Wednesday: Notes & Quotes
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 […]
Win A Super Bowl XLV BBQ Gift Box
For your Super Bowl party, compliments of Big Ben’s BBQ Sauce!
Update: We have a winner!! See below!
Just be the XLV emailer (that’s 45th) and you will win a gift box filled with three single bottles of Big Ben’s BBQ Sauce, a BBQ 2-bottle gift set, and a Black and Gold jar candle!
Winner will be notified later today.
Please, one email per email address only! You can send it here (bigben7website@gmail.com).
Now, if you just want to stock up on BBQ sauce for the big game, check out the site for Super Bowl specials.
*Thank you Becky for the above image!
UPDATE: We have a winner!! Congratulations to Tito Medina from Arizona!
Thank you to everyone who emailed this afternoon. We will have more contests in the future!
What to watch this week…
As we get ready for Super Bowl week!
From NFL Network:
Monday, January 24th @ 10:00 p.m. – NFL Replay: 2009 Week 15 – Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh
Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (12/20/09) – Ben Roethlisberger’s career-high 503 yards gives the Steelers a win and keeps their hope alive for a playoff spot. Mike Wallace catches the game-winning TD with three seconds remaining to stop Pittsburgh’s losing streak a five.
Tuesday, January 25th @ 9:00 p.m. – NFL Replay: 2010 AFC Championship – Jets vs. Steelers
Despite coming jumping to a 24-0 lead in the first half, the Steelers have to rely on their defense to hold off a Jets rally to solidify the 24-19 win the in AFC Championship. Pittsburgh’s took a fumble recovery in for a score and kept New York out of the end zone with an impressive goal-line stand late in the fourth.
Wednesday, January 26th @ 9:00 p.m. – NFL Replay: 2010 AFC Championship – Jets vs. Steelers
Thursday, January 27th @ 9:00 p.m. – Sound FX Championship
2010 Championship: On-field sights and sounds from Championship Week of the 2010 NFL season.
Thursday, January 27th @ 10:30 p.m. – America’s Game: 2008 Steelers
2008 Pittsburgh Steelers – Re-live the story of the 2008 Steelers through the eyes of Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu. Narrated by Jon Hamm.
Friday, January 28th @ 12:00 p.m. – Sound FX: 2010 Week 16
2010 Week 16: On-field sights and sounds from Week 16 of the 2010 NFL season including wires from Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger.
Friday, January 28th @ 12:30 p.m. – NFL Replay: 2009 Week 15 – Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh
2010 Week 16: On-field sights and sounds from Week 16 of the 2010 NFL season including wires from Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger.
Friday, January 28th @ 2:30 p.m & 5:30 p.m. – Sound FX Championship
2010 Championship: On-field sights and sounds from Championship Week of the 2010 NFL season.
30-minute Super Bowl Re-Plays:
Saturday, January 29th: @ 10:00 p.m. – Super Bowl IX: Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota
Saturday, January 29th: @ 10:30 p.m. – Super Bowl X: Pittsburgh vs. Dallas
Sunday, January 30th: @ 12:00 a.m. – Super Bowl XIII: Pittsburgh […]
Super Bowl XLV bound…
“I don’t care what the stats say or how it looks or any of that stuff. As a quarterback, you’re judged on wins and losses and getting to Super Bowls. And you can’t knock Ben’s record.” — Hines Ward, post-game.
What they’re saying…
Clark Judge, CBS Sports senior writer:
Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback people love, but when it comes to big games Ben Roethlisberger is the quarterback they should trust.
You heard me. Love Rodgers; trust Roethlisberger. With Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers headed to the mother of all big games — their third Super Bowl in six seasons — I want a seat on the Big Ben Bandwagon.
Roethlisberger is one of the most reliable playoff quarterbacks out there, and Sunday’s 24-19 defeat of the New York Jets was more evidence. He didn’t produce big numbers; he just produced big plays, and isn’t that how it usually works? He converted that third-and-19 pass last weekend against Baltimore. He made the last-minute TD pass to Santonio Holmes in Super Bowl XLII. Now this.
You can read more here.
“Shoot, any time you get to the Super Bowl, it feels good. I don’t care what you’re going through or what’s going on. We put a lot of stuff behind us early and found a way.” — Ben, post-game.
