Halloween night in New Orleans was anything but fun for the Steelers!

“We just never got into any rhythm tonight. This is definitely a gut check for us. We got knocked down a little bit tonight and now it will be interesting to see how we will bounce back.” — Ben, after the game.

From Steelers.com this morning….

Bob Labriola sums out what went right and what went right wrong here.


Mike Prisuta breaks down the game with quotes from Coach Tomlin and the men who played in it here.




From NFL.com:

You can check out their summary of the game, with comments from both teams here.


You can watch videos from the game here.



And ESPN’s James Walker tries to put it all in perspective in his AFC-North blog:

You didn’t think it would be a cakewalk for Roethlisberger, did you? You didn’t think he would come off his lengthy suspension, run through the entire schedule and avoid all potholes?

You can read his blog here.



Quote of the Pre-Game:

“As a player, I think he’s enjoying the monotony more. That’s natural, that’s human nature. When something is taken away from you, you have a greater appreciation for it once you have the opportunity to get it back. As a person, more than anything, it’s about taking an accounting of where he is and what’s important to him. A lot of times in life, we all get off the mark a little bit, especially when you experience the kind of success that he has. It can be trap door, if you will. He’s really assessing and evaluating – not only what’s important to him, but who he surrounds himself with and how he conducts himself.” — Coach Tomlin on Ben, during an interview with Bob Costas shown prior to the game.



You can see a few photos here.


Final Score: Steelers 10, Saints 20

“If you like superheroes, Ben’s kind of like Superman. You know, he’s got all the physical traits and all that kind of stuff. Whereas Drew is more like Batman. He’s kind of a self-made kind of deal.” — Saints strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple, from the article below.

Media Notes & Quotes…

From Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune this morning:

No one has a better perspective on the make-up of the two Super-Bowl winning quarterbacks who will take the field tonight than Saints strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple.

Dalrymple was the strength and conditioning coach at Miami (Ohio) during Ben Roethlisberger’s formative years earlier this decade – dating back to when the super-sized 6-foot-5, 241-pound quarterback was still a tall, gangly athlete. And Dalrymple has been with the Saints since 2006, when Drew Brees arrived and began his remarkable comeback from major shoulder surgery.

Dalrymple, who said he considers himself “blessed” to have had both of those guys on his side.

“Now, they’re both unbelievable competitors. So they’re both the kind of guys that whatever it is, a pickup basketball game or whatever, it’s intense. And they’re gonna find a way to win. … And they both have kind of an uncanny, like a third eye, just an ability to feel the rush, avoid the rush and keep plays alive and make plays.


You can read the rest here.



From Gary Mihoces, USA Today:

The Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints will go bump in the night Sunday in New Orleans in a Halloween clash of the past two Super Bowl champions. Both know frightful things can occur a season after winning it all.

Roethlisberger knows how the Steelers struggled last season when they went 9-7 and missed the playoffs in their attempt to repeat as champions.

“A lot of people want to beat the champs. … A lot of your games are prime time,” he says. “I don’t think you’d trade if for the championship, but it’s something you have to be prepared for. It’s never as easy thing.”

When a turnover ruins a long drive, it’s like the bottom falling out of your trick or treat bag. Both teams will be looking to avoid that this Halloween.

“It’s going to […]

Today, Ben announced the fifth grant of the 2010 season from The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund.

The foundation will be distributing a grant to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, in New Orleans, LA where the Steelers will play the Saints this Sunday, October 31st.

The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office will use the grant to purchase a narcotics detection canine that will be utilized in both patrol and corrections applications. Grant funds will also be used toward a four-week handler training course.

The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation is distributing grants to police and fire departments in Pittsburgh and in the cities and surrounding communities of each regular season away game for the Steelers in the 2010 season. The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation invited police and fire departments in the nine cities to submit proposals detailing their needs this past summer.

Chief William Short, chief deputy of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office said, “On behalf of Sheriff Marlin N. Gusman and our entire department, I would like to express our sincerest gratitude to Mr. Roethlisberger for providing us with funding in support of our canine unit. This funding could not have come at a better time as our current narcotics canine is ready for retirement after years of devoted service. With severe budget cuts, we were unsure how we would find the funds to replace her.”

Chief Short added, “We would also like to thank the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation for sponsoring us for this grant.”

The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation seeks to support K-9 units of police and fire departments throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on support for service dogs in Pittsburgh, PA.



You can learn more about the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office here.

For more information on The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation, check out the Foundation page.

For more information on The Giving Back Fund, please contact Stephanie Sandler at (310) 649-5222 or visit their website.

