From the NFL blog of Luis Deloureiro of NFL Stat Analysis, which appeared in the New York Times today:

Before Super Bowl XLV, many experts and pundits started speculating about Ben Roethlisberger’s Hall of Fame credentials if the Steelers defeated the Packers. Some thought that a third Super Bowl title would mean very close to automatic enshrinement; others thought it was too soon to discuss the topic, given Roethlisberger’s limited body of work.

But Roethlisberger failed to get his third ring, so the conversation is moot, right?

I looked at Roethlisberger’s career – even with the loss in Super Bowl XLV – and there is a pretty compelling argument that Roethlisberger is all but in the Hall already.

I compared Roethlisberger’s career with two quarterbacks who were recently enshrined in Canton as first-ballot Hall of Famers: Jim Kelly and Troy Aikman.

At the risk of oversimplification, I conducted my research under the premise that a player’s credentials are based on a combination of statistics and winning…


To read Mr. Deloureiro’s argument, click here.

at the best moments from the 2010 Steelers season:

After ending the pre-season 3-1 the Steelers won their first 3 games…


September 12th – Steelers 15, Falcons 9

“The chips were against us there at the end . Troy made a great play, and you think you just kick the field goal, and you win. Sometimes that doesn’t happen, and you have to go back out there and make a stop. That was big.” — Brett Keisel, during his post-game comments.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Ray Fittipaldo:

For a while there Sunday afternoon the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons was looking a lot like many games for the defense last season. The offense handed the defense a lead in the fourth quarter, and the defense allowed a tying score.

But when the game was on the line the defense created two opportunities for the offense to win the game.

Dennis Dixon has started two games and both have gone into overtime. Dixon was the quarterback Nov. 29 when the Ravens beat the Steelers, 20-17.



September 9th – Steelers 19, Titans 11

“We are pleased to be 2-0, but we are not astounded by it. We’re capable.” — Coach Tomlin after the win.

From the Beaver County Times‘ Mike Bires:

That the Pittsburgh Steelers sit atop the AFC North standings after two weeks is surprising in itself. But how they got there is nothing short of mind boggling.

They’ve won two games, but have scored only one offensive touchdown.

They ascended to first place in the division with basically their third and fourth quarterbacks.

They lost Dennis Dixon with a left knee injury in the second quarter and had to play Charlie Batch.



September 23rd – Steelers 38, Buccaneers 13

“We knew he had a good arm. It did kind of surprise me they made those plays down the field.” — Buccaneers strong safety Sean Jones, talking about the play of Charlie Batch.

From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review‘s Scott Brown:

Charlie Batch, with his sizzling play, evoked a different time than the recent period in which […]

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Ron Cook today:

As the NFL season progressed and big offensive tackle Flozell Adams continued to show up for the Steelers despite a new and different part of his 35-year-old body aching every week, his teammates made it their goal to win Super Bowl XLV for him and get him the championship that had eluded him for 12 long years as a pro.

When they came up a little short in the 31-25 loss to the Green Bay Packers Sunday night, the devastation in their locker room was evident in every corner.

But it was Adams who found the strength to set aside the pain from a loss that cost these Steelers a chance to take on dynastic proportions with a third Super Bowl title in six years, not to mention a bum right shoulder that was badly damaged early in the game. He put things in just the right perspective.

“Even though we lost, it was still a great season.”

A fabulous season, actually.

I hope you can see that through your tears…


To read Mr. Cook’s column, click here.

Steelers 25, Packers 31

Ben threw 25-40 with 263 total yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get a rally going in the final two minutes.


“It’s on my shoulders,” Ben said in an interview that aired on NFL Network after the loss. “We didn’t play good and we dug ourselves a hole…No excuses. Just can’t do it. Regardless of the situation, you just can’t turn the ball over.

“This game, it’s a crazy game. The ball’s got to bounce your way sometimes. And sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. You’ve got to give them credit. They’re a good football team and they got after us.”


You can watch his interview here.


From his press conference:

On the loss –

“It was hard-fought. Obviously, it’s disappointing to lose.For me, it’s even more disappointing because you feel like you let a lot of people down that stood up today to fight – people like Doug Lekursky, Trai Essex, Ramon Foster, Antwaan Randle El. Personally, I feel like I let a lot of people down.”


