“I’m willing to do whatever the team asks of me, whether that’s play right away or sit. I want to talk to Tommy and Charlie a little bit about what’s going on. Whatever they’re willing to help me with, I’m going to take it all in.” — Ben, April 26, 2004.

From CBS Sports, “Roethlisberger: Manning, Rivers have nothing on me”:

Ben Roethlisberger arrived Monday in Pittsburgh as the No. 3 quarterback in the NFL draft and, for now, no better than No. 3 on the Steelers’ depth chart.

Roethlisberger, only the second quarterback drafted in the first round by Pittsburgh in 33 years, didn’t predict he would beat out incumbent Tommy Maddox or backup Charlie Batch immediately. He didn’t promise to have better rookie-year statistics than Mississippi’s Eli Manning or North Carolina State’s Philip Rivers, the two quarterbacks drafted ahead of him.

“Eli’s been getting a lot of hype leading up to this, but I said coming in it all boils down to this: it’s just football,” Roethlisberger said. “That’s what I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, just get on the field and start playing.”

Roethlisberger didn’t criticize Rivers or Manning, but said, “I think I bring a little more athleticism than both of them, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

“Everyone seems to think they have better systems, better teams they played on in college, were born into a football family,” said Roethlisberger, who played at Miami of Ohio. “Once I get the field, my will to win is much greater than both of them.”

Roethlisberger has already created more buzz in Pittsburgh than any Steelers quarterback draft pick since Terry Bradshaw in 1970. The Steelers haven’t yet started selling Roethlisberger’s No. 7 jersey, but no doubt they will quickly order up a batch to satisfy fan demand.

They might want to order a few in extra-extra large, too; obviously not accustomed to having 6-foot-4½, 240-pound quarterbacks, the Steelers badly underestimated Roethlisberger’s size and gave him a much-too-small uniform for Monday’s photo shoot.


You can read more here.

“If one of those backs would have slid, we were not going to hesitate to grab him. It’s just like the quarterback position. We felt good about that, but Roethlisberger slid and we got him, and […]

April 24, 2004: A long day at the NFL Draft for the future Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback…

“I was in New York. I had my mom and dad with me, my sister was there and my agent. My college coach at the time and his wife were there. Everyone kind of had their speculations of ‘what number’ and what team. The teams we thought were going to take me didn’t, but it ended up working out perfectly for me.” — Ben, from the video, “Recalling Draft Day”.

Ben arrives at Madison Square Garden that Saturday morning with plenty of supporters in his corner – his family, his agents Leigh Steinberg and Ryan Tollner, and his college coach, Terry Hoeppner and his wife Jane.

At 11:20 a.m., Ben and four others – Eli Manning, Roy Williams, Robert Gallery, and Kellen Winslow Jr. – are introduced to the crowd.

Green Room waiting –

• 12:25 p.m.: NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue announces that the San Diego Chargers have selected Eli Manning with the No. 1 pick. Eli emerges from stage right and is greeted by unwelcoming chants by the Chargers fans in attendance.

• 12:58 p.m.: NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue announces that the New York Giants have selected NC State quarterback Philip Rivers with the No. 4 pick. Soon thereafter the trade with the Chargers is announced – Eli Manning is headed to New York, Philip Rivers to San Diego. Both fan bases seem pleased with the outcome….as Ben waits for his turn.

• 1:57 p.m.: Pittsburgh is on the clock. “We see Ben Roethlisberger on the phone,” ESPN announces for the television audience. Sure enough, it’s Steelers coach Bill Cowher calling to tell Ben the Steelers are going to select him with the No. 11 pick.

• 2:00 p.m.: NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue announces that Ben is indeed headed for Pittsburgh. Ben arrives on stage and dons a Steelers ballcap and holds up a Steelers jersey.

• 2:01 p.m.: The Steelers fans in the crowd begin to chant, “Ben, Ben, Ben….”

• 2:02 p.m.: Just off stage, Ben does a press conference for television reporters and then disappears from the public room to do a few interviews with the Pittsburgh media.

• 2:43 p.m.: Ben emerges from the players’ […]

“State police in the Hudson Valley say they’re getting a new bloodhound, thanks to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.” — From the article below.


From the Wall Street Journal today:

This dog don’t hunt, but it will track down criminals and search for missing people.

Troopers in Troop K, a four-county area east of the Hudson River, say the Kody Snodgrass Memorial Foundation is providing the new dog. The foundation breeds, raises and trains bloodhounds for police work with law enforcement agencies.

The latest canine addition to the trooper ranks is made possible by a grant from The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation.

According to Angie at the Kody Snodgrass Memorial Foundation, Jim Bob (photo above) is a 15-month old, 110lb “gentle giant” who is trained in scent discrimination, and ready to go to work!


You can read more here.

You can check out another photo of Jim Bob (relaxing in the garden) here.



