Once again, the best fanbase in all of sports came out strong with emails, Facebook comments, tweets and even photos for #7 that started just moments after the game ended:

“Dear Mr. Ben Roethlisberger, I cannot imagine the pain you have in your shoulder right now. Whether you win in Denver or not, Steeler Nation will still love you. You are not in this fight alone, you obviously have your teammates, coaches and your family, and you will always have Steeler Nation. When Burfict sacked you at the end of the third quarter last Saturday, we all felt the pain. The way you came back in and fought til the end was awesome. You do not get enough credit for the pain you play through and most importantly the heart you have. I play football myself and I look up to you so much. I wouldn’t choose anyone else as my favorite team’s QB. Don’t forget about all the fans that you love you more than ever!” — Sincerely, Jonah Spencer, age 16. Youngstown, OH

Matt Pajak @notpatsajak
Unexpected awesomeness from @steelers depth on both sides of the ball, with the gutsiest qb @_BigBen7 in the league. 2016-17 is ring-worthy.

LL Mikey P ‏@MamaMiaMike
Such a great leader and player. I salute you for all that you do for your team on and off the field @_BigBen7

gloria prye ‏@steelergranny
@_BigBen7 Wish I could give you and all my Steelers a hug ,to tell you what you mean to me!

zzy Gobea ‏@alexgobea
@_BigBen7 we couldn’t have a better leader to guide us!! #SteelerNation I’m ready for the new season to start!!


Rich Fallat Class act. Best QB in the nfl.

Karen Reeher Thanks guys for a fantastic season! You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of! So hold your heads up high & try again next year. Such is the toils & riggers of life!!

Chris Moody We had a great year amidst the injuries. I couldn’t be prouder of the mighty Steelers!! They pulled together and had a great season.

Nick Mandalakas I was so sure this would be a rebuilding year for the defense, and didn’t expect a winning season. It turned out to be a tremendous and memorable year.

Kimberly Cloud […]

Jeremy Fowler at ESPN.com does a nice job of summing up the game (and looking to the future) while we wait for Ben’s post-game interview to become available:

The sight of Von Miller spinning off Marcus Gilbert and placing his hands on Ben Roethlisberger’s torso signified a Pittsburgh Steelers team out of gas.

The Steelers reached back for a game-winning drive for which they didn’t have the energy. Miller’s sack on fourth down with less than two minutes left all but sealed Denver’s 23-16 AFC divisional playoff win.

No Antonio Brown. No Le’Veon Bell or DeAngelo Williams, neither of whom would have fumbled midway in the fourth quarter to give Denver all the momentum. Two starting offensive linemen had been absent all year. Just too much to overcome.

Yes, Fitz Toussaint did the fumbling, but he’s not to blame for this loss. Too many Steelers were put in tough spots offensively for the franchise to sustain what became a thrilling ride into the playoffs the past two months

The Steelers poured everything they had onto the Paul Brown Stadium turf last week. There was nothing left. This was a fun year, but it was destined to end based on circumstance.

One reason to get excited: Despite Denver’s late score, the defense has come alive in the past month, giving up just three touchdowns in the past three games. High draft picks are validating their status. Last week, it was Ryan Shazier. This week, Jarvis Jones and Stephon Tuitt were excellent. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler called timely blitzes from corner William Gay and safety Will Allen on separate third downs to stall two Broncos drives.

Game ball: Bryant was phenomenal. He accepted the challenge of becoming the No. 1 receiver with Brown absent. He finished with 154 receiving yards on nine catches.

Chasing history: Roethlisberger surpassed Terry Bradshaw’s 3,833 passing yards for the most in franchise playoff history. James Harrison has 8.5 career postseason sacks with Pittsburgh. He’s chasing LaMarr Woodley for the franchise record (11).


You can read more from Mr. Fowler here.

“Ten years later, Ben Roethlisberger’s tackle affects Colts and Steelers”

A shared memory can mean something different to those who shared it.

For Peyton Manning, the snapshot of Ben Roethlisberger’s touchdown-saving tackle against the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC divisional-playoff game on Jan. 15, 2006 — 10 years ago Friday — is a bit fuzzy, eliciting an indifference to the moment.

“Some of [my teammates] probably weren’t even born when that game was played, much less they probably don’t have much of an interest in it,” Manning said this week when asked about the Colts’ 21-18 loss to Pittsburgh. “It was a long time ago.”

For Jerome Bettis, though, a diving Roethlisberger clutching cornerback Nick Harper’s right foot and guiding him to the RCA Dome turf signified something much more — the Hall of Fame. Bettis, who fumbled at the goal line with 1:18 left in what could have been his last playoff game, famously said to Roethlisberger at his Hall of Fame speech in August: “Without you, I might still be at the doorstep. I owe you for life.”