The Steelers teamed up with WDVE, 84 Lumber and Northwest Savings Bank this week to do a little huntin’…

Ben, Brett Keisel, Max Starks and Chris Hoke were just some of the players clad in camo that took to the cornfields.

You can check out the slide-show from WDVE here.



Quote of the Day:

“It’s going to be crazy. This will be my first game down there. I’ve heard so many things. Put Halloween on top and Sunday Night Football on top of that. The moon’s going to out. It’s going to be electric I believe.” — Ben, on playing the Saints at the Superdome on Sunday night (Beaver County Times).



Stat Note of the Day:

Ben needs just 139 passing yards to become the second Steelers QB with 20,000 passing yards. Terry Bradshaw had 27,989. (Oklahoman News)

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

Steelers’ players took 46 kids from the New Kensington Salvation Army shopping at Macy’s at Ross Park Mall as a part of Project Bundle-Up, a Salvation Army program that provides winter outerwear for needy children in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“Do you see the hat we just picked out?” said Ben Roethlisberger. “That’s how much fun it is. We get to shop and hang out and have a lot of fun. We all need warm stuff, especially in the winter.”


You can read the rest here.



From Liz Hayes, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

The children’s coat department in the Ross Park Mall Macy’s was hot, crowded and noisy Tuesday evening, but there were no complaints from almost 50 Alle-Kiski Valley kids choosing their winter gear.

Having the Pittsburgh Steelers serve as their personal shoppers likely had a lot to do with their good cheer.

About half the team, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, teamed up with the New Kensington Salvation Army and Project Bundle-Up to provide coats, hats, gloves and shoes to needy children from Arnold, Lower Burrell and New Kensington.

Heather Hannan, a spokeswoman for Macy’s, said the company has been participating in Project Bundle-Up since 2001.

“It’s an event this store embraces,” Hannan said.

Each child received a $75 gift card to buy a hat, coat and gloves. Hannan said players have paid for additional items, too.


You can read the rest here.

You can also see a video from the shopping excursion here.

For more on Project Bundle-Up, check out their website here.



Also Today:

Ben speaks to the New Orleans sports media –

Q: Now that you’ve been back for a little while. How are you feeling? Are you in the proverbial midseason form?

Ben: “I don’t know. Maybe the bruises on my body are midseason form. I’ve always tried to strive to get better, even later in the year. Things are coming along. We still have a ways to go but (I’m) trying to make progress every week.”


Q: You and your teammates have been in the Saints’ position every week as defending world champions. Can you talk about getting the best shots of other teams every week? Did you guys face that coming off your championships?

Ben: “Yes, you definitely do. A lot of people want to beat the champs. That just goes along with the territory. You’re going to get everybody’s best shot. […]

Carolina Quintero and Jennifer Gralak attended Sunday’s game in Miami and sent their photos to share with other fans.

You can see them here.


There have also been a couple of additions to the Lil’ Fans album in the photo gallery, which you can check out here.



Kids can check out Ben’s answers to the “7 questions for #7” in the right-side column on the Biography page here.


*Thank you to everyone for sharing their recent photos!



Also Today:

From an article by senior NFL.com columnist Vic Carucci entitled, “To teammates, Roethlisberger looks bettere than ever”:

Ike Taylor could see it two weeks ago in practice, as Ben Roethlisberger prepared for his first game back from his suspension.

The footwork. The crispness of his delivery. The accuracy of his throws. The quality of the passes being completed against one of the better defense’s in the NFL — and that included those that came at the cornerback’s own expense.

“Ben, man, you look better than I’ve ever seen,” Taylor told him. “Even (better than) in training camp, when everybody was saying you looked good.”

With a “new and improved” Roethlisberger, the Steelers can make a pretty convincing case as the best team in the NFL.

Their defense and running game helped carry them while Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch filled in at quarterback. Now, they have the passer who can deliver those long, difference-making throws, such as the one that resulted in a 53-yard touchdown to Mike Wallace and the one that produced a 43-yard gain to Hines Ward to set up a field goal.

“He stepped up in the pocket and I was coming open into a zone and he laid it over the top, only where I could get it,” Ward said, marveling as if that hadn’t happened many times before and in bigger games. “He’s the same Ben. Every time we step into the huddle, we feel like we have a chance to win every ballgame. And that’s always been the same.”


You can read the entire article here.



From another article on NFL.com by senior NFL analyst Bucky Brooks entitled, “Big Ben moving into MVP conversation”:

After watching Ben Roethlisberger play for the past two weeks, it appears that he has quickly shaken off the rust following […]