From the Snodgrass Memorial Foundation website:

“The Kody Snodgrass Memorial Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to providing law enforcement with exceptional bloodhounds trained for police work at little or no charge.

The Foundation, known as 832 K-9′s Deputy Dogs breeds, raises and trains registered bloodhounds, providing the expert training necessary for these dogs to become valuable partners in the law enforcement community. We rely on public and private donations for the continued operation of the organization.”


You can read about Officer Snodgrass (above with his partner Jimmy in 2001) who is the inspiration for this mission here.


You can learn more about Ben’s foundation as well as make a donation through The Giving Back Fund here.

Ben and his family spent the evening at Heinz Hall listening to the musical selections of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s “Do You Hear the People Sing” concert:






















Went to the Pittsburgh Pops Symphony on Saturday night! Wow, what an amazing show they put on! This is a picture of my parents, Ashley’s parents, my sister Carlee, Ashley and myself at dinner with Mr. Chris Wu of the Symphony, and his wife. I would highly recommend if you have never been to the Symphony to try and get there because it’s amazing music with so many talented musicians. — Ben



You can learn more about their upcoming concerts here.

You can see all of Ben’s photos in his album here.

From Steelers.com, reporting on the start of the team’s voluntary workouts:

While some veterans continue to work out on their own as they have in the past, Brown was impressed when one of the first players he saw in the weight room was quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

“It shows us his leadership with him being here, and the offensive line being here,” said [Antonio] Brown. “It shows the type of people we are working with. When you have guys who are committed to putting their hand in the pile and willing to be here, it gives you inspiration to be right here with them.”


You can read all of Teresa Varley’s column here.



From Scott Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

The Steelers have re-signed backup quarterback Charlie Batch to a one-year contract, giving them an experienced signal-caller behind Ben Roethlisberger.


You can read more from his morning column here.

“[With] a lot of teams you hear people say, ‘Oh, my God, we would never survive if Peyton Manning went down’ or Tom Brady or something like that. We can not only survive, we can thrive and win…I’ve been very blessed since the day I got here to have great quarterbacks in that [meeting] room.” – Ben, talking about his back-up quarterbacks, August 22, 2011.

The 2012 NFL schedule will be announced this evening at 7:00 PM (which you can check out at the bottom of this page):

Both NFL Network and ESPN will host 3-hour Specials breaking down the schedule, team by team (7PM – 10PM).

ESPN’s Jamison Hensley gives AFC North fans some “things to remember” about this coming season’s schedule.



Also Today:

– The Steelers will unveil their new throwback jerseys at 4:30 P.M. on their website! The jerseys will be part of the team’s 80th Anniversary celebration.


– Check out these new fan photos from newlyweds Peter & Rachel Unkovic, James Myers, and Celeste Dowdell.



Quote of the Day:

“Ben Roethlisberger!” — Ryan Clark, when asked by ESPN’s First Take host who he would rather have at quarterback: Mark Sanchez or Tim Tebow.

Ben and Willie Colon enjoy the sights and sounds of the New York Yankees Home Opener today:




























Here they are posing with Yankees skipper Joe Girardi on the field during batting practice.


Ben also sent photos of his view of batting practice…from the field, and of the player introductions.



From Jon Lane, YES Network:

A towering 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 241 pounds, Ben Roethlisberger stood behind first base watching the Yankees take batting practice hours before the men in pinstripes played their first home game of 2012. The Steelers quarterback and two-time Super Bowl champion had a purpose behind his visit to the Bronx, and it wasn’t just to soak in the morning sun, Yankee tradition or enjoy a hot dog and tasty beverage.

Roethlisberger’s father Ken is a native New Yorker and a Yankees fan, which essentially gave Big Ben little choice over baseball loyalty. Over time Roethlisberger became friends with Derek Jeter and took advantage of fortuitous timing to attend Friday’s game as a birthday offering to his teammate, offensive tackle Willie Colon.

Growing up in Lima, Ohio, Roethlisberger admired Don Mattingly and Jeter, each for their attributes as a players and individuals.

“How do you not watch that guy? He’s such a good player, a good person and a good role model for a lot of people,” Roethlisberger told YESNetwork.com regarding the Yankees captain. “He’s a guy who’s done it for a long time. I think a lot of people, athletes and people in general should model their lives after a guy like that.”


You can read more here.



And a little football talk…

From Art Stapleton, North Jersey Record:

Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers will be coming to MetLife Stadium to take on Eli Manning and the Giants at some point in the upcoming regular season. So what better time to ask Big Ben about Eli and Big Blue that during his Friday pit stop in the Bronx, where he spent the day with Steelers teammate Willie Colon watching the Yankees usher in their home season against the Angels.

“Absolutely I was happy for Eli. That solidifies our draft class a little more,” Roethlisberger told me. “It was awesome to watch him go out […]