Post-game:

The Steelers (12-5) lost to the Broncos tonight despite Ben rallying the injury-depleted Steelers from a two-touchdown halftime deficit with 10 points in the final 10 minutes.

“Any loss stings for me,” said Ben during his post-game press conference. “This one’s no different. It’s hard to put it into words right now. It’s a frustrating thing.”

Pittsburgh called tails for the overtime coin toss, and it came up heads. They were nearing field goal range in the final minute of regulation but the Broncos sacked Ben three times on that final drive, forcing a fumble that he recovered.

“We were moving it and we had a shot,” Ben said. “Someone got, it felt like a finger, on the ball and knocked it out. After that, you’re trying to throw a 70-yard Hail Mary and that’s hard.”

Ben finished 22 of 40 for 289 yards with a TD and an interception.


Quotes of the Evening:

“I feel for Ben Roethlisberger. The guy played a courageous game on a sore ankle, escaping the pocket to make a sensational throw to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. It was vintage Big Ben, the right play at the right moment, and I’m convinced somehow, some way, he would have done it again had he gotten the chance in OT. Only he didn’t.” — Clark Judge, CBS Sports Senior NFL Columnist.


“Weekend Warrior: Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Ignoring his physical pain, knowing he could pay a price later in life, Big Ben limped though a fierce pass rush – he took five sacks – to complete 22 of 40, for 289 yards.” — Monte Poole, The Sacramento Bee.



On a positive note…

Ben’s Post-Season Stats:

– He recorded the second most passing yards (289) in a postseason game in his career (337 vs. Jacksonville, 1/5/08).

– He became the second player in franchise history with 3,000 passing yards in the postseason (Terry Bradshaw: 3,833). Ben now has 3,150 passing yards in the postseason. He is the 13th player in NFL postseason history to throw for over 3,000 yards.



You can read more post-game news at Steelers.com

On October 20th, The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation distributed a grant to the Avondale Police Department, in Avondale, AZ, just outside of Phoenix where the Steelers played the Cardinals on Sunday, October 23rd.

Today, the Police Department announced what they did with their grant – a new bite suit, a ballistic vest and two portable kennels for the unit’s two dog teams: Officer Tony Fernandez and Ranger and Officer James Sinohui and Ringo!

“It (the equipment) protects them from weapons and when they’re contacting or pursuing possible armed suspects, and it increases the proficiency and safety for not only the K-9 but the handler as well,” Sgt. Todd Love said.

The new equipment will ensure that both dogs have a ballistic vest, that each officer’s truck has a vault and that both officers have a portable kennel for their dog. The vaults are important because they keep the contents away from the dogs and allow the officers to operate independently, Love said.

The grant included money for training. The department sent Fernandez and Ranger to California last month for three days of training on dealing with stress while on calls, transferring training to reality and resolving tactical dilemmas. It is looking for training for Sinohui and plan to send him and Ringo.


You can read more here.

You can read more about Ben’s foundation here.

to Steelers Running Backs coach Kirby Wilson and his family!


Coach Wilson suffered serious injuries during an early-morning fire at his home. He is currently being treated at UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Coach Wilson has been with the Steelers organization since 2007. He has 23 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and professional levels, including two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (2004-06) and two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002-03) – both as a running backs coach.


Please go to Steelers.com to read their statement on Coach Wilson.

During interviews with the media this week, Ben has spoken about how tough it must be for Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow to deal with the non-stop media coverage he has received this season.

Today was no different. While speaking with the Denver media this morning, the subject came up again:

“I don’t think Tim calls up ESPN and says, ‘Hey, put me on every day, and make it the Steelers vs. Tebow,'” said Ben. “It’s probably tough for him to deal with that stuff.

He continued, “Every time you turn it on, you see something about Tebow. I can only imagine what it’s like for his teammates. Just watching today, it’s the Steelers versus Tim Tebow. No, it’s the Steelers versus the Broncos, so I can only imagine what it’s like for him with all the eyes and the attention on him and the pressure. It can’t be fun. I feel for him a little bit.”


You can read more here.



Also Today:

Congratulations to Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and safety Troy Polamalu – both selected to the 2011 Associated Press All-Pro Team!


You can see the rest of the team here.

From an article in the Washington Post today:

“Road show: Steelers fans make themselves right at home in any stadium”

Broncos linebacker Joe Mays was strolling through the grocery store earlier this week when he spotted a family decked out in Pittsburgh Steelers garb.

The invasion of Pittsburgh fans has already begun. In his own neighborhood, no less.

Wait until Sunday.

Billed as Broncos country, this region will be transformed into Steelers territory with Ben Roethlisberger & Co. arriving in the Mile High City for a first-round playoff game.

Pittsburgh fans have always traveled well for big games, doing their best to bring some home-field advantage on the road with their numbers and noise.

That’s why Broncos coach John Fox urged fans not to sell their tickets to Steelers supporters. The last thing Fox wants to see this weekend is a sea of yellow Terrible Towels in the stadium.

“I would encourage all of them to keep their seats so to speak and not sell them to Pittsburgh fans, so our stadium remains as active and loud as it’s been,” Fox said. “More blue and orange as opposed to (black) and gold.”

The sight of so much black and gold on the road never gets old for Roethlisberger.

“I think it kind of blows most people away,” he said. “When you’re on the road and you have guys on other teams that aren’t used to seeing that, and all of a sudden they see the Steeler fans come in and their like, ‘Holy cow, what’s going on?’ It’s a pretty neat feeling.”


You can read the rest here.

You can see a larger version of the photo of Roger Saucedo and his friends here.

Fans who attended the Rams vs Steelers game on December 24th were given the opportunity to read an excellent article in the Steelers Game Day program on Brett Keisel, written by Ryan Scarpino. The article, with interviews with Brett, his friends, and his teammates is entitled, “Grounded by Greybull”.


Below are excerpts from Ben’s interview with Mr. Scarpino about his friend Brett:

Lane Keisel taught his son at an early age to respect nature, to learn about and understand his surroundings. Still an avid hunter and fisherman, Brett remembers and lives by those lessons. “The biggest thing I learned about hunting is just being outdoors,” said Keisel. “I love seeing what’s on Mother Earth. Listening to Mother Earth. Just the atmosphere of that solitude. It’s so peaceful.”

Ben Roethlisberger has been on several of these expeditions with Keisel, and so he knows first-hand what it’s like to spend a week with the modern-day version of Jeremiah Johnson. “We actually rode horses up into the mountains,” said Roethlisberger, who once traveled to Wyoming with his father and two uncles to enjoy the Keisel experience. “We camped, hunted and fished for a whole week. We were 10,000 feet up in the mountains. To have that trip was just awesome.”

Listen to Roethlisberger and Keisel talk and you can hear the banter of brothers, of two men who love a lot of the same things, and each other. Roethlisberger tells the story of “out-fishing” Keisel during that trip to Wyoming and Keisel finds a way to acknowledge defeat and take credit for the win at the same time.

“Absolutely he’s beaten me,” said Keisel. “But you have to understand that Ben is a winner. He’s beaten me fair and square but that’s only because I’ve taken him to the hotspots.”

Answered Roethlisberger, “I don’t think people understand how much Brett and I are alike. We both like the same things. That’s why we get along so well.”


If you would like to read the article, please visit Brett’s official website here.


*Thank you Trish!