From Teresa Varley’s article at Steelers.com:

Ben’s still Ben: Ben Roethlisberger will turn 34 on March 2, but Steelers’ President Art Rooney II said it isn’t time to start looking for his replacement. Roethlisberger, who signed a new five-year deal last March which will keep him with the Steelers through the 2019 season, threw for 3,938 yards in 2015, his 10th straight season throwing for at least 3,000 yards.

“I don’t think we are starting down that road of who is next after Ben,” said Rooney. “Obviously we have some work to do in terms of who are the backups. We will have some evaluation to do there. As far as I am concerned, Ben didn’t show much sign of falling off this year. So I am looking forward to at least several more years with Ben as our quarterback.”


You can read the other 2 takes here.

…it WAS the Black & Gold Blizzard of 2016!!

And we have the pictures to prove it:


Top Left: Dan and his daughter Brooke dress up their snow-covered Fairfax, VA neighborhood. Top Right: Murielle Raciti & her husband clean off their vehicles in style (Super Bowl style, that is) in New Jersey. Left Bottom: That’s James Cohen from Easton, PA hiding under all that snow, black & gold! Right Bottom: The Steelers shared this little SnowBen on Twitter.




Left: Brian Marshall in his old school Steeler Jacket shovels in York, PA. Top Middle: Jennifer Greco shares her ‪#‎SteelerNation‬ family photo (including a temporary family member – courtesy of the weekend’s blizzard) in New York. Top Right: Jax Galati aka “Mr. Freeze” is Steelers-tough while snowboarding in New Jersey! Bottom Middle: Jim Clarke’s little man gives the storm a big raspberry! It’s totally messing up his daily stroller riding! Bottom Right: Sandra Gentry made a SnowBen in her yard in Tennessee.



Even Sara Martin celebrated her Blizzard Birthday with Black & Gold (icing):

From Rob Rossi, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

The Steelers had just finished their final exhibition game, which meant their Most Valuable Player was about to finish playing football for a couple of weeks. Le’Veon Bell, though, insisted there was no reason to worry about the offense while he was sitting out.

Bell nodded toward an empty locker stall that contained Ben Roethlisberger’s clothes.

“That guy,” Bell said. “It doesn’t matter who’s in there, we’ll follow No. 7.”

In this recently completed season, Big Ben’s 12th campaign, he offered his teammates no choice. Whenever he perceived an opportunity to be The Guy, he was that guy.

“Ben has been so great,” Mike Vick said a couple of days after leading the Steelers to an October win at San Diego in Roethlisberger’s absence. “I don’t know what I expected, to be honest. But my first day here, Ben came up to me and said, ‘Whatever you need, I’m your guy.’ That really helped me relax, just hearing that from somebody who means what he does to this franchise.”

Words are easy, though. Leadership is always more about doing than saying.

Vick said Roethlisberger was instrumental in the Steelers tailoring the offense to his skills in the days between a disheartening home loss to the Baltimore Ravens and that thrilling win over the Chargers. Roethlisberger, unable to play because of a battered left knee, served as confidant to Vick and offensive coordinator Todd Haley during that time.

If something wasn’t working, usually Roethlisberger was the one who first spoke up. He knew the offense better than Vick, and he knew best how to communicate with Haley.

Vick is a former franchise quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons, a role he called a double-edged sword.

“You’re being watched in everything that you do,” he said. “I probably didn’t pay enough attention to that when I was younger. I thought I could just go play.

“When I came here, I could see that Ben is aware of what he says and what he does. He’s already given it a lot of thought. Whether he’s giving an interview or talking to a receiver, nothing is by chance with Ben.”

Also not by chance has been Roethlisberger maturing into the leader only he can be.

His leadership style is different from those who first led him, former heart-and-soul Steelers such as Jerome […]

…of Nike’s “Snow Day”!!

From Chris Wesseling at NFL.com this weekend:

Ben Roethlisberger faced a crossroads in his career two years ago, as the Steelers asked him to transition from physical marvel to cerebral quarterback.

To Roethlisberger’s credit, he embraced the change, flourishing in Todd Haley’s offense which allows him to make better pre-snap reads and get the ball out of his hands faster.

The result has been a historically prolific aerial attack for stretches of the past two seasons.

“I feel like I’m playing my best football,” Roethlisberger said this week, via ESPN.com. “That’s a big credit to the guys around me.”

The Steelers boast the NFL’s most dynamic wide receiver corps, with Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton stresses defenses at every level. The improvement in pass protection has gone overlooked, however, as offensive line coach Mike Munchak masterminded the lowest sack rate (1.66 per game) of Roethlisberger’s career.

Roethlisberger has led the NFL in passing yards per game in each of the past two seasons. Judging by his passer rating (94.5) and TD-to-INT ratio (21:16), one might reach the conclusion that Roethlisberger was merely a mediocre quarterback in 2015.

The reality is Roethlisberger passed better than ever, relentlessly attacking downfield while leading the NFL in plays of 40-plus yards and finishing second in yards per attempt (8.4).

By December, he became a football litmus test. Anyone doubting his prowess as a top-tier quarterback wasn’t watching the games.

With playmaking tailbacks Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams returning to join the league’s most dangerous wide receiver trio, Roethlisberger should be a trendy preseason pick for MVP honors next summer.


You can read more from Mr. Wesseling here.

On December 22nd Ben was selected to play in the 2016 Pro Bowl, but because of the need to rest & rehab his shoulder, NY Giants quarterback Eli Manning will be taking his place –

More from the Sporting News:

Eli Manning will soon say “Aloha” to Hawaii.

The Giants quarterback will replace Steelers veteran Ben Roethlisberger and join teammate Odell Beckham Jr. as New York’s representatives in the 2016 Pro Bowl, the NFL announced Friday.

Manning will play in his third Pro Bowl after being selected in 2008, 2011 and 2012.

Roethlisberger, meanwhile, will begin his offseason recovery after his playoff hopes were shattered in Pittsburgh’s loss to Denver in Sunday’s AFC divisional game. He led the injury-riddled Steelers to a remarkable postseason run as he battled a number of health issues. His offseason rehabilitation will be limited to vigorous physical therapy and won’t include surgery.

The Pro Bowl is set to kickoff in Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 31st.


You can read the rest here.