“Dad’s got the kids tonight and it’s dinner time! Man, this isn’t easy! Moms, you guys are the best!!!” — Ben

From Scott Brown, ESPN.com’s AFC North Blog:

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has been patient with Markus Wheaton but that might be running a little thin after the second-year wide receiver caught just four passes last Sunday in Cleveland despite getting targeted 11 times.

He and Ben Roethlisberger seemed to be operating off different scripts, something that became painfully obvious to the Steelers on a critical third down early in the second quarter.

Roethlisberger said before the Steelers’ first practice of the week that Wheaton is still adjusting to the speed of the NFL game after playing just 152 snaps as a rookie and missing four games because of a broken finger.

“In college you can kind of wait for a receiver to come out of a break before you throw it,” Roethlisberger said. “Here you have to throw it before they come out of their break. He’s working hard to make sure he gets the proper depth, to get his hands around with his head and make the play. I know he will.”

Wheaton followed through on a promise he made after the Steelers’ 31-10 loss to the Browns. The 5-foot-11, 182-pounder showed up at the Steelers’ practice facility early Wednesday morning so he could watch film of the game with his quarterback.

“I think that speaks volumes about him wanting to get in there, wanting to learn, to be corrected,” Roethlisberger said. “I broke down every single pass play that he did and told him what I thought he did right and what he did wrong. He’s the type of guy that’s going to take that and make him better. I have all the confidence in the world that Markus will come out and be better than ever.”


You can read more here.

You can watch Ben’s regular Wednesday interview with the media here (video).

From a recent email received to the website:

My name is Jay Rusch and I am the General Manager at Woodside Plantation Country Club in Aiken, SC.

Earlier this evening, I was reading an article about Ben Roethlisberger and it pertained to Aiken, SC.

I was a little surprised and excited especially after I finished the article. I am a HUGE Steeler fan (born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA) and I currently live in Aiken, SC, I thought to myself, this is awesome!

A close friend of mine, Clark Smith is a K-9 Narcotics Officer for Aiken Department of Public Safety and his K-9 partner, Fox (Belgium Malinois – photo attached) are an amazing team and asset to our community.

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to Ben Roethlisberger for the grant to ADPS. — Best regards, Jay Rusch, PGA.


Thank you to Jay for taking the time to send us the email and the photo of your friend and his partner!


You can learn more about Ben’s foundation here.

Ben joined The Cook and Poni Show for his weekly radio spot today. Below is a recap in case you missed it:

The Steelers are licking their wounds after a 31-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns this past Sunday. It was only the second time Roethlisberger has lost to the Browns in his career.

“It was frustrating. I felt like I could and should have played better and do more to give our team a chance to win,” Roethlisberger said. “I take it upon myself and it was a long bus ride home. You got to let it fester inside you a little bit because I think that’s what motivates you, but you also have to find a way to move on and that is why today we have moved on and were getting ready for this week.”

Roethlisberger said it wasn’t as bad as it may have looked when they watched the game back yesterday.

“It really came down to not making plays when we had to make plays. They made them and we didn’t,” Roethlisberger said. “We didn’t make a lot of mistakes, we just didn’t make the plays that were there to be made.”

He said that was the most frustrating part is knowing what to do in making those plays, but just not being able to execute.

Roethlisberger said the game plan was to run the ball against the Browns, and he thought they were having success with it, but it came down to not being able to score inside the red zone. He says they have to start scoring touchdowns instead of settling for field goals.

“We ran the ball and I know that should make the fans happy, because them and the media were asking for us to run it,” Roethlisberger added. “But we still have to find a way to get it in the end zone.”

The offensive troubles have prompted some to call for the firing of offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

Roethlisberger told the guys that all coaches are going to feel the heat when things are not going right, and it’s part of the job. He says they have to just let all of the negative comments roll right off their backs, and the simple way to resolve it is to starting playing better and win some games.

“We as players need to play better,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s our […]

“We came in with the right attitude and mindset. I didn’t play well enough. It’s very frustrating. We’re all frustrated but we’ll stay together…I hold myself to a higher standard and I’ve got to be better.” — Ben.

You can listen to Ben’s post-game interview here.

And share it with us!!


If you have a Big Ben (or one of his teammates like Troy or DaBeard) going out for Halloween, or attending a costume party this year, and you’d like to send us their photo, we’d love to post it in Ben’s Steelers Halloween Album.


Left: Justin Husar told his mom, Amber, that he wanted to dress up as his favorite Super Hero, Big Ben! Top right: Jovan Ortiz headed out for some Halloween fun in his Virginia neighborhood. Not only does he wear his Big Ben uniform to Trick or Treat, but dad Jonathan says he wears it while watching Steelers games too! Middle right: Waylon Flowers is a Big Ben fan from the Washington State who practices every day and really loves to watch the Steelers every Sunday on NFL Sunday Ticket. Bottom right: Brandon Crusan’s son made it simple for his dad Brian when he was asked to choose a Halloween costume: Big Ben!


Did we mention grown-ups are welcome?


Left: Cynthia Filmore as Coach Tomlin and her boyfriend, Michael, as the best TE in the business! Right: Michelle Stiehler as Troy, and her husband, Al, as the EXTRA-LARGE bottle of Head & Shoulders shampoo!


Have a furry Trick-or-Treater headin’ out to scare up some ghosts and goblins?


Left: Duce, named after the Steelers’ Duce Staley, wants to know if any of the humans in his neighborhood are handing out cats on Halloween? If so, he’s going to need a bigger Trick or Treat bag! Middle: Emma waits at the door in her #43 jersey for the night’s Trick or Treaters. Right: Kismet is going the “formal costume route” – wearing a gold tie with the uniform in hopes of getting a big haul to hide in the backyard!


Or just some really cool Steelers-themed Halloween decorations?


Top: Steelers UK fan Gordon Dedman (yes, that’s actually his last name) turns his Steelers Man Cave into a ghoulish place to watch a game! Bottom left: We respectfully disagreed with Amanda Marie Doerr when she said she wasn’t an artist when she painted […]