Steelers win AFC Division Game, 31-24
I’ve got confidence in the guys. All I’ve got to do is throw it.” — Ben, after the win.
From the New York Daily News‘ Hank Gola:
Ben Roethlisberger broke the Ravens hearts again.
In a play that will go down as one of the biggest in the rich history of the Steelers, Roethlisberger completed a 58-yard pass to rookie Antonio Brown on third-and-19 from the Steeler 39 to set up Rashard Mendhall’s two-yard TD with 1:39 left. The 31-24 win sent the Steelers to their second AFC Championship Game in three years. They will either visit the Patriots or host the Jets.
It was Roethlisberger’s eighth straight win over the Ravens and his third in the post-season and it came on a day where they sacked him six times. But Roethlisberger, who threw for two third quarter TDs, emerged from the backyard brawl whistling again.
You can read more here.
“Right now I don’t feel anything but joy!” — Ben, when asked about the “beating” he took during the game.
From WLTX-CBS Columbia, SC:
In a game that looked headed to the first application of the NFL’s new overtime rule, Ben Roethlisberger had other plans.
Roethlisberger’s biggest pass of the day set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Rashard Mendenhall with 1:33 left that gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a 31-24 comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens Sunday in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.
The win sends Pittsburgh into the AFC title game against either the New England Patriots or the New York Jets, who meet Sunday.
You can read more here.
“We’re family. We have been ever since I’ve been here.” — Ben, talking about his team.
From the AP‘s quick game summary:
The Pittsburgh Steelers stood around as the Baltimore Ravens scored an inexplicable first-half touchdown. Then it was the error-prone Ravens who watched helplessly as the team they love to beat most came back to beat them when it mattered most.
You can read more here.
From ESPN‘s James Walker, AFC North Blog:
The Ravens and Steelers staged another classic game in this heated rivalry, as Pittsburgh overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half. An unbelievable, 58-yard pass on third-and-19 to rookie Antonio Brown proved to be the difference.
You can read more here.
“I saw […]
Ben: “I love this time of year”
“I might never win the passing title or be the league MVP. But I’m OK with that. I just want to win championships. I’ve got a lot of fingers left for rings and I want to win a lot more championships. When I’m done and they look back on my career, I want them to be able to say he won the big games. That will mean more to me than anything.” — Ben, from Mr. Cook’s column.
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Ron Cook this morning:
Roethlisberger will play in another of those big games Saturday when the Steelers meet the Ravens at Heinz Field. With all due respect to the Steelers’ great defense, he’s the No. 1 reason to like the home team. He and Brady are the best big-game quarterbacks of this generation.
“I’ve seen and heard a few of the guys say, ‘In 7 We Trust,’ ” Roethlisberger said. “That’s an unbelievable honor. I don’t take that for granted. But I do take that pressure. I want to be that guy for this team. I want to win for my teammates.”
You can read Mr. Cook’s entire column here.
You can check out photos from practice this week here.
Ben: A change in delivery
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Ed Bouchette this morning:
A quicker release has been cited for Roethlisberger’s career-low five interceptions and his 32 sacks, which, while not necessarily low over 12 games, represents an improvement over his previous four seasons.
Roethlisberger took the month he could not appear at the Steelers’ facility to work with quarterbacks coach George Whitfield Jr., and he tinkered with his delivery.
“Holding the ball higher,” Roethlisberger said, “helps me what [Whitfield] calls ‘keeping it loaded’ rather than keeping it down low where I used to hold it and then you have to wind up … you get it out quicker.”
Whitfield, who runs a private quarterback-training firm in San Diego, suggested the change to Roethlisberger when they began working together in September. He had used the same motion since high school, and no one suggested he change, likely because he had been so successful.
“I had heard of it before but I never did it because I didn’t think it mattered,” Roethlisberger said. “I tried it because I had a bad elbow problem, and it solved that problem, too. I don’t know what it is, but my elbow doesn’t seem to hurt as much.”
You can read more here.
You can see photos of Ben’s workouts with Coach Whitfield here.
Stat Line:
For the regular season, Ben was third in the league in yards-per-attempt and not only leads all active quarterbacks in that category, but is fourth all time.
Quotes of the Day:
“There’s a lot of times when he’s outside the pocket that he’s far more dangerous than when he’s inside the pocket. And that’s not to say he’s not good when he’s in the pocket. But his ability to throw accurately on the run and on the fly and just create stuff is just uncanny.” — Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson on Ben, from an article in the Baltimore Sun.
“Some quarterbacks will go down when they get people around them, but not him. The play’s never dead with him and that’s something you’ve got to watch out for. It’s tough to play against. You just got to get lots of helmets on him and get him down.” — Ravens nose tackle Kelly Gregg on Ben, from the same […]
Foundation Update
“When I grow up, I’m going to be a police K-9 for the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Police Department!” — Chewbacca (photo below).
