Their 2013 season didn’t include the playoffs, but the Steelers learned some things about their quarterback.


From Mike Prisuta, Steelers.com:

In honor of the six Lombardis they have won, here are six things the Steelers learned about quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in 2013, aspects of his game Roethlisberger discussed in detail near the season’s end –

NO. 1
IT ISN’T INEVITABLE THAT HE’LL BE SACKED A LOT
“I know early on there was a lot of talk about all-time records for sacks and this and that, but the guys have really done a great job of stepping up. I got the ball out of my hands, and our up-tempo offense kind of helps with that as well. I think even the hits I do take; it doesn’t hurt quite as much as it has in the past.”


NO. 2
HE ISN’T OPPOSED TO GETTING RID OF THE BALL QUICKLY
“A lot of times getting rid of the ball is about defense, is about the play that’s called. It has nothing to do with what I’m thinking in the pre-snap. Sometimes you call plays that the shortest route is 10 or 12 yards where you can’t get the ball out of your hands fast if the shortest of three or four routes is 10 to 12 yards. It’s really just about what play is called and what the defense gives us. Sometimes there are coverage sacks, and there’s nothing you can do.”


NO. 3
HE DOESN’T HOLD THE BALL INTENTIONALLY TO MAKE BIG PLAYS
“No, are you kidding me? Heck no. I don’t want to get hit. I don’t ever go into a play in the huddle and think, ‘Boy, on this play I’m really going to hold onto it and make a play,’ because too many negative things can happen.

“It was never intentional. It was never like, ‘I’m going to do this on purpose.’ It’s, ‘I’m going to extend the play because that’s the competitor in me.’ There’s a difference. When you’re a competitor and you don’t want to give up on a play, then you’re going to do whatever you can to make the best of any opportunity.”


NO. 4
RUNNING THE NO-HUDDLE PROMOTES GETTING THE BALL OUT FASTER
“I would agree with that because when I’m calling the plays, I can call it off what the defense is giving us. So it’s […]

“As a kid growing up in the street, I was Joe Montana throwing game-winning Super Bowl touchdowns…If you go down and win the game, there’s a chance there’s going to be a bunch of kids doing the same thing that I was doing — and they’re acting like me.” — Ben

From ESPN‘s Greg Garber this weekend:

“Looking back at some of the NFL’s best championship clutch drives of all time”

Sometimes, when hundreds of minor factors align into a perfectly coordinated storm, that fleeting moment becomes history, stored forever in our collective mind.

Ben Roethlisberger is not a rah-rah kind of guy. So when the Arizona Cardinals scored 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIII to take a 23-20 lead, the Steelers’ quarterback low-keyed it.

“Hey, guys, listen,” he told his offense on the sideline. “Let’s just go take care of our business and do what we have to do. You know, be the best that we can be this drive.”

And then, sitting in a room overlooking the Steelers’ snow-covered practice field, Roethlisberger interrupted himself with an explosive laugh.

“The first play was a holding penalty, so it didn’t work so well,” he continued. “But we did better after that.”

Pittsburgh had the ball on its 22-yard line with 2 minutes, 37 seconds left. Inside, Roethlisberger was amped, but in the huddle, addressing his teammates, “I tried to be the same as I was all game. Don’t show any panic. Just go play the game.

“If you try and press, or stress yourself, that’s when bad things happen.”

After the Cardinals had taken the lead, Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes had told Roethlisberger he wanted to be the guy who made the plays to win the game. And, so he did. Holmes caught three passes for 67 yards and the Steelers found themselves on Arizona’s 6-yard line with 42 seconds to play.

Down the stretch, a funny thing happened to Roethlisberger. He actually forgot the score.

“As we started getting closer, into field goal range — this is absolutely horrible to say — but I forgot that a field goal tied it,” Roethlisberger said. “Like, I was focused only on a touchdown.

“I wasn’t even thinking about tying the game, which I probably should have, because the last pass was really close to being […]

Ben was a call-in guest earlier today with Bob Pompeani on 93.7 The Fan. Some of the highlights:


He talked about Jerome Bettis & the HOF –

“Well, to me, and obviously I’m going to be a little more biased, but it’s more than just about the football player. I mean Jerome is the Pittsburgh Steelers….in my era, Jerome IS Pittsburgh. His stats speak for themselves, he has done so much on the football field. But as a leader of the community, and of the young men who came into that locker room, me, he has done so much and meant so much for the game of football, for the city, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. For me it’s a no-brainer [that he should be a Hall of Famer].”