Harper recovered the fumble. Thirty-six yards later, he went down. Eventually, so did the Colts. And Bettis went out a Super Bowl winner.

For many others, the tackle sparked an avalanche of emotions that have stayed with fans and former players a decade later for convenient tailgating conversation.

“Before the Cincinnati game, we were at a Steelers function and the play came up,” said Chris Hoke, the Steelers’ nose tackle from 2001-11. “It was a classic year, and that was a classic play.”

To recapture the moment, ESPN spoke with principals from that game — including then-Colts coach Tony Dungy, Colts linebacker Gary Brackett, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller and Hoke.

Roethlisberger, who declined comment while focusing on his shoulder rehab, made the play, but the moment was about much more. Dungy still wonders how those Colts didn’t win it all.

“That was probably our best team,” he said.

For the tight end, panic …

Miller, a rookie tight end out of Virginia, was a blocker to the right side, tasked with helping create a hole for Bettis to barrel through. Bettis never fumbled, the whole team thought.

Then the ball floated into the air, courtesy of Brackett’s helmet.

“I was on the ground, looking back,” Miller said. “Then I got up and […]

“When Alejandro Villanueva calls Ben Roethlisberger a leader, he knows what he is talking about”

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

For the first three series of the fourth quarter, Ben Roethlisberger stood on the sidelines, his shoulder aching but more than anything his heart likely aching that he wasn’t on the field with his teammates.

But when it came down to it, when the Steelers season was completely on the line in the AFC Wild Card game against the Bengals, Roethlisberger did what true leaders do. He put the pain as far in the back of his mind as he could and he returned to the game.

“He’s the leader of the team,” said tackle Alejandro Villanueva, a former U.S. Army Ranger who more than anyone on a football field understands the true meaning of leader. “He understands the responsibility. He embodies all of the strength and courage you want to see in a great leader.

“It was encouraging for us on the offense when we saw him come out. And then he started making plays. He is an extreme competitor. We are honored to follow him in this journey.”

Roethlisberger left the game at the end of the third quarter after a sack by Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The Steelers had a 15-0 lead at the time, but the tide would quickly turn. The Bengals offense would take over, erasing the Steelers lead, going up 16-15. Landry Jones, who came off the bench to start the fourth quarter, threw a late interception that many thought sealed the win for the Bengals. As the Bengals looked like they were going to be able to run out the clock, linebacker Ryan Shazier striped the ball from Jeremy Hill and it was Steelers ball.

And that’s when in Roethlisberger stepped in.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” said Villanueva. “He is slow to get off the ground some times, and rightfully so. He gets hit a lot. As an offensive lineman we have to do a better job protecting him. He took a hit from a very big guy. We were hoping the best for him. It was encouraging to see him come back in.”

The offense rallied around their leader, giving them the push they needed to get into Cincinnati territory, where a pair of Bengals’ penalties […]

Last week, we shared a wonderful story with you about a young man named Alex Bentley, who lives in a “house divided” – 13-year old Alex is a huge Steelers fan, his father Trevor is a life-long Bengals fan:

“I thought I would share this with Ben even though I am a diehard Bengals Fan!

My son somehow was converted to a Steelers lover by a grade school teacher and it has caused us great pain!

Living in Oxford, Ohio most of our life I still cannot support a Steeler even though we watched Ben develop as he played behind our house! My son on the other hand, believes that Ben is the greatest quarterback ever and when asked where he wanted to go for vacation this year he quickly said “Findlay, Ohio”!

I have tried to take him to the doctor and have this illness removed from him so that we can be an undivided home of Cincinnati Bengals, but I have run out of energy! He has even gone as far as making the great Bengal Icky Woods sign a Steelers key chain that my son donated to his foundation. I am not expecting anything, in fact it is difficult enough allowing these ugly colors in my home already, but just tell him that Alex Bentley loves him!” – Trevor Bentley.

But Ben wanted to add a little more Black & Gold to the Bentley’s home decor, so he played Santa Claus and sent Alex a game-used autographed Nike shoe that just happened to arrive on Christmas Eve, much to Alex’s delight.

Since then, Alex has been making waves (and the airwaves) deep in Bengals territory.

Well, we have an update to share this evening on Alex, courtesy of both Ben and Trevor –


Ben sent a personal video message to Alex this afternoon:

“Surprised him in the sanctuary on the big screens and it was awesome! Thank you so much Ben for making my son scream with joy. Even though the game was a terrible let down I can’t explain the joy I feel inside. Seeing him light up is what I live for, and if it means supporting the Steelers on certain occasions to make […]

Steeler Nation that is!