The Top NFL Players of 2011
On Saturday night, April 30th at 8:00 p.m., NFL Network will premiere it’s new show, “The Top NFL Players of 2011” as voted on by NFL players.
Each episode will feature 10 players who made the cut. Each of those players will be saluted by someone who watched their play up-close and personal – from a coach, to a teammate, to a rival on the field.
The series will continue weekly on Sundays until the best player of 2011 is revealed on July 3rd.
The producers of NFL Films utilized the league’s most dynamic and recognizable names in the game today to assemble their list, a task usually reserved for Hall of Fame voters and media.
Immediately following each episode will be The Top 100: Players of 2011 – Reactions, a one-hour recap show that takes a closer look at the countdown with analysis and commentary from NFL Network analysts, special guests and fans.
Where did Ben rank in the Top 100? How about Troy Polamalu? James Harrison? What about your other favorite Steelers? You’ll have to tune it to find out!
The Episode Schedule:
Episode #1 (rankings 100-91)
Saturday, April 30 at 8:00 pm
Episode #2 (rankings 90-81)
Sunday, May 8 at 8:00 pm
Episode #3 (rankings 80-71)
Sunday, May 15 at 8:00 pm
Episode #4 (rankings 70-61)
Sunday, May 22 at 8:00 PM ET
Episode #5 (rankings 60-51)
Sunday, May 29 at 8:00 PM ET
Episode #6 (50-41)
Sunday, June 5 8:00 PM ET
Episode #7 (rankings 40-31)
Sunday, June 12 at 8:00 pm
Episode #8 (rankings 30-21)
Sunday, June 19 at 8:00 pm
Episode #9 (rankings 20-11)
Sunday, June 26 8:00 pm
Episode #10 (rankings 10-1)
Sunday, July 3 at 8:00 pm
You can see previews, behind-the-scene videos and more here.
New Photos…
Sports photographer Jack Megaw was courtside at Hampton High School earlier this month (see April 15th news below) as Ben and the rest of the “Footballers” took on a team of Hampton Township teachers in a friendly game of basketball.
It was also for a good cause – the money raised for the event will go to the senior class for their prom and graduation festivities.
Mr. Megaw captured the action on the hardwood and was delighted to share them with us!
You can see his photos in the gallery.
You can also check out more of his wonderful sports images on his website.
*Thank you to Mr. Megaw!
ESPN’s Quarterback Power Rankings
ESPN.com‘s writers ranked the top 10 quarterbacks today….
Ben was ranked at Number 5!
Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers were ranked ahead of him.
You can see the rankings and ‘somewhat’ of an explanation here.
From the AFC North blog of James Walker on his rankings:
Two AFC North quarterbacks made the top 10. Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers was a no-brainer. He’s played in three Super Bowls, winning two. Roethlisberger finished No. 5 in the rankings behind Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. I voted Roethlisberger fourth and Rodgers fifth, but you can make a strong case for both quarterbacks, who are at the top of their game.
Is Flacco a top-10 quarterback? He was tied for the final spot with Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys to make the cut. I’ve watched more Flacco games in person than anyone on the panel and he didn’t make my top 10. I had Flacco rated No. 12 on my ballot behind Romo (No. 10) and Matt Schaub (No. 11) of the Houston Texans.
In three seasons, Flacco has yet to beat the Steelers when Roethlisberger is at quarterback and needs to perform better in the postseason. Therefore, I cannot consider him elite.
You can read the rest of Mr. Walker’s opinion here.
Also Today:
A “SHOUT OUT” to a very special fan….
10-year old Brian Marsh is a fifth grader at Mauger School in Middlesex, New Jersey! He is a BIG Ben and Steelers fan and just like Ben, he not only likes to fish and hunt, but his favorite baseball team is the New York Yankees.
But Brian doesn’t just watch sports, he participates as well – he is both a football and a baseball player as well as a wrestler. Oh, and did I mention that Brian recently won the Citizen of the Year Award in his hometown?
Brian has been battling a pretty tough illness, but one thing we know about Brian – he is fighter….
But even the toughest fighters need support! Let’s make sure […]
Seven years ago today…
April 24, 2004: A long day at the NFL Draft for the future Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback…
Ben arrives at Madison Square Garden that Saturday morning with plenty of supporters in his corner – his parents Ken and Brenda, his sister Carlee, 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 fanbases seem pleased with the outcome.
• 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 choose 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’ party room where a press conference with print media is set up. An ESPN media representative announces, “Call from Steelers owner Mr. Rooney…” Ben takes the phone and his first words, “Yes sir, Mr. Rooney…”.
• 2:48 p.m.: After another media conference and a round of short one-on-one interviews that last until close to 3:30 p.m., Ben heads for the door – Steelers jersey still slung over his left shoulder.
(The above time-line was made from […]
Steelers 2011 season schedule…
has been released this evening!
From the Steelers Official Website:
The Steelers will play five nationally televised prime-time games, it was announced today when the NFL released its 2011 regular season schedule.
Pittsburgh’s nationally televised primetime games at Heinz Field include one against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 8:20 p.m., and another on Thursday night, Dec. 8 at 8:20 p.m. against the Cleveland Browns.
For the first time since 2007, the Steelers will kick off their NFL season on the road, this time against their AFC North rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 1 p.m.
For more on the schedule, check their site!
You can also keep track of the schedule by checking the bottom of this page!
“I’m going to do my best to get back there”
“I want to get one more than anybody else. This would have been a great step, but now I feel I took a step back. This will haunt me until I can win another one…until I win another one, it’ll haunt me a lot.” — Ben, to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
From an interview with Ed Bouchette, that appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today:
Ben Roethlisberger has your typical game room for a pro athlete, complete with memorabilia that includes the two nameplates over his locker from each Super Bowl victory.
The nameplate from his most recent Super Bowl appearance also has a place of honor — in his bathroom.
“The day I got back, I took my nameplate from my locker — ‘Ben Roethlisberger, Super Bowl XLV’ — and it’s sitting underneath my mirror in my bathroom. I want to see that every day. It hurts a lot.
“To see that every day is just motivation for me to work out, to bust my butt to not let it happen again because I want to be a champion. And, right now, I’m not a champion.”
If this is the halfway point in Roethlisberger’s career, getting to another three Super Bowls and winning two of them would go down as quite an accomplishment.
“That’s what I want to be known for,” Roethlisberger said, “winning games, winning Super Bowls.”
You can read the rest here.