From the column of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ron Cook this morning:

There’s not much doubt about how Ben Roethlisberger will perform on Super Bowl Sunday.

The big question is how Roethlisberger will act after the confetti has stopped falling in Cowboys Stadium and the bright lights have been turned out. Win or lose the game, the Big Ben persona will be back, bigger and stronger than ever.

So will the new Big Ben be a kinder, gentler human being after this Super Bowl?

“Absolutely,” Roethlisberger said, firmly. “I feel like I’ve grown up a lot.”

This was during a quiet moment in the locker room after practice last week. Roethlisberger talked openly for the first time this season about the old Big Ben and the Big Ben he anticipates being in the weeks, months and years ahead.


You can read Mr. Cook’s column/interview with Ben here.



Also Today:

Ben’s interview with Merril Hoge will be shown this morning on ESPN‘s SportsCenter at 10:00 a.m. and again during “Sunday NFL Countdown” which begins at 11:00 a.m.!

Update: If you missed it, you can check out a portion of his interview here.


*Thank you Jan!

“It’s just a mental or a subliminal note that when you get your opportunity to get him, you got to hit, you got to wrap up and bring all your technique and all your weight with you, because he’s definitely a big guy to bring down.” — Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop.

From an AP article that appeared on Yahoo Sports this afternoon:

Linebacker Desmond Bishop says the Packers began preparing for Ben Roethlisberger by watching video of how not to bring down the Steelers’ big quarterback.

“I’m sure it could have lasted longer,” Bishop said of the video. “A lot of guys are going for his pump fakes or not wrapping up fully when they have him.

That’s just the mental aspect, the Packers also remember the physical toll in last year’s matchup.

Green Bay sacked Roethlisberger five times, but missed several other opportunities as Big Ben threw for a career-best 503 yards and three touchdowns in a wild 37-36 victory.

“We had five sacks, but, man, we could have had him down 10 times. He’s tough to tackle,” defensive end Ryan Pickett said. “He’s a good quarterback. And he breaks more tackles than any running back I’ve seen.”

The timely video review was meant to remind the Packers that there are no easy ways to bring a 6-foot-5, 241-pound person to the ground.

Players and coaches say there is a technique for tackling the Steelers quarterback—hit him between his chest and knees, then wrap up and hold on until he goes down or the whistle blows.

Bet on the whistle.


You can read the entire article here.



Also Today:

CBS Sports senior writer Clark Judge looks back on the play of the  Steelers backup quarterbacks this season:

Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch won’t draw much of an audience this week, but maybe they should.

They were the two guys who stood in for Roethlisberger while he served a four-game suspension imposed by the NFL, and they were the two who did just enough […]

ESPN asked Scouts Inc. analyst Matt Williamson to rank each of the 106 players participating in this year’s Super Bowl. The players were evaluated and then ranked by their “current performance” and “play throughout the season”.

Players were then divided into six categories: elite players, blue chips, core players, solid contributors, clear backups and special teams players, and bottom of the roster players.

The results were posted today on ESPN.com and Ben was ranked at #1 in the “elite players” category. Also in the top five was James Harrison and Troy Polamalu.

1. QB Ben Roethlisberger
Roethlisberger has that “been there, done that” factor over Rodgers. That isn’t a knock on Rodgers, but Roethlisberger is simply amazing when it matters most. He didn’t throw the ball well versus the Jets, but played a far better game than his numbers would indicate. His playmaking ability is just off the charts. Roethlisberger finds a way time and time again.

2. QB Aaron Rodgers
3. OLB James Harrison
4. OLB Clay Matthews
5. SS Troy Polamalu

“Blue Chip players” included Mike Wallace (6th), Lawrence Timmons (12th), LaMarr Woodley (13th), Brett Keisel (16th), Rashard Mendenhall (17th), Heath Miller (18th), Casey Hampton (19th), and Maurkice Pouncey (20th).


To see all the rankings, click here.



Quotes of the Day:

“Bottom line, if you ask football people, they’re going to put Ben Roethlisberger up there with [Manning and Brady] almost unanimously. No one would leave him out. And others who have made the Pro Bowl, for example, wouldn’t even get consideration if you took a poll of all 32 general managers.” — Indianapolis Colts President Bill Polian, from an interview in the Los Angeles Times.

“There ought to be a stat for ‘What did you do when you needed a pass completion to win the game’. That’s where Ben’s stats would show up, when you make the play when you need to. A lot of guys get stats when they don’t need them. Ben doesn’t.” — Hall of Fame coach John Madden, from the same interview.



Also Today:

I have added a couple of photos from the Steelers Super Bowl XLV Rally at Heinz Field tonight here.


I have added a few more photos from the AFC Championship Game here.


Check out a podcast […]

Ben will be a special guest on two episodes of KDKA‘s “PNC Steelers Huddle” show. The first episode will air this Saturday, and the second will air Saturday, February 5th.  

Both episodes were taped yesterday in front of a live audience, and according to KDKA fans waited in line for hours to get in.

“When I heard that Ben was going to be here, I had to come,” one fan said.


You can read about yesterday’s taping and see a short video here.



Check it out….

The Steelers Super Bowl Diary at Steelers.com.

Ben spoke to the media prior to practice today. Some of the highlights:


When asked about the significance of playing in Dallas –

“You know, you get asked the question, ‘if you win one, what would it mean for you?’ Well it would mean a lot for everything I’ve gone through, but honestly it means just as much if not more for me to win for Flozell [Adams] – to get to go back to Dallas. He has never had a chance to play in a Super Bowl and to get to play in one and it would be in Dallas – so I want to win one for him as much as I want to win one for myself.”


When asked what he knows about the Packers’ Clay Matthews –

“He’s an animal! He’s got long hair, wears number 52 plays for Packers…that’s a few things I know!

He’s really, really good. We have to account for him and know where he’s at. There’s not much else to say about one of the best players in the game.”


On whether he has a “set routine” now when he goes to the Super Bowl –

“Just have fun with it. Enjoy it and enjoy the circus that is the media, the schedule….just try and have fun with it and not get overwhelmed and not let it stress you out.”


On what he tells the young players who are making their first trip –

“Just tell them to enjoy it, because you never know if it’s your one and only, so enjoy it in that way. But know that you can have fun with the media and do it and it’s going to be crazy for you, but when you step on the field for practice and meetings, you need to focus in and put everything else behind you – your family, your car, the hotel, all the things you’ve got to do, and concentrate on football.”


On the play of Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers –

“I’m friends with Aaron. I think he’s a phenomenal quarterback. I think he’s an elite quarterback in this league, in my opinion. He has a really quick release, a strong arm, very accurate and a mobile guy.”


On […]