John McClain, San Antonio News:
After the New York Jets scored 19 unanswered points to pull within five with 3:06 remaining in the AFC championship game, the Pittsburgh Steelers relied on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to save them from the embarrassment of a monumental collapse.
Roethlisberger didn’t throw a touchdown pass on Sunday, but he did complete two clutch passes for first downs on the Steelers’ last drive, securing a 24-19 victory that ruined the Jets’ magnificent comeback and earned Pittsburgh a place in Super Bowl XLV opposite the Green Bay Packers.
The Jets had three timeouts and the two-minute warning to work with, but the Steelers made Ryan’s strategy backfire when Roethlisberger completed 14-yard passes to tight end Heath Miller and [Antonio] Brown, a rookie from Central Michigan.
[Jets coach Rex] Ryan was stunned when Roethlisberger threw the passes to Miller and Brown.
“Without question, it was a gutsy play,” Ryan said about the pass […]
Steelers heading to Super Bowl XLV
Steelers 24, Jets 19
“Just how awesome it is.” — Ben, when asked what he was thinking when he buried his face in a Championship t-shirt (new Photo of the Week above at right).
Ben, post-game:
On the Steelers’ lengthy first-quarter drive –
“That’s huge. Any time you can come out and set the tone and the tempo running the ball and throwing the ball, and move it down the field and put points on the board…as an offense it feels good, and I assume for our defense it feels good. It helps them resting and is a big boost coming onto the field.”
On how they were able to “put it all together” for the win –
“This is a team win: offense, defense, special teams. I’m just so proud of the way guys stepped up and filled in. That’s what the Pittsburgh Steelers do. We win as a team and we win as a team and we had a great win tonight. It’s not always pretty, but somehow we find a way to get it done.
“We have a lot of tenacity. We have a ‘don’t-quit’ attitude and mentality and we have a belief in each other. We’re a family, we stay close no matter what. When things go bad on offense, the defense is picking us up. If things go back on special teams, the offense and defense are picking them up. And everybody is just always there for each other. There’s never finger-pointing.”
You can watch a 1-on-1 interview with Ben after the game here.
You can watch the post-game press conference here.
You can watch game highlights here.
And, you can watch a Championship Re-mix from NFL.com here.
You can see a few game photos here.
*Check back tomorrow for much more!
More interesting reading…
while you wait for the game to start –
From Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Ron Cook, “Roethlisberger, Arians come down in 2-part harmony“:
“I don’t think Ben liked me because I had coached Peyton,” Arians said of the Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning, generally regarded as the hardest-working quarterback in the NFL. “I wanted to see him study harder. I wanted his work ethic to catch up with his passion for the game and all that talent he has.”
Well, guess what?
“He’s done everything and more that I’ve asked of him,” Arians said of Roethlisberger. “I’m as proud of him as you can be of a person who’s not your son or daughter.”
Their success together has been extraordinary. The Steelers went to the playoffs in ’07 and won the Super Bowl in ’08. They missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record last season despite having a 4,300-yard quarterback, a 1,000-yard rusher, two 1,000-yard wide receivers and a tight end who caught a franchise-record 76 passes.
From Patriot News columnist Jeremy Elliot, “Ben Roethlisberger on par with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Believe it“:
There are no GQ stories, good looks or a super-model wife like Brady. Roethlisberger isn’t witty and funny like Manning. There are no memorable commercials to make us chuckle.
Roethlisberger is far from mainstream, but he is still good.
No, make that great.
There is nothing flashy about the way he plays the game. It’s easy to forget a guy that doesn’t routinely throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns. But Roethlisberger finds a way to get it done, just in a different way.
He is rugged looking. He is more boots and a plaid shirt than a three-piece suit corporate type. Roethlisberger is a 6-5 mountain that is tough to bring down and doesn’t mind getting bloodied a bit if it means carrying his team to a win.
And there have been plenty of those in his seven-year career, which includes a .693 regular season winning percentage, a 9-2 playoff mark through last week and two Super Bowl titles.
Not too shabby.
Also:
Check out this slide-show and story of the “Steelers man cave” where one Riverside family will be watching today’s game.
Quote of the Weekend:
“I’d take him on my side any day of the week, […]