On not getting a win for Hines Ward –

“I mean, it’s hard to…people like that just play with grit and determination. We’ve got guys like Chris Kemoeatu who’s cramping in both legs, yet he still gets out there in the last couple of drives. We’ve got guys that just are not going to quit fighting. Mike Wallace hurts his shoulder early on. I mean, we’ve got so many things that banged us up. Emmanuel Sanders does something to his foot and can’t play the rest of the game. Guys have got to step up and they did that. That’s why I’m so proud of these guys, because you’ve got leaders like Hines that no matter what just keep taking shots and just keeps getting up and keeps fighting to win it.”


On how confident they were that they would be able “come back” as they did in their last two Super Bowl appearances –

“Yeah, you feel pretty good. You like your chances obviously. We either had one timeout or no timeouts and it was going to be tough, but you never stop believing.”


On the play to Mike Wallace in the end zone that may have changed the game –

“This is a tough game […]

From Calvin Watkins, ESPN Dallas tonight:

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ last practice in preparation for Super Bowl XLV at the Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility on the TCU campus was relaxed.

Family members surrounded the field as the players went over some situational plays during a casual walkthrough.

Players wore jerseys and shorts and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wore the jersey of teammate Brett Keisel.

After the practice, family members gathered at midfield to greet their loved ones and take a team/family photo at midfield. Players also posed for individual photos as little kids ran around the field.

One person who watched practice was living his dream in 16-year-old Randy Stephens. The Wheeling, W.V., native received a gift from the Make-A-Wish Foundation to attend a Super Bowl. As an added bonus, he was allowed to watch Steelers practice on Saturday.

Hines Ward, Casey Hampton and Roethlisberger posed for pictures and signed a football for Stephens.


You can read Mr. Watkins’ full report here.

You can read more on the the team’s last practice today at Steelers.com here.

You can check out a few photos here.

You can watch a video interview with Ben from WPXI-Channel 11 here.



Speaking of family…

“I wish he could be here for me and with me and I know he’s got the best seat in the house, better than Jerry’s (Jones’) seat, but it still would be awesome to have him here because he means a lot to me.” — Ben talking about his beloved college coach Terry Hoeppner, from the article below.

From Joe Reedy, Cincinnati Enquirer:

At a time when just mentioning Ben Roethlisberger was a lightning rod for criticism, those who knew him the longest and the best have stuck by him. It is those ties from Miami University that have gotten Roethlisberger through a year that has seen highs and lows.

Said Roethlisberger of the support from Miami: “It’s great. That’s family. That’s one of the reasons why I went there. I call Miami a family and my home.”

Roethlisberger still remains close to many […]

BEFORE the Super Bowl!


On NFL Network:

Friday, February 4th @ 6:00 PM: Playbook

The experts offer their insight and analysis of the Steelers’ offense and how it will factor into the result of Super Bowl XLV.


Friday, February 4th @ 6:30 PM: The Coaches Show

Super Bowl XLV – Go inside the headset with former NFL head coaches Jim Mora and Brian Billick as they offer unique perspective and analysis of the coaching strategies and decisions going into Super Bowl XLV.


Saturday, February 5th @ 1:00 AM & 9:30 AM: Super Bowl Classics – XLIII

Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals (2/1/09) With Bruce Springsteen’s Halftime Performance – Ben Roethlisberger leads the Steelers to a dramatic come-from-behind victory in a wild back-and-forth game that set 12 Super Bowl records; Pittsburgh secured its record 6th Super Bowl with the win.



Ben sat down for two interviews earlier this week and both will be featured on Super Bowl Sunday:

– His interview with NFL Network‘s Michael Irvin – 9:00 AM on NFLN during the “NFL Game Day Morning” show.


– His interview with FOX Sports’ Terry Bradshaw – 5:30 PM on FOX, during the “Super Bowl XLV Pre-Game Show”.


And of course, there’s the Big Game –

Super Bowl XLV – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers: 6:29 PM on FOX.


For more coverage on Super Bowl Sunday from FOX, click here.



Also:


What to read this weekend…

Ben’s sister Carlee is planning ahead for the Super Bowl…after she and her Oklahoma Sooners teammates host Iowa State in a need-to-win game on Saturday!

You can read the article/interview here.



The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Ed Bouchette caught up with Willie Colon, Casey Hampton and Hines Ward today.

You can check out what they had to say about their quarterback here.



The Steelers rookie wide receivers: Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown talk about Ben’s “tough love” approach with them this season.

You can read the story here.



Steelers fans of all ages got into the spirit of Super Bowl Sunday…on Friday:

Debbie Sigmund of Springdale usually can be found in the firm’s Pittsburgh Mills office. Yesterday, she celebrated Pittsburgh’s Number 7 by wearing a Big Ben jersey, bandage on her nose and one shoe larger than the other to demonstrate the […]