We have a lot of weapons and the offensive line protects well. I can’t say enough about how well they played. It’s a really good defense and they protected me tonight. It’s a good team win against a really good team.” — Ben. More from Ben’s post-game interview here.

“Ben is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week!”

From Bob Labriola, Steelers.com:

Winning in the NFL doesn’t require perfect play from the quarterback, but if a team gets perfect play from its quarterback, things certainly are a whole lot easier. Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field, the Steelers got perfect play from their quarterback, and that got them off on the right foot for what turned into a 52-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

Ben Roethlisberger completed 22-of-25 (88 percent) for 328 yards, with five touchdowns, no interceptions, and a perfect 158.3 rating. Roethlisberger also ran three times for 27 yards, and for all of that he is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.


You can read more from Mr. Labriola here.

You can see more great game photos from Mr. Karl Roser here.





“Ben Roethlisberger has Steelers playing like team possessed”

From Jeremy Fowler, ESPN.com:

The liveliest party of the year just took place in Heinz Field, where they danced so hard in the end zone that they ran out of touchdown celebrations, and that’s when they weren’t throwing Cam Newton to the turf.

The Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t lying when they said they were just getting started.

The 52-21 pounding of the Panthers on Thursday tied for the most points allowed in Carolina history and showed that the Steelers look ready to make their own history. Carolina last gave up 52 points on Christmas Eve in 2000 against the Oakland Raiders.

If Ben Roethlisberger can continue to deliver masterpieces like this against a good defense, the Steelers — winners of five straight — might have their best chance at a Super Bowl since the early Mike Tomlin years.

Roethlisberger finished 22-of-25 passing for 328 yards, five touchdowns and a perfect passer rating of 158.3, the third such game of his career. He hit every throw, as if tossing into a big net. The Steelers worked the no-huddle offense, Roethlisberger’s specialty, on a short week, […]

For tonight’s game: In honor and remembrance of the victims of the shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue. We will never forget! Love is Stronger Than Hate! — Ben.