“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!

Today, Ben announced the seventh grant of the 2012-13 season from The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund.

The Foundation will be distributing a grant to the Baltimore Police Department where the Steelers will play the Ravens on Sunday, December 2nd.

The Baltimore Police Department plans to use the funds to add a bomb-detecting dog to their K-9 unit and to purchase a bite suit for training purposes.


This marks the sixth season that The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation has distributed grants to K-9 units. The mission of the 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, PA and to support other charitable organizations, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation.


You can get more information about Ben’s Foundation here!

You can also contact Stephanie Sandler at the The Giving Back Fund.



And speaking of Baltimore….

“I’m not a hundred percent but we’re going to get as close as we can.” — Ben

Ben answered questions from the media today about the progress of his injured shoulder and rib, his ability to practice, and his arm strength as the team prepares for their showdown with the Ravens.

“I can play through a lot of pain, so, that is a little bit,” said Ben. “But, mostly it’s just to me, ability. Can I make the long throw? Can I put a lot of zip on the ball, throw it really hard before people like Ed Reed and defenders can get to the ball, because if I can’t then I’m not putting this team in the best situation to win games.”


You can watch video from the Q&A here.


UPDATE: On Friday, November 30th, the Steelers announced on their website that Ben “has been officially ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens”.