A rematch is in the cards
…or rather in the paddles!
From at Jacob Klinger at Penn Live today:
James Conner has started a comeback against Ben Roethlisberger.
Playing ping-pong with the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback at their agent’s headquarters in Irvine, California last month, Roethlisberger won their first match.
But the Pitt running back who is at the Combine this week after beating Hodgkins Lymphoma and rushing for 1,092 yards and 16 touchdowns last season snagged the following game, he said.
Only for Roethlisberger to have to leave with the scored tied, 1-1.
“He had to run,” Conner said. “His family, they had some food waiting, so Game 3 is on the way.”
Conner and Roethlisberger have shared a practice facility, the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Pittsburgh’s South Side, since 2013. And as the Pitt running back prepares for the NFL Draft, Roethlisberger has given Conner little pieces of advice, in addition to ping-pong games.
“Just be yourself, have fun with it, enjoy the process,” Roethlisberger told Conner, Conner said. “He knows I overcame a lot, too. So yeah, me and Ben, cool.”
But there will be a rubber match, Conner said.
You can read more here.
Big Ben’s Annual Birthday Contest
UPDATE: WE HAVE A WINNER!!! Congratulations to Mikel Molina! He was our 302nd emailer. Thank you to everyone who emailed for the contest, and to send all the wonderful birthday wishes!!
Today (Thursday) is Ben’s 35th birthday, and one lucky fan will win a gift from him!
To celebrate…
The 302nd emailer today (that number is from 3/02 – his birth date) will receive one of Ben’s game-used, autographed Nike cleats.
It’s just that easy: No quiz to take, no caption to think up, no questions to answer…just be the 302nd emailer!
However, before you email, please follow these two rules:
1. Emails for the contest WILL NOT be accepted until 12 NOON ET and after (this gives fans in different time zones a chance to participate).
2. Please, just one email per email address only (subsequent emails from the same address will be discounted).
Send emails to: bigben7website@gmail.com
Winner will be notified via email, and their name will be posted here in an update this afternoon! Good Luck!
The 2017 NFL Combine begins this week…
From Steelers.com today:
Who will stand out this year? Who will make a sudden impression? And what will we learn when the NFL Combine descends upon Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Feb. 28-March 6?
Over 300 players will take part in what is football’s biggest job interview, participating in an array of activities, including on-field workouts, medical testing, interviews with teams, and media interviews.
You can follow the Steelers during the NFL Combine here.
“When you have a franchise quarterback, it increases your chances of winning a championship. To me, it’s that simple. If you have a great one, you’re fortunate because not everybody does. We’re fortunate. The franchise guys are so scarce in the draft. Most veteran guys don’t become available. You never want to pick high enough to get one, but if you have the chance you should take one.” — Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert on finding his franchise guy in 2004.
We’re looking back at the 2004 NFL Combine, when Mr. Colbert found his “franchise guy” –
“It’s remarkable how far he has come in such a short time. Until his senior year in high school, he was a receiver. Yet, he was talented enough to take the Mid-American Conference by storm. That might not seem like a ringing endorsement on the surface, but remember that the last two MAC quarterbacks to do that were Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich, both of whom appear to have bright NFL futures. Roethlisberger, who declared himself eligible for the NFL draft after his junior year, has a good pro arm, is more athletic than Eli Manning and Philip Rivers and sees the field well. Scouts generally believe he has the highest upside of this year’s QB crop, but also represents the greatest risk because of his limited experience.” — The late Joe Stein, NFL Draft expert for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
From Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports, February 19, 2004:
The inquiry at the top of everyone’s list?
“Ben, where do you think you’ll be drafted?”
It’s a question he can’t answer. He knows where he wants to be drafted.
The 6-5, 245-pounder possesses the qualities teams want in a quarterback: size, arm strength, accuracy, some mobility, smarts.
Roethlisberger and Manning are at […]
Throwback Thursday
“It’s a Pittsburgh thing”
It was Big Ben vs Pitt RB (and NFL Draft prospect) James Conner in a serious ping pong match last week.
The two men faced off across the table at Rep 1 Sports in Irvine, California last week, while visiting their agent, Ryan Tollner. Rep 1 tweeted a photo of the friendly competitors:
Rep 1 Sports @Rep1Sports
We snapped Ben Roethlisberger & James Conner on the sticks @ headquarters last week! It’s a Pittsburgh thing. #rep1fam
And speaking of NFL Draft Prospects…
Eastern Washington WR Cooper Kupp on his visit to Irvine, California last week:
“…in between visiting with Jared [Goff] and Carson [Wentz], I also had the privilege of throwing with Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers. Big Ben’s reputation speaks for itself, and it was clear from the start that his success over the past 13 seasons is a result of the seriousness he brings to the practice field. When it’s time to work, it’s time to work, and I really respect that in a quarterback.
Ben’s goal, from the second he steps on the field, is maximizing his work. He knows exactly what he wants and how he wants it done. He’s been slinging the football for a long time now and he’s seen everything. He’s worked with every kind of receiver, and he’s thrown every route imaginable.
He’s also seen the issues guys have, and it would have been a mistake if I didn’t try to absorb as much as I could about what makes the NFL’s most successful receivers so good at what they do.
It’s clear that there’s more to being a good pro than simply being talented and productive in college.
For starters, in the NFL every route is a little deeper. The 15-yard bench route you ran in college is now a 20-yard route in the pros, so timing is absolutely critical. Fortunately, when you’re working with a passer like Ben, you can always count on his timing being perfect. It’s not just, ‘I’ll hit you in the chest.’ It’s, ‘I’ll hit you in the chest, off your seventh step, every time.’ And as a receiver, that consistency makes things easy. You know when you turn your head that the ball is going to be where it’s been every time.”
You […]
Ben’s foundation: Final grants awarded
We’re very fortunate to be in the position that we are able to help these K-9 units. The work that is performed by the dogs and their handlers as well as the bond that is formed is incredible. We’re just thrilled to do our small part. — Ben.
Today, Ben announced the final grants of the 2016-17 season from The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at www.givingback.org. The Foundation will be distributing eight grants totaling $76,000 to police departments in the Pittsburgh area.
The K-9 departments receiving funding from Ben this year include the Arnold Police Department, Castle Shannon Police Department, Findlay Township Police Department, Ligonier Township Police Department, Mt. Oliver Police Department, Penn Hills Police Department, West Mifflin Borough Police Department, and the
Wheeling West Virginia Police Department. These departments will be utilizing their respective grants in a variety of canine-focused initiatives including the purchase and training of new K-9s, replacing and upgrading K-9 vehicles, and the acquisition of new safety & training equipment.
This announcement completes the foundation’s tenth grant cycle, during which it distributed more than $150,000 in grants to K-9 units around the country. In addition to the Pittsburgh grants announced, the Foundation distributed grants to K-9 units of police departments in the cities and surrounding communities of each regular season away game for the Steelers. Ben invited police and fire departments across the country to submit proposals detailing their needs.
Ben is grateful for the generous supporters who have enabled him to expand the K-9 grant program, including Pro Camps and Allegheny County District Attorney Office, as well as caring individual donors from around the country.
Sgt. Neil H. Cridge stated, “On behalf of the Findlay Township Police Department and its residents, we would like to extend our appreciation to the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation and The Giving Back Fund for their continued dedication to the law enforcement community! With the grant funding, the Findlay Township Police K-9 Unit was able to continue the program after the passing of K-9 Axel. This grant allows small departments like ours to continue to provide a higher level of service to our community, as well as surrounding areas. K-9 Scooby has already begun to […]