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 […]

…to the 2011 NFL Pro Bowl!!

The Pro Bowl is returning to Hawaii on January 30, 2011 – one week before Super Bowl XLV. It will be televised on FOX at 7:00 p.m.

Steelers on the ballot from the offense include Ben, Rashard Mendenhall, Antwaan Randle El, Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, David Johnson, Heath Miller, Flozell Adams, Max Starks, Trai Essex, Chris Kemoeatu, and Maurkice Pouncey.

Defensive players include Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, James Farrior, Lawrence Timmons, Bryant McFadden, Ike Taylor, Troy Polamalu, and Ryan Clark.

Balloting will end on December 20th following the conclusion of the Monday Night Football game between the the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings.

Teams will be announced at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 28th on a special NFL Total Access 2011 Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network.


You can vote for the Black & Gold as many times as you like, just click here!

You can read more on the 2011 Pro Bowl here.

You can check out photos from the 2008 Pro Bowl here.

Ben Roethlisberger knows he going to get hit, but he stands in the pocket and still delivers the pass. This was a game where Big Ben took over…the Steelers are the best team in the league with Ben Roethlisberger. — Tom Waddle,  sports anchor for NFLN’s Game Day Scoreboard show.

It feels good to have Ben back, trust me! — Hines Ward, during his post-game interview with NFLN’s Jason La Canfora.

Post-Game Media Notes:

From the Palm Beach Post:

Roethlisberger was almost unstoppable in the second quarter, throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward and a 53-yarder to Mike Wallace to help the Steelers’ take a 17-16 halftime lead.

Roethlisberger finished the half 12 of 16 for 195 yards and two touchdowns, while Ward had four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. On Wallace’s touchdown, he slipped right past Jason Allen for an easy catch.

You can read the rest here.



From RotoWorld.com:

Mike Wallace caught two passes for 53 yards with a touchdown in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins.

Wallace hauled in one bomb from Ben Roethlisberger for his touchdown and had another one go off his fingertips. But Big Ben stayed away from Wallace and fed Hines Ward for much of the game because Vontae Davis was on Wallace. Things are still looking up for Wallace, beginning next week against the Saints. He’s primed for a big second half with Roethlisberger looking sharp.


You can read the rest here.



From ESPN‘s Stats and Info blog:

In his debut last weekend, Roethlisberger had trouble finding a rhythm when the Browns put five-or-more defensive backs on the field, completing only 53.3 percent of his passes with an interception. He was able to shake off the rust on Sunday, though, averaging over 11 yards per attempt and throwing two touchdowns when the Dolphins used at least five defensive backs.


You can read the rest here.



From the Sports Network:

Jeff Reed converted an 18-yard field goal with 2:26 remaining in regulation to lift the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 23-22 victory over the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Reed’s go-ahead kick followed a complicated ruling on a Ben […]

Ben sat down with WPXI-Channel 11 to chat about life, his faith, and the game of football….

You can check it out here!


*Thank you to Billie Jo!

Today, Ben announced the third and fourth grants of the 2010 season from The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund.

The Foundation will be distributing grants to both the North Miami Beach and the City of North Miami Police Departments, where the Steelers will play this weekend against the Dolphins.

Thomas A. Carney, Director of Police Services and Chief of Staff for the North Miami Beach Police Department said, “We are greatly appreciate of the donation by Mr. Roethlisberger. Our K-9 dogs are very important to our officers who risk their lives every day to protect our community. In these difficult budgetary times, we must rely more and more on outside sources of funding to support our officers’ efforts. This grant will provide our officers with additional resources to protect the citizens of North Miami Beach.”

Larry Juriga, Assistant Chief of Police of the North Miami Police Department said of their grant, “The North Miami Police Department is truly thankful to The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation for its generous support. The foundation’s grant will provide much needed equipment to protect our K-9’s, who in turn, will protect our officers and citizens. Our partnership with the foundation will add significantly to the success of our mission.”


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.