“Roethlisberger is a perfect example of the importance of effectiveness over volume. He’s actually one of the most prolific passers in NFL history if you look at the right numbers.” — Kerry Byrnes, football analyst.

From SI.com’s Kerry J. Byrnes, in his Cold Hard Football Facts column this evening:

Most football fans and so-called experts obsess over those big gaudy numbers and 400-yard passing days that grab headlines. The fantasy football phenomenon fuels this obsession. But the truth is that passing effectiveness, not volume, is the singular secret to success in the NFL and always has been — at least if you care about wins and losses on the field and not in your fantasy league.

Quarterbacks with a high average per pass attempt almost always win, regardless of how often they pass.

Big Ben averages an incredible 8.02 yards per pass attempt, the fifth highest mark in the history of football. If you want to know why the Steelers instantly became title contenders the day Roethlisberger became the starter, if you want to know why he’s already won two Super Bowls, look at that number.

Sure, he’s been blessed with a consistently strong defense and a team committed to the run. But those two factors don’t win consistently if you can’t exploit the opposition with a highly effective passing game.

Bottom line: passing effectiveness, not passing volume, is what wins games in the NFL. Big Ben is the best contemporary example of this law of football success.


To read the rest of Mr. Byrne’s column here.


*Thank you to Becky for the link!

“You just sit there and watch him, I love watching whether it’s on TV or live. Hopefully, he doesn’t get to do too much this week, because that means our defense is doing great things.” — Ben, on New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, from the article below.

From an article by Alan Robinson featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution this afternoon:

When Roethlisberger joined the Steelers in 2004, he considered the Patriots’ Brady to be the NFL’s pre-eminent quarterback. Certainly, Brady’s numbers were good enough, but it was his determination to win that most impressed the ever-competitive Roethlisberger.

Six years later, Roethlisberger has won two Super Bowls himself, putting him only one behind Brady. Still, his opinion hasn’t changed — to Roethlisberger, the quarterback he’ll oppose Sunday night in Heinz Field is the NFL’s gold standard.

“Tom Brady, who I think is probably the greatest in the game right now, is on the other side, so to watch him go against this great (Pittsburgh) defense is fun as well,” Roethlisberger said.

Some NFL players won’t acknowledge they enjoy watching a player on a different team, but that’s not difficult for Roethlisberger. Well-known for his can’t-beat-me attitude — his teammates say he tries hard to win at everything from table tennis to garbage-basket basketball — Roethlisberger pays close attention whenever Brady is on the field.

“He’s a good passer, a good leader, he seems to do a little bit of everything,” said Roethlisberger.

Maybe it takes a winner to be impressed by another winner. Brady (103-32, .763) and Roethlisberger (63-27, .700) rank 1-2 among active quarterbacks in regular-season winning percentage. Counting playoff games, Brady is 117-36 (.765) and Roethlisberger is 71-29 (.710).

Going against Brady and the Patriots (6-2) gives him such a kick, Roethlisberger said, “We’ll play on Wednesday at 2 o’clock if we have to.”

How about Sunday at 8:20 p.m. EST?


You can read the entire article here.



November 11th – Remember Our Veterans

2010 will mark the 19th anniversary of Worcester Wreath Company donating Maine wreaths to adorn the headstones of our Nation’s veterans in Arlington […]

The perspective from the other camp….


From Boston Globe sports columnist Tony (Mazz) Massarotti today:

Now come the Steelers, the true model of excellence in both the short and long of NFL history. Pittsburgh has won six Super Bowls, more than any other club, including an unmatched two in the last five years. The Steelers are — as usual — tough, physical, talented, and well-coached.

A win at Pittsburgh would do more than merely put the Patriots back on track. It would further legitimize their place as top-tier team this season and put them in control of their own destiny.

You can read Mr. Massarotti’s column here.



From Coach Belichick’s conference call Tuesday with the Boston media:

Belichick said you could pick out any game Roethlisberger has played this season, and pick one out from ‘09, ‘08 and so on, and not know the difference.

”Ben looks like Ben,” Belichick said. ”He’s got a great style of play. He’s a very physical guy, hard to tackle, hard to get down, makes a lot of big plays downfield, uses all of his receivers. You’ve got to defend all of them, the tight ends, the backs, (Hines) Ward, Randel El . . . he uses all of them, and he’s a big threat back there to buy time in the pocket or pull it down and run.”

