Highlights from Ben’s chat with the media today:


On the possibility of sitting out another game –

“Don’t know if I necessarily need it, but it’d be nice to get an extra week of rest, but I prefer to play.”


On sitting out against the Rams last weekend –

“To just get a rest and not tweak it was good.”


On how long he will play, if he plays, in Sunday’s game against the Browns –

“I don’t know. That’s probably a question for Mike [Tomlin]. We’re going to go out (today) and evaluate how it feels, how I feel, and I’ll let him know.

“If he feels comfortable enough with me being out there then I’ll probably be out there.”


On playing with the high ankle sprain –

“It’s getting better a little each day – no setbacks. We’ll give it a shot today and see how it feels. The pain is always going to be there. I can deal with the pain. I’m not worried about that. I think the biggest thing is not setting myself up to get hurt in other ways or hurt it worse as a sitting duck back there. It’s probably not the smartest thing in the world to do, but if it’s just the pain I’ll deal with that.”


On the biggest issue of playing with the injury –

“Weight-bearing up on my toes. That obviously involves running and throwing. That’s the biggest thing, to strengthen it up on my toes.”


Ben did practice fully today, which was the first time he has done so since playing the 49ers on December 19th.


You can read more on his practice from Ed Bouchette at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.



Playoff Stat of the Day:

Dan Marino, Bernie Kosar, Jim Everett, Todd Marinovich, Shaun King, Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan and Mark Sanchez are the only rookie quarterbacks since the NFL-AFL merger to take their teams to the playoffs. Their combined playoff record is 6-9, with a total of 15 touchdown passes and 23 interceptions and an average of 16 points a game. None of the rookies reached the Super Bowl, though four (King, Roethlisberger, Flacco and Sanchez) got their teams as far as the conference championship game. The […]

Ben was selected as the AFC’s #2 quarterback behind the Patriots’ Tom Brady to play in the 2012 Pro Bowl!

“It’s an awesome honor. I hope that I don’t get to play in it, but it is an awesome honor to be picked by both your peers and the fans. It’s a neat thing.” — Ben

The rosters were announced this evening at 7 p.m. on a special NFL Total Access “2012 Pro Bowl Selection Show” on NFL Network.

Ben has passed for 3,856 yards with 21 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 91.5 rating so far this season!

Phillip Rivers is the #3 quarterback behind Tom Brady and Ben.

This is Ben’s second Pro Bowl selection. In 2008, he was a reserve quarterback along with the Colts’ Peyton Manning behind the Patriots’ Tom Brady, who was the No. 1 vote-getter. Ben became the back-up to Peyton Manning on the field when Tom Brady opted out.

Other Steelers players selected for the 2012 Pro Bowl include Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, and Troy Polamalu. Congratulations!!

The annual contest of the AFC and NFC’s best will take place Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii.

Thank you fans!!! Your votes put him on that roster!


About Ben’s season, from Steelers.com:

His 3,856 yards entering the final week of the season rank second in team history for single-season passing yards and his 301 completions also rank second on the team’s single-season list. Roethlisberger was twice named AFC Offensive Player of the Week in 2011 and broke the team’s all-time record for completions in Week 14 versus Cincinnati.


You can read more about the Steelers Pro Bowl selections from Mr. Bouchette here.


Take a look back:

Watch highlights from Ben’s 2008 Pro Bowl appearance here.

Watch an interview with Ben in Hawaii during the week of the 2008 Pro Bowl here.

Check out a few photos from that week in Hawaii here.

Post-game from the AP:

Charlie Batch played well enough on two good ankles to keep Ben Roethlisberger from having to play on a bad one.

The veteran backup quarterback played efficiently if not spectacularly in place of the injured Roethlisberger, passing for 208 yards as the Pittsburgh Steelers crushed lifeless St. Louis 27-0 on Saturday.

Rashard Mendenhall ran for 116 yards and a touchdown, and John Clay and Ike Redman also scored for the Steelers (11-4), who kept their hopes of an AFC North title alive even with Roethlisberger’s sprained left ankle forcing him to watch the game from the sideline as the team’s third quarterback.

Pittsburgh hardly needed him. The defense had little trouble dominating the NFL’s lowest-scoring offense.

The Steelers were never in any real danger as Mendenhall found plenty of room to maneuver against the NFL’s worst run defense, while Batch extended a couple of plays with his feet to keep drives alive.

The Steelers can win the AFC North next week with a win over Cleveland and a Cincinnati victory over Baltimore.


You can read more here.

You can watch highlights from the Christmas Eve game here.


Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

From Steeler Nation:


“Wishing a very special ‘first’ Christmas to you both! May it be wonderful and excitng and full of Christmas Love! May there be many many more and may each new one be more blessed than the last! May God bless you and your families with love, health and much happiness! So wonderful to share your holiday with us on your website! OH! and Ashley…I hope “SANTA” brings you everything you want!!! Take some special time to relax and enjoy!! A very Merry Christmas to you both and the happiest New Year too!! — Mary Rafail and family from St. George, Utah


“Ben, here’s wishing you , Ashley, your families, & the Steelers a wonderful Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. The scheduling crew MUST have known that Santa had the Steelers on his NICE list this year since you play at home Saturday & everyone can be with their families on Christmas Day. Now rest that ankle because we need you. May God be with y’all and keep you safe. Good luck in the playoffs & bring home #7”— Marilyn McClellan, Silver Spring, Maryland


“Ben – your resilience and perseverance are an inspiration to anyone facing life’s challenges. Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy new year to you and all of your family and friends.” — All the best, Maria in New Jersey


“Merry Christmas to you and the rest of the team.” — Donna Miller

“Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Ben & Ashley in this, their first holiday season as husband and wife! I wish many blessings for them and their families. Also, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the Steelers and Steeler Nation! I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season.” — Anita Doddroe, Ohio

“Ben and Ashley, praying you have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year… May beautiful moments and happy memories surround the both of you with joy this Christmas.” — Love Billie Jo & Greg Yakubik, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


“Merry Christmas to the best all around Steelers team I’ve […]

Pro Bowl voting update today…

Fan voting concluded at the end of the Monday Night Football game two days ago and the results are in:

Ben (935,535 votes) finished second behind New England’s Tom Brady (1.45 mil votes). Denver’s Tim Tebow finished third.

Ben was also in the Top Ten in overall votes, finishing 8th.

Maurkice Pouncey (376,457) and Troy Polamalu (230,649) were voted in as starters by the fans, and Mike Wallace came in second in voting (923,073) at his position.

The AFC and NFC All-Star squads are based on the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 43-man rosters that represent the American Football Conference and National Football Conference in the Pro Bowl. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on December 21st and 22nd.

The Pro Bowl teams will be announced on December 27th, at 7 p.m.

Thank you to everyone who voted for Ben and his teammates!


Steelers Depot has a complete rundown of the players and votes.



Also Today:

You can watch/listen to Part III of the Steelers Christmas carols here (although you may want to mute it!).

“Hope everyone is getting ready for Christmas, we are getting ready!”

He snapped a couple of photos of the Roethlisberger Christmas tree being decorated!


Look who else is in the Christmas spirit:

The Steelers sing Christmas Carols, Part I.

The Steelers sing Christmas Carols, Part II.

Enjoy!!


Parts III and IV will debut later this week!