From Nick Birdsong at the Sporting News this morning:

The Steelers’ offense is good, really good, and the only figures you need to see from their preseason opener against the Jaguars on Friday are the ones put up by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben finished 3 for 3 for 60 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown pass to second-year wide receiver Martavis Bryant.

Roethlisberger only played one series, but he did enough to show that the unit, which also features wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell, is more than capable of averaging 30 points a game like it did last season.


You can read more & watch video highlights here.



From the Steelers official website:

QB Ben Roethlisberger:
(On his first drive) “As long as you score, it’s feels pretty good. We had the two-point try and scored points. To me that’s the most important thing. As a leader of this offense, you want those guys to be selfless like ‘even if I don’t catch a ball, it doesn’t matter as long as we win.’ I think we have that in this group. We have to keep getting everybody the ball and if they don’t get it, we won’t win football games.”


You can read more here.

Regular readers will remember the special tribute from Lt. Eric Eslary’s wife Mary Beth, and his K9 partner, Blek that we posted on July 21st…

On Tuesday, the Ligonier Township Police Department retired K9 Blek this week, and he will now spend his days as the family pet of the Eslary family –

“It has been my honor to take charge of Blek and to become his master. I want to thank the Ligonier and Latrobe Officers who have been a rock for me. Special thank you to Bob Derk (Latrobe K-9) I couldn’t of done this without you. Eric adored you and so do I. Blek and I have shared a bond since the day Eric brought him home. Please Continue prayers for us, our journey has just begun.” — ❤ Mary Beth Eslary, posted to the Ligonier Township PD’s K9 Unit Facebook page.

So what does a newly retired police K9 do on his first day OFF the job?


Well, not only does he get a visit from Big Ben, he gets to hang out with him too!


“I’m not sure we can expect Blek to be fully responsive to another K-9 handler, and I think at this point, it was the right thing to do, and obviously, he’s well-loved and well taken care of,” Ligoner Police Chief Michael Matrunics said.

Township supervisors also retired Eric Eslary’s badge number during Tuesday’s town meeting.

Blek is looking forward to serving as the grand marshal of the Fort Ligonier Days Parade scheduled on October 10th.


Thoughts, prayers & best wishes go out to the Eslary family, including Blek.


Photos: Christy Boyd



Also this week…

A Memorial to Rocco is unveiled!

Police officers from around the region were on the North Shore Saturday for the dedication of a new statue honoring slain K-9 officer Rocco.


The statue was created by artist Susan Wagner of Pittsburgh and was unveiled at the corner of North Shore Drive and Art Rooney Way, near Heinz Field.

Rocco’s death has led to the creation of Rocco’s Law, which increased penalties for killing a police K-9 officer.

In February of 2014, the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation made a contribution to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police in honor of K-9 […]

From fan Trisha Beeler:

My son Eustis and I would like to thank Ben from the very bottom of our hearts for the very amazing and impressionable first time ever at Steeler’s Training Camp on Wednesday, August 5th.

It exceeded my expectations more than I ever could have dreamed. Thank you so much Ben for making my son’s day!


Big Ben so graciously took his cleat off, signed it, and handed it to my son!! It just happened so fast and we were in shock so I’m pretty sure we never got to thank him…

but if you’re reading this now Big Ben, you are our HERO, you are a true class act! — Trisha & Eustis.


Update: Fan Carol Evans saw this “thank you” and wanted to add her own observations from that day –

I was standing right beside this little guy when Ben did this. I thought it was one of the nicest things I had ever seen a player do. We thought Ben passed him by, but then turned around, went back to his cart, took his shoe off, and handed it to this little guy! I patted him on the back, for a job well done! I think Ben’s thanks came from the response of the crowd. He gave his other shoe to a little girl, who was being held by her mother. Way to go Ben!

And another “thank you” for Ben:

I am an auxiliary police officer for the city of Canton, Ohio. On August 9th, Ben got a little lost trying to figure out where to park for the Hall of Fame game.


With a little help from us, he got parked and in there on time. He was nice enough to take a photo with us, and I just wanted to thank Ben for taking the time to do so! — Bobby Kinser.



Trisha and Bobby, thank you both for sharing your photos and thoughts with us!

“A special thanks to a couple of my teammates – Alan Faneca, Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, Joey Porter…and Ben Roethlisberger! Brother! Without you, I might still be on the doorsteps, brother! I owe you for life!” — Jerome, from his enshrinement speech.

From an interview with WPXI this weekend:

For many years, Jerome Bettis was the backbone of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense, partly because the team didn’t have an elite quarterback for a long time.

