…comes from #84:

From an email we received on Thursday afternoon:

My name is Ronald Farrell and I am a Lieutenant with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office in Charles County Maryland.

Our agency was just notified that we were approved for a grant from Big Ben’s Foundation for the purchase of a K-9 for our agency. This means so much – that we are able to put another resource out to ensure the safety of our officers and citizens in our county.

This was also somewhat personal for me since it is my birthday today, and it does get hard to celebrate on such a traumatic date (September 11th), but this news brightens my day, and along with that, I have been a lifelong Steelers fan.

We are so grateful to Ben and his foundation for all the support for Law enforcement Agencies across the country.

Thanks again Ben!


*And thank you to Lieutenant Farrell, Assistant Commander, Patrol Operations for the Charles County Sheriff’s Office!


Photo: That’s PFC Behm and his K9 partner, Ryker on the left, and Cpl. C. Clevenger and his K9 partner, Eno on the right. They apprehended three suspects in a shooting that occurred in Charles County, MD in May of 2014.

Today, Ben announced the first grant of the 2014-15 season from The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund.

The Foundation will be distributing a grant to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, southwest of Baltimore, MD where the Steelers will play the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, September 11th.

“We appreciate The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation for their generous grant. The foundation supports a great cause and tremendously helps many agencies all around the United States. Our K9s are important to us and to the citizens we serve. They help track missing people, locate fugitives and provide extra safety for officers who must confront very dangerous situations. We wouldn’t be able to do this without this grant funding.” — Sheriff Rex Coffey, Charles County Sheriff’s Office.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office will apply the grant funds to the purchase and training of a new dog to replace recently retired K-9 Atos, who served with the department for over eight years.

During the 2014-15 NFL season, The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation will be distributing grants to K-9 units of police and fire departments in the cities and surrounding communities of each regular season away game for the Steelers. The Foundation will also distribute several grants to the Pittsburgh area and will consider a grant to a non-NFL market city in the United States for each playoff game in which the Steelers compete. The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation invited police and fire departments across the country to submit proposals detailing their needs.

This marks the eighth season that Ben’s foundation has distributed grants to K-9 units. The mission of The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation is to support K-9 units of police and fire departments throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on support for service dogs in Pittsburgh.

Ben and his Foundation also strive to support Make-A-Wish.

The Foundation distributed $157,600 in grants to K-9 units around the country during the 2013 NFL season and has distributed in excess of $1.2 million since 2007.


You can learn more about Ben’s foundation here.

You can also see some great photos in Ben’s foundation album here.

Ben weighs in on this week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.


Are there any thoughts that you want to share regarding everything that is happening in Baltimore?

No, we’re in Pittsburgh. We’re getting ready for a game. Thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. But we’re going to control what we control and that’s the game (and) what we can do on Thursday night.


How does a team go about keeping the outside distractions outside and staying focused?

It’s just about your guys in the locker room. There are distractions and a lot of it comes from media, family, friends outside, but if you keep it tight in your locker room that’s the best way that I feel you go about it.


Do you notice any new tweaks with Baltimore’s defense this year?

They’re a real good defense. They’ve got a lot of the same faces that are great players and some new ones. This is not going to be easy for us, especially on a short week. Preparation is quick. It’s going to be a physical game we anticipate and not an easy one for our offense.


What was the difference between the first half and the second half against Cleveland? Was it them or is there something that you can improve on?

A little bit of both I think. They’re a good team (and) a good defense. And we maybe weren’t as aggressive in the second half as we were in the first half. You learn from it.


What do you mean when you say you weren’t as aggressive?

We weren’t as aggressive. It means a lot of things.


What’s the biggest challenge in playing in a short week?

Getting prepared, both mentally and physically I know for myself. A lot of guys are beat up, just typical soreness after a football game and then turning it around to a couple days later to play probably one of the most physical games you’ll play all year. Just mentally being able to get your body as ready to play as your mind is.


Is this the best rivalry in football?

I think so but I’m playing in it so it’s different as I’m sure a lot of other teams will say that theirs is. But for a football fan I think you have to love it because it’s usually […]

Ben will be featured on the prime time special “Under the Lights” on Wednesday, Sept. 10th at 9:00pm ET on CBS.

The one-hour special will be hosted by Jim Nance, the CBS Sports‘ lead NFL play-by-play announcer and the voice of Thursday Night Football, and will celebrate some of the greatest and most memorable moments in the history of prime time football. The show will also preview the Thursday Night Football schedule.

The show will revisit classic moments in NFL history and feature conversations between CBS and NFL stars including Mark Harmon, Tom Selleck, LL Cool J, Billy Gardell, Jerry Rice, Andrew Luck, Julio Jones and of course Big Ben!

If you are unable to watch on Wednesday, you can tune in to a re-airing of the special on NFL Network on Tuesday, September 16th at 10pm ET.



Vote Today!

For GMC’s Never Say Never Moment of Week 1 in the NFL:

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers hold off furious Browns comeback: The Pittsburgh Steelers stormed out to a 27-3 halftime lead, and appeared to have the game well in hand. However, the second half was another story as the Cleveland Browns scored 24 unanswered points.

The Steelers managed to shift momentum late in the fourth quarter and get into position for Shaun Suisham’s game-winning 41-yard field goal in a 30-27 win. The win helped quarterback Ben Roethlisberger improve his career record to 18-1 against the Browns, the best mark of any quarterback against one team since at least 1970 (minimum 15 starts).


Cast your vote here.



Worth Repeating:

From sportswriter Tom Reed at the Cleveland Plain Dealer –

“Ben Roethlisberger is a 6-foot-5, 241-pound quarterback armored in pads and coated in Teflon. He extends plays with his feet, shakes off would-be sackers like a golden retriever spraying bath water and makes defenders squirm in their seats during Monday morning film sessions.”

“Without a doubt, he is a high-echelon quarterback in the NFL. He’s consistently productive and he has been one of the toughest players I have seen in the league. I only coached him three years, but he played with a number of different injuries. I have never seen a more competitive guy on Sundays. He has a great feel for the game.” — Bill Cowher.

From Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“Big Ben reflects on a decade as quarterback”

The first decade of Ben Roethlisbeger’s NFL career appears as a kaleidoscope, bursting with color and breathtaking images here, there, everywhere.

From bright lights to dark shadows, from uncommon success to humiliation, it has been some ride for the Steelers quarterback, his teammates, his employers and his fans.

No one knows that better than Roethlisberger, who heads into his second pro decade against Cleveland today at the top of his game.

“In 10 years, I’ve had a lifetime worth of experiences, both on and off the field.”

What can a decade yield for one quarterback? Three Super Bowls, two Lombardi Trophies, virtually every Steelers passing record, the only rookie NFL quarterback to go 13-0, no losing seasons, a horrific motorcycle accident, many broken bones and sprains, a four-game suspension, a wedding, the births of two children. Is he, at 32, a better man and quarterback for it all?

“I love where my life is right now with my family and with football,” Roethlisberger said, reflecting one day this summer on all that has occurred since he embarked on his pro career as the Steelers’ first draft pick in 2004.

The Steelers love where he is, as well. He delighted, frustrated and even angered many of them over the past decade, but they agree with his own assessment of where he finds himself today.

“I think Ben is in the prime of his career,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said. “He looks to be in great shape, looks good on the field. I think he’s primed and ready to go.”

Roethlisberger, who played every snap last season, has missed nine games because of injuries and one, the 2006 opener, after an appendectomy. He was rested twice in meaningless season finales before the playoffs and suspended by the NFL for four other games. He should have missed more, including a couple in 2011 […]