He spoke of K9 Officer Rocco –

“It’s so sad. I’ve got many friends that are K9 officers and officers in general. Some people look at this as just a dog, well you know what? It’s way more than that, it’s an officer. I talked to Officer Phil Lerza last night, I talked to him after the incident wishing him and Rocco the best. Then obviously Rocco passed away, and I talked to Phil yesterday and last night a couple times to let him know we’re thinking about him.

“You know, it’s more than just a partner. It’s one thing to have a human partner that you deal with at work only This is a partner that goes home with him, it effects his family – his kids, his wife – that’s a family dog as well. It effects more than just one person. It’s truly sad what happened. Rocco served very well here for eight years and did a great job. I just told Phil that we’re thinking about him and wishing him the best and we’ll do what we can as a foundation to help him out.”


Ben was also asked about kickers in the HOF, the NFL’s playoff format, and the offenses vs defenses in the Super Bowl tomorrow.


You can listen to the podcast here.


*Thank you to Mr. Pompeani and to Mr. Mike Vukovcan of KDKA.

17-year old Steelers fan Jesse Stemen got the surprise of his life when he attended the Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon & Ceremony for his cousin last Saturday:


My second cousin, Denise Stemen, and Ben’s dad Ken were being inducted into the Elida Hall of Fame last Saturday. I actually didn’t realize that Ben’s dad was being inducted, only that my cousin was. When we got to the luncheon, and I saw that Ken Roethlisberger was being inducted too, I was like, “Wow! That’d be so cool if Ben came to this!”

I’ve been a huge Steelers fan since I was born, so is most of my family.

My grandpa, Dave Stemen, and I were standing by the door, and all of a sudden Ben walked in. I was so shocked because I mean, come on, it’s Big Ben!!

Everyone sat down to eat with their own families but all in the same room – and I was still in shock! My family told me to go up and talk to him but I didn’t want to because I figured he gets enough of that and he was there for his dad.



After lunch while we were all talking around our table, I didn’t realize my grandpa had gotten up and left. I heard him calling out to me and I turned and saw that he was talking to Ben. I was nervous! I went over to them and Ben reached out and shook my hand. We took a couple of pictures together and then I asked him, “Hey can I take a snapchat picture of us?” and Ben goes, “Sure! Why not!”

My grandpa, who is the Cleveland Browns fan in the family, was talking and joking around with him. My grandpa told him, “Hate to tell you Ben, but I’m a big Brownie fan!” Ben laughed and told him that was “okay”. My grandpa then said, “But my son (my dad, Bill) and my grandson (me) are HUGE Steelers fans!” Ben told him, “They are good people!”.

After the induction ceremony I had to leave for work, and ended up leaving my bag behind, which had a Steelers logo on it. While I was at work, I got a text from my grandpa that had a photo of […]

Teresa Varley, Steelers.com, asked Ben and other former teammates of ‘The Bus’ what made him special, both on and off the field:

“He is one of the best of all time. His numbers, he has a Super Bowl. What he has done on the football field is easily deserving of Canton. He is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“He was someone you knew put in the hard work, he wasn’t going to make mistakes, you could count on him. He was a proven guy, a veteran who always went hard.

“It was more than just how special he was as a football player. What he did on the football field spoke for itself. The leadership, the type of player he was. It was the locker room, off the field, the community. When I first got here it was the time the WWJD bracelets, What Would Jesus Do, came out and I would laugh when I was doing things and think, What Would Jerome Do. He is someone I tried to mold myself after. That is what made him so special, outside of the talent he had on the field.”


You can read more from Ms. Varley’s interviews here.


Finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be selected tomorrow.



Also:

Catch Ben’s interview tomorrow (Saturday, February 1st) with Bob Pompeani during his radio show at 93.7 The Fan! You can listen to Bob between 11am and 1pm!

Our condolences go out to Officer Phil Lerza in the loss of his partner Rocco. Canine Officer Rocco has faithfully served in the Pittsburgh Police Department for the last 8 years. It is unfortunate situations like this that keeps our foundation doing what it does and why we are so passionate about trying to help protect our law enforcement officers. Thank you Rocco for your service and dedication.