You can read the rest of his comments (though few) here.



From Coach Belichick’s press conference on Wednesday, posted at WEEI.com:

Do the refs give Roethlisberger a little more leeway in the grass because he is so tough to take down?

Coach Belichick: “Well, I think it’s the official’s judgment when he actually is in the grass. It’s a tough call, because a lot of times, he’s not down until he is actually in the dirt, and that’s hard to do. He’s a strong guy. He can stand in there. You see a lot of plays where he throws the ball with guys hanging on him, hanging on his jersey and his leg and around his waist and everything else [and] he can still rear back there and throw it. So what’s […]

“I’ve got to take care of the ball. Heath was wide open, I just kind of ‘babied’ it instead of putting the throw on him and almost gave it away. But the defense held strong.” — Ben to ESPN’s Suzy Kolber after the game.

Post-Game Notes & Quotes:


From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review‘s John Harris:

To their credit, the Steelers — beat-up offensive line and all — remained committed to the run even when it wasn’t working last night. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hung in the pocket and made tough throws.

You can read his column here.



From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Ron Cook:

The Steelers’ linemen routinely take significant and often unwarranted abuse for their alleged shortcomings. When the team wins, it’s despite them. When it loses, it’s because of them. That’s a tough way to go through your professional life, isn’t it?

“Those guys really answered the bell,” Roethlisberger said. “I’m really proud of ’em. You can’t say enough about ’em.”

You can read his column here.



From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Ed Bouchette:

The highlight of the second half was Randle El’s 39-yard touchdown to Wallace, who caught five passes for 110 yards. Randle El took a handoff from Roethlisberger, who threw a block, and Randle El hit Wallace in the end zone.

“You have to give Ben props for that block,” Randle El said.

You can read his column here.



From RotoWorld.com:

Big Ben turned some sure losses into conversions and threw a nice block on Antwaan Randle El’s touchdown pass (it came on a trick play), but wasn’t needed to make any big plays.

You can read the rest here.



From ESPN’s James Walker, from his AFC North Blog:

Pittsburgh’s defense stepped up in the clutch and the Bengals folded on their final drive in the Steelers’ 27-21 victory. After leading by 20 points, Pittsburgh avoided the largest fourth-quarter collapse in team history to improve to 6-2.

As Starks got dressed before exiting the visiting locker room, I mentioned that it looks like it will be the Ravens and Steelers battling for a division title in the second half of the season.

“Yup,” Starks said with a smile. “Things are back to normal in the AFC North.”

The Steelers’ final story is yet to be told. […]

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


The foundation will be distributing a grant to the City of Middletown Police Department, outside of Cincinnati, OH where the Steelers will play the Bengals tonight on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

The Middletown Police Department will use the grant to update their training equipment and facilities including the construction of six kennels. The facility is used for the training purposes of Middletown canines and handlers, as well as those of the City of Monroe, City of Kettering, City of Oxford and Miami University.

Middletown Police Chief Schwarber said, “We’d like to express our appreciation for this generous gift from The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation. Mr. Roethlisberger is a true supporter of canine programs and in the tough economic times, it’s gratifying to see a professional athlete like this step in and provide funding for a project that otherwise would not get done.”

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.


For more info on Ben’s foundation, check out his page here.

For info on the City of Middletown Police Department, check out their website here.


About The Giving Back Fund

The Giving Back Fund (GBF) is a national public charity that creates and professionally manages charitable foundations and other philanthropic programs for athletes, entertainers, business entrepreneurs, and corporations.


For more info on The Giving Back Fund, check out their website here or contact Jessica Duffaut at jduffaut@givingback.org.

Excerpts from an article this evening by AP sports columnist Alan Robinson:


One month after returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger is an average quarterback.

By his standards, even if not by anyone else’s.

“I’m leaving plays out there,” said Roethlisberger, who grades his play at about a C. “I think there’s a lot of room for improvement.”

Off the field, the two-time Super Bowl winner is exceeding expectations. Teammates say he’s never looked more energized while going through the daily grind of playing the sport.

“He’s like a little kid,” wide receiver Hines Ward said.

The Steelers always liked the quarterback they had before, if not always the person who was that quarterback. They like him even better now. They expect to like him even more before the season ends.

“I’m always going to try to improve, I don’t care if it’s Week 1 or 20,” Roethlisberger said. “There’s some good things and some bad things. I’m just trying to constantly improve.”


You can read the full article here.