On December 30th, Ben announced the ninth and final grant of the 2010 season outside of the Pittsburgh area. The grant was awarded to the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Police Department (CMHAPD), located in Cleveland, Ohio.
The funds will help fill a void in the department left by the loss of Kubo, CMHA’s three-year old police dog, who died on September 27, 2010 during a training exercise.
Today, we received photos of the two newest members of the department’s K-9 unit, Chewbacca and Loki.
Both puppies were donated to the department by a breeder, and funds from the grant provided by the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation will be used to pay for their training and supplies as they grow up to be serious, hardworking K-9’s.
From an email sent by Brenda L. Malone, Special Projects Coordinator for the CMHA Police Department:
“It is TOTALLY my pleasure to send you the images of what was made possible through the generosity and compassion of others.
The words ‘thank you’ do not seem to be enough to let everyone know of level of happiness, but I hope they are received with all of the heart-felt appreciation that surround the spirit of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Police Department!”
You can see all the photos here.
You can read more about Ben’s Foundation here.
*Thank you to Ms. Malone, Officer John Smiddy, Officer Jeffery Holdeman, and Officer Kerry Blakemore of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Police Department, as well as Jessica Duffaut, from The Giving Back Fund!
Ben’s chat with the media today
From the Baltimore Sun‘s Ravens Insider:
Asked during a conference call with Baltimore media Tuesday afternoon whether he enjoyed lining up against the Ravens, Roethlisberger replied, “As a competitor, yes, you love it, but heck no, I hate playing the Ravens. They’re so good. Defense, every single person and every scheme, everything they do, it just challenges you. As a competitor, you like that challenge and you like the competitiveness, but man, they’re good.”
You can read more here.
And about the broken nose…
The last time the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers met, the Steelers left M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 5 with a win and a broken nose for Ben Roethlisberger.
But the Pittsburgh quarterback said he understands that the left-handed blow his face absorbed from defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was inadvertent.
“It wasn’t like I was mad,” Roethlisberger said during a conference call with Baltimore reporters Tuesday afternoon. “No way was it on purpose. So I didn’t feel any kind of way about it.
“I have to apologize to Kelly Gregg,” Roethlisberger said. “I blamed him for it during the game. I’ll have to apologize when I see him on the field. I was giving him a hard time. But any time that these two teams play, the winner walks off feeling pretty good about themselves. I know that because I know some of the guys over there and I know what this rivalry means. So like I said, it’s always a big-time game.”
You can read more on that here.
Kelly Gregg accepts Ben’s apology here (along with a bit of good-natured ribbing).
From ESPN‘s James Walker:
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shrugged Tuesday at recent comments made by Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh (see yesterday’s post).
“I think it was taken out of context, if you ask me,” Roethlisberger said. “I know Coach Harbaugh. He’s a Miami guy and us Miami guys stick together; there’s so few of us. Actually, on the field before every game we talk to each other and ask how everything is going. So I don’t think it was intended maliciously at all.”
You can read more here.
You can watch locker room interviews with Ben, Mike Wallace, Ryan Clark, Heath Miller and […]
Ravens vs Steelers matchup…
“It’s just ultimate confusion when we play — they’re trying to confuse us and we’re trying to confuse them. Their defense is all over the place. Guys are here, guys are there, all of a sudden this guy is over here and 20 guys are blitzing. That’s the biggest thing with Baltimore. Then you add the physical stuff. I don’t mind that … I can take hits. It’s tough.” — Ben, on playing the Ravens (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
What they’re saying…
“Flacco didn’t play a perfect game, but it was close…as a rookie, he was basically expected to manage the game. Last year, he suffered back and thigh injuries, which affected his throwing motion. But there are no excuses now. The playoffs are where quarterback legends are born because the great ones like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger take over games.” — Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun.
“It’s got to be Baltimore. I’ve had a feeling it was going to be Baltimore all along. I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s going to be some football game.” — Hines Ward, in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“I picked the Ravens to make it to the Super Bowl, but I don’t know that they make it out of Pittsburgh. Reason: The Steelers have their number at Heinz Field. OK, so Baltimore pulled out a last-minute victory there this year. Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play. With Roethlisberger, the Steelers are 6-1 at home, including a playoff victory. Plus, they won their last six overall vs. the Ravens with Big Ben.” — Senior sportswriter Clark Judge, CBS Sports.
“When you come into this locker room, you know this is a team of winners. So you have to put yourself in that right state of mind so you can go out there and win a world championship.” — Ziggy Hood, to Jim Wexell for the Tribune-Democrat.
“It’s one and done. There’s a lot of teams that have already gone home. But really, it doesn’t matter to us who we play. We just want to keep winning.” — Ike Taylor, in the Washington Observer-Reporter.
