No, not those ribs!!

We’re talking about his falling-off-the-bone baby back pork ribs slathered in Big Ben’s BBQ sauce! We’re talking about his shredded chicken, shredded pork and of course, his Big Ben’s BBQ Sauce!!!

You can now enjoy Big Ben’s baby back pork ribs, shredded chicken and shredded pork at home. Just heat and serve! And it’s perfect for holiday entertaining, not to mention tailgating on game day!

You can order online or in select locations in and around Pittsburgh!

And if you’re looking for gifts for friends or co-workers? Big Ben’s BBQ Sauce comes in Mild, Hot and Honey Mustard flavors. You can also try his Hot Sauce and Spicy Wing Sauce.

Speaking of perfect gifts…

Big Ben’s BBQ Sauce introduces it’s Holiday Special – Big Ben’s BBQ Cooler (photo)!

Inside a special black and gold canvas cooler that holds 12 beverages, you’ll receive:

1 Bottle of Big Ben’s Mild BBQ Sauce
1 Bottle of Big Ben’s Spicy Wing Sauce
1 Bottle of Big Ben’s Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce
1 Bottle of Big Ben’s Habanera Hot Sauce
1 Pittsburgh Steeler’s Candy Bar


As a special promotion, be our 100th emailer and you will receive a complimentary Big Ben’s BBQ Cooler to get your holiday started off right!

Email to bigben7website@gmail.com!

A winner will be announced later this evening!

*A portion of the proceeds are donated to The Ronald McDonald House of Pittsburgh.


For more on Big Ben’s BBQ Sauce, Ribs, Chicken & Pork products, check out his website here.


Fans: You can get website updates on both Facebook and Twitter! Join the conversation!


UPDATE! We have a winner!!! Congratulations to New York City Steelers fan Jonathan Ortiz! He was our 100th emailer!



Thank you to everyone who entered the contest!

“I didn’t make plays. I didn’t get it to the receivers or the right guy. I didn’t give them a good ball to run or catch with.” — Ben, on his performance.

More from Ben’s post-game interview:

On what he felt was the reason the offense was unable to score in the first half –

We felt like we left a lot of plays out there. I missed a lot of throws and threw it to them once. We all have to play better.


On whether he felt there was any consolation in the fact that both the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals lost today as well –

Maybe later in the week, but not right now.


On what he believes is the reason for the team’s inconsistency –

I have no clue. If I knew, I don’t think that we would do it anymore. We just have to play better.


On the fans booing Mike Wallace –

No one should ever get booed. We’re out there busting our butts, and no one does anything intentionally to hurt the team. I don’t intentionally throw interceptions, and guys don’t miss blocks and fumble or anything…we don’t intentionally do it. I just told him to I was going to go back to him and to keep his head up. He made plays for us late.


On whether he expected to scramble so much today?

No, but I wasn’t going to hold back if we had to. We knew they were a good defense and get after the pass, the quarterback. I was prepared to do it if we had to and I wasn’t going to have any reservations.


On how he felt physically –

Okay. I just have to make more plays and do more to help this team win.


You can watch video of Ben’s post-game interview here.



And:

From Bob Labriola, Steelers.com/Steelers Digest:

It was the day on which he became the 25th quarterback in NFL history to amass 25,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in the regular season, but it’s a certainty the distinction means little […]

From Teresa Varley at Steelers.com this afternoon:

Five-year old Wesley Smith was shy and slightly overwhelmed as he met some of his favorite Steelers players, but when he saw quarterback Ben Roethlisberger his eyes lit up.

Smith, who has a brain tumor, had the chance to attend Steelers’ practice and meet players through the Make-A-Wish Foundation and will be at Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers at Heinz Field.

“It’s extraordinary,” said his mother Robin Smith, from Coeburn, Virginia. “It’s a dream come true.”


More of the story (and photos) here.

Ben practiced for the second straight day on Thursday, and Coach Mike Tomlin was comfortable enough with what he saw to say he will start this week.

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

Steelers’ players are excited to have their starting quarterback return to action this week, as Mike Tomlin made it official that Ben Roethlisberger will start on Sunday against the San Diego Chargers at Heinz Field.

“It always intensifies the group and makes us more excited,” said receiver Antonio Brown. “Ben has so much physical talent and ability. I am excited to have him back. It’s definitely important if we want to make a run and have opportunities in the playoff we’re going to need Ben out there with us.”

One of the key factors in getting him on the field was Roethlisberger’s velocity returning, and he said tight end Heath Miller is his barometer for how he is doing.

“I have been around him the longest and he knows I will give him an honest answer,” said Miller. “It’s better than last week as you would expect. Over time he will only get better and better.”

Brown, who returned to practice on Thursday, definitely saw progress in Roethlisberger since last week when he first started to throw the ball.

“His velocity has gotten better from last week,” said Brown. “Last week he had a little harder time drilling the ball where he wanted to get it. This week he is looking good.”


You can read more here.



Before he takes the field…

Ben will be suiting up in a custom fitted rib/chest compression shirt, and a layer of Kevlar-lined composite in his shoulder pads to help absorb hits to his clavicle and shoulder joint regions.

The padding, made by Unequal Technologies, has grown popular across the NFL and is similar to what the company puts in chest protectors for baseball catchers.


You can read more about it from the AP’s Will Graves here.



Quote of the Day:

“Good lord, he’s so crafty. He’s such a proven quarterback in this league. The biggest challenge is really trying to get him down. He’s so elusive for a guy his size.” — San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano, during an interview today about preparing to play against Ben.

From Ben’s interview with the media after practice this afternoon:

On what he thought of Coach Tomlin’s comment that he would have to “prove” he was ready to return –

It’s probably because I tell him I can go every week, regardless if I’m ten percent I’ll tell him I can go. But he just wants to make sure I can get it done.


On the velocity of his throws –

I’m getting there. I have to talk to Heath. He’s my barometer. Heath lets me know how close I am to one hundred percent on velocity and stuff like that.


On how his shoulder and chest are feeling during practice –

It’s cold out there so that doesn’t help. It’s just a little bit of pain and tightness, but we’re not worried about that feeling right now.


On how he feels mentally about returning –

I’m anxious. I want to be out there. When it’s time and my body says “go”, and Coach says “go”, I’ll be ready to go.


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



From Coach Tomlin this afternoon on Ben’s practice:

“I thought it was a positive day for Ben. He threw the ball around both vertically and horizontally. I thought the ball had good velocity, particularly in a few instances.

“Obviously, we’ll see how his body responds to it tomorrow, but I thought today was a good step. We’ll see what tomorrow holds for us.”


You can read more from Coach Tomlin here.

From Alan Robinson, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Ben Roethlisberger was the first to greet Charlie Batch, grabbing him tightly for a 30-second bear hug that summed up everything about this emotional day, this resilient team, this improbable win.

The quarterback who was too hurt to play knew exactly what was going through the mind of the quarterback who was being called too old to play.

The Steelers had just beaten the Ravens team they supposedly couldn’t beat — not in this stadium, not under these circumstances, not with this man at the controls, and it meant everything to both of them.

“You go out there and that was a big win,” Batch said. “It was one of those moments, and he and I shared it. I’ll keep it between us what was said, but it was something that was special.”


You can read more here.

You can watch highlights from the game here.


Also, congratulations to Charlie, he is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week!