From Jeremy Fowler, ESPN.com:

Ben Roethlisberger won’t let Steelers fall out of playoff picture

Nearly four weeks ago, Ben Roethlisberger stood near his locker and delivered two simple words about his leadership plans for the season’s second half: Follow me.

Since then, Roethlisberger has 1,085 yards passing, eight touchdown passes, one interception and three wins, none bigger than Sunday’s over the New York Giants, 24-14.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers faced trouble midway through the third quarter, Roethlisberger delivered the kind of drive that only a handful of humans could orchestrate.

He strong-armed a 33-yard completion through a pocket full of Giants.

He launched a well-timed ball to the sideline to a toe-tapping Antonio Brown.

“Total trust. I trust him, and he trusts and believes in me.” — Ben, on that touchdown pass to Antonio Brown.

He lofted a pass over the head of safety Landon Collins for a 20-yard score to Ladarius Green, who’s clearly become the Steelers’ second receiving option behind Brown.

On a day the Steelers had to have it, Big Ben was at his biggest, answering a Giants touchdown drive and keeping the lead at 14 before letting Le’Veon Bell handle most of the fourth quarter. Roethlisberger was 4-of-4 for 71 yards on that drive.

It was brilliant performance and the difference in the game.

And don’t think he’s not still motivated by playing Eli Manning, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft and 10 picks above Roethlisberger — who looked like the better quarterback 12 years later.

The defense was just as bullish, baiting Manning into two interceptions and holding Odell Beckham Jr. to 105 yards, a handful of those in garbage time.

Whatever Roethlisberger is doing on offense, James Harrison is matching it on defense; two thirtysomethings putting up numbers at the right time. Harrison has five sacks in his past five games and has applied pressure many other times.

On the game-sealing sack of Manning on fourth down midway through the fourth, at least four Steelers were involved in the takedown. Ricardo Mathews got the credit, but many Steelers were around the ball all game. That includes Sean Davis with his first career interception, Mike Mitchell with two third-down pass breakups and Lawrence Timmons’ field-flipping interception from underneath coverage.

“It’s that time of year when we have […]

K9 “Steel” is the newest member of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, thanks to The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation!


“Steel” joins three other police K9s in this Virginia department. He is a Czech Shepherd born on June 5, 2015 in the Czech Republic. He now lives with his handler, Deputy B. Demerci and his family.

This is Deputy Demerci’s first time working a police dog. Steel and Deputy Demerci received their Police K-9 Handler Team Certification after graduating from the Virginia Police K9 Association/Professional Canine Services, Inc. just a couple of weeks ago, on November 18th. Steel is certified in Police Patrol/Utility and K9 Explosives Detection.

Then this happened…

Within a week of graduating from K9 School, Deputy Demerci and K9 Steel were dispatched to a robbery call while out on patrol. After a perimeter was established, this 4-legged rookie was able to track the suspect behind a fence into an enclosed back yard. The suspect was taken in to custody without further incident or injury to anyone. But Steel wasn’t done! He was then able to track the suspected weapon used in the attempted robbery under a blanket in a nearby baby stroller.

Thank you, Ben, for giving this grant to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. The expansion of the K9 unit will certainly assist in the protection of the citizens and the community in which Steel will serve. Organizations such as The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation are priceless. There are no words to express the appreciation felt for the Ben and his foundation for giving us the opportunity to grow within the unit and department. The citizens of Stafford County, as well as the Sheriff’s Office, will certainly benefit from this generous contribution. — The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit (with a special shout out to Lt. Julie Smith of the Fairfax County, VA Sheriff’s Office).



Ben made the choice of a team to root for a lot easier for the Bistany Family.

Dear Ben,

My name is Jesse Bistany and I am a Sheriff Lieutenant in the state of New Jersey.

I wanted to take this time to personally tell you that I appreciate everything you do for law enforcement!!! As a 42-year old male who loves football, baseball has […]

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

Ben Roethlisberger knows this is the time of year things need to heat up.

It’s the time of year when the temperatures are dropping in Pittsburgh, but on the football field things are heating up for the Steelers.

December football goes into full effect on Sunday at Heinz Field against the New York Giants, a time when everyone has to elevate their game as the hunt for a playoff spot is on.

“It’s when you get hot, now is the time to be at your best,” said Ben Roethlisberger. “The weather gets bad and that is what we love. It’s time to go out and play football and do anything you can to win a football game, whether it’s 50-0 or 2-0. Whatever you have to do to win a football game.”

And what the Steelers will have to do is bring their ‘A’ game against a Giants team that comes in with an 8-3 record, and has rattled off six straight wins. But Roethlisberger feels the Steelers have what it takes to make the stretch run count, starting this week.

“We have a good combination of veteran guys that have been there and done that, with some young guys that are playing good football right now,” said Roethlisberger. “We fought through some injuries and are getting healthy and have that little extra time to get ready to go. We have one of the best football teams in the NFL right now coming to our place. What an awesome challenge for this time of year.”

The Giants bring a no-nonsense defense, but it’s a defense that is menacing.

“They are a very good defense,” said Roethlisberger. “They don’t do a lot. It’s not like they give you a lot of exotic looks and do a lot craziness. They just line up and beat you. They beat you with a pass rush that gets home and forces you to throw it quick. Their coverage is so good they find ways to create turnovers or break the ball up. This is going to be a big challenged for us.

“This is similar to the Cowboys. You have a small menu of things and you do them well. There isn’t anything wrong with that. We do that on […]