Everything changed, though, late in Bettis’ career when Ben Roethlisberger was drafted by the Steelers.

Rookies learn a lot from veterans, and when Roethlisberger was finding his way in the NFL, Bettis helped shape him as a player.

“(I learned) a lot (from Bettis): how to be a leader, how to be a guy who leads by example and how to talk to players. Just the everyday grind that a guy at his age and that many years in the league was out there practicing almost every single day and that’s why I take pride in being out here,” Roethlisberger said.

In the opening days of this year’s training camp, Roethlisberger joked that Bettis was like an older brother, adding with a smile, “a much older brother.” He said “it’s about time” the Bus got a bust.

“(It’s) so well deserved; just such an awesome person and player. No doubt in my mind and anyone else that you would talk to too that knows Jerome, would tell you, he’s a Hall of Famer off the field as well; just an amazing person. To me one of the best teammates I have ever played with,” Roethlisberger said.

Bettis is the first of Roethlisberger’s teammates to find a home in Canton, but Roethlisberger doesn’t believe he’ll be the last.

“I think Alan Faneca, Troy (will join the Hall of Fame) and I think that’s awesome. I feel honored to play with guys like that, but for myself, I feel like I have a lot to do yet on the football field,” he said.


You can read more here.

You can watch video of Jerome’s speech here.

“Greatness is not a sports term, it’s not a sports term. It’s a LIFE term!” — Jerome, from his speech.

The wheels on the bus go round and round…

and Ben was on board for the ride to Canton!

Via Twitter:

. @_BigBen7 and @JeromeBettis36 reunited. @ProFootballHOF #Steelers pic.twitter.com/YqNlpWffm8

— Teresa Varley (@Teresa_Varley) August 7, 2015

Hanging out with Jerome & Ben at his Hall of Fame Dinner. Great times! @steelers pic.twitter.com/tMTvdsytXv

— Charlie Batch (@CharlieBatch16) August 7, 2015

I could have made them better and they could have made me rich pic.twitter.com/7cfIrY90Mh

— Lynn Swann (@Lynn88Swann) August 7, 2015

A reunion. @VerronHaynes and @_BigBen7 at @JeromeBettis36 teammate party. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/XkozQhnMdN

— Teresa Varley (@Teresa_Varley) August 7, 2015

I have one more video for you from my QB @_BigBen7. Check out my Instagram @jerome36bettis. #HOF36 pic.twitter.com/SAn6Dph2Ze

— Jerome Bettis (@JeromeBettis36) August 8, 2015

Trouble viewing? You can watch it here.

Excerpts from Dan Pompei’s article/interview with Ben and his teammates at Bleacher Report:

“How Ben Roethlisberger Grew Up and Became One of the NFL’s Great Teammates”

Helping teammates on the field –

On a sunny summer morning at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex on Pittsburgh’s South Side, we find wide receiver Markus Wheaton running a crossing route. He catches a dart from Ben Roethlisberger in an OTA practice. Despite the glowering defensive presence of James Harrison, Wheaton continues across the field.

The veteran linebacker, as solid and thick as an overpass support beam, has built a career out of making foolish receivers regret the day they first tried on a helmet. If this had been a game—or maybe even a training camp practice—the play would have concluded with Wheaton flat on his back, incapable of counting to three.

Afterward, Roethlisberger calls Wheaton over. Some quarterbacks might give their receiver a tip on how to avoid the linebacker or applaud him for bravery. Roethlisberger does something different. Quietly, he tells Wheaton to get down next time. He is not concerned about how many extra passing yards he might get if Wheaton stays on his feet. He is concerned about his receiver’s well-being.

The small gesture escaped the notice of many—but not all. Veteran guard Ramon Foster overheard the exchange. He says it was one of the most impressive things he’s ever heard a teammate say to another. Foster says it speaks to Roethlisberger’s “devotion” to his teammates.

“It’s not just him working on himself,” Foster said. “He wants to help others be better.”

From the beginning –

When he came to Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger was given some well-meaning advice: “Don’t get too close to your teammates. There is too much turnover in the NFL, and you’ll be sorry when you lose your friends.” And so he kept a distance.

“There are some guys who had animosity towards me, and probably rightfully so,” Roethlisberger said. “I probably could have helped that by being a humble guy who was the best teammate I could be.”

With guidance from his father Ken and his agent Ryan Tollner, Roethlisberger started to see the big picture in his fourth season.

Roethlisberger’s fifth NFL season concluded in Raymond James Stadium with confetti falling on the Steelers like snowflakes in […]