“I said earlier in the week that we wanted to come out and finish the year with a win and have a good feeling going into the off-season. That is what we did. I’m proud of the way the guys finish.” — Ben

Ben led the Steelers to a 24-10 win over the Cleveland Browns and an 8-8 record on the season. He was limited to just 134 passing yards, but threw three touchdowns – to Plaxico Burress (his first of the season), Antonio Brown, and Leonard Pope in the victory.


Highlights from Ben’s post-game interview:


What now?

Go rest a little bit, heal up and get dedicated to come back better than ever.


What do you need to do in the off-season?

Just get healthy first and foremost. I already started to formulate a plan with [conditioning coach] Garrett Giemont to get better, to get my body better and ready to go.


How healthy or unhealthy were you the last few games?

I’m fine.


Coming back (from the injury), any regrets?

No regrets.


Do you get the feeling that a lot of guys are not going to be back?

It’s tough. You’re used to seeing a lot of the same faces around here, and to see new guys come in, and then some of the old faces that might not be around…You want everybody back but you know that is not what is going to happen. We hope to get everyone back and wish everyone the best.


If you get the nod to go to the Pro Bowl, would you go?

I didn’t get the nod. I don’t know if I’m healthy enough to go anyway.


You can watch video of Ben’s interview here.

You can watch game highlights here.

You can check out a few game photos here.


Now the season may be over, but things will still be goin’ strong here at BigBen7.com! Stop by during the off-season to keep up with #7 and his teammates! You can also check us out on Facebook and Twitter too!

And if you have a photo or story to share, send it our way! Email us at BigBen7website@gmail.com!

“Honestly, what you see is what you get! And nowadays in sports I don’t think you see much of that anymore. He doesn’t need to be a ‘rah rah’ guy, he doesn’t care about being in front of the cameras, showboating and stuff like that. I’ve always joked that his celebration is he flicks the ball, it’s the most subtle thing ever. He’s just a great guy, it’s awesome to see. Heath leads by example and he’s so selfless, and it’s awesome…he’s just a great guy, it’s awesome to see.” — Ben on Heath Miller’s selection as Steelers MVP, via WTAE – Channel 4 this evening.

More from WTAE:

Heath Miller’s season may have ended abruptly, but that hasn’t stopped the awards from pouring in.

On Thursday, Miller’s teammates voted him the Steelers’ Most Valuable Player for the 2012 season, making him the first tight end to receive the honor in the franchise’s 80-year history.

The award comes one day after Miller was named to the second Pro Bowl of his 8-year career.


You can read the story and watch video of Ben’s interview here.



Also Today:

Congratulations to Maurkice Pouncey, who was also selected as a starter in the 2013 Pro Bowl.

“The best center in the game. Just excited for him and it’s an awesome honor.” — Ben, on Maurkice’s selection.

Ben, Ryan Clark, Shaun Suisham, and Lawrence Timmons are Pro Bowl “second” alternates!



And:

Congratulations are also in order for teammates Casey Hampton and Mike Adams! Both were named the 2012 recipients of the Pittsburgh Chapter of Pro Football Writers of America’s annual award.

“We want to finish strong. I want to finish strong. I’m going to go out there and give it my all. I’m not going to quit on this team or this franchise or the fans. They’re going to get everything I’ve got and I think everyone in the locker room feels the same way.” — Ben, on preparing for the game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Highlights from the interview:

Have the last few weeks given you cause to think about the offseason and the changes the team may make? Also, what has the problem been with the failed comeback attempts?

In the past, I’ve prided myself and our team in the fourth quarter comebacks. We’ve always said you don’t want to have them because then you’re usually not doing so well early-on in the games. But we’ve always been good at it. This year just wasn’t. I don’t think there is a rhyme or reason why. Just was a year where I wasn’t [good]. I don’t think there’s any reason to go panic. I’ve been pretty good for eight years doing it. I had one not-so-good year at it. I felt like I played pretty good football though, other than those situations. There’s not going to be any panic. I know that this offseason, when it gets here, will be a focus on really striving to get better.


Have you found a little perspective in the days since the Bengals game?

A little bit. It’s still pretty tough. I still go over a lot of things in my head but that’s the competitor in me.


Were you still dealing with injury-issues down the stretch here?

I’ll never make excuses. We can talk about that in the offseason maybe. I feel good enough to play.


Have you thought about who may or may not be here next year?

No, because, I know it sounds crazy, but I’m not looking past this game. This game means a lot to me. It means a lot to a lot of the guys in here. I’m not going to quit on this team or the fans because we at least owe that to them, to fight all the way to the finish.


Can you put something on film this week to convince the team to bring certain guys back?

We hope so. […]

…from the Roethlisbergers:





























We wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! We hope everyone has a blessed holiday! — Ben, Ash, Jr, Herc and Zeus

“I don’t know what hurts more — my body or my pride,” Roethlisberger said.

Actually, he did know.

“It hurts the most right here,” Roethlisberger said, tapping his chest over his heart.

From Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today:

It’s nice that Ben Roethlisberger stood up and took blame for the Steelers loss Sunday to the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s nice that he went to many teammates in the locker room to say, “I’m sorry I let you down.” It’s nice that he told the media later, “They need more play and better play from the quarterback.”

You expect nothing less from Roethlisberger.

“That’s what captains and quarterbacks do,” Steelers safety Ryan Clark said.

Clark was one of the final players Roethlisberger found after the game. The Steelers defense had a terrific day, holding the Bengals to field-goal drives of 19 and 21 yards.

“I told Ben it wasn’t all on him,” Clark said. “It’s never on one player because it’s never all about one play …

“We just never meshed everything together as a team. When the defense played well, we needed the special teams or the offense to make a play and it didn’t happen. There were other games when we as a defense didn’t get it done. The Oakland game … we couldn’t stop them and they couldn’t stop our offense. That’s why we’re in this position. We all contributed to this.”


You can read more from Mr. Cook’s column here.

“We had a chance to win the game and I blew it.” — Ben

“I’m not going to question what No. 7’s done. He’s out there fighting for us, he’s our leader. I have two Super Bowl rings because of that type of play. Everybody remembers Santonio Holmes in the back of the end zone. I’m never going to question the way he plays because he’s out there fighting.” — Larry Foote

From Ben’s post-game interview:

What was going through your mind immediately after the loss?

Disappointment, pain, letting a lot of people down and that doesn’t feel good! I need to play better!


When asked how “things unfolded” for the team as the game progressed –

We’ve just got to do better, we’ve got to move the ball and stop getting behind the chains and making it hard on ourselves.


On what he thought the problem was –

It was hard to really get going. We never make excuses, we’ve had a lot of injuries to deal with, but something we’ve always done well is fill in, and we did things…we had a chance to win the game, but I blew it.


On the play of his offensive line –

I feel that we have a lot of really good guys out there on offense, they played well. They need more play and better play from the quarterback.


Can you believe that the Steelers will not be going to playoffs this season?

We should be, if it wasn’t for me.


You can watch video of Ben’s full interview here.

You can watch video of Larry Foote’s interviews here.