Recap from 93.7 The Fan:

121515Coming off the team’s huge 33-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that featured plenty of scuffles, trash talk and big hits, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger joined “The Cook and Poni Show” on Sportsradio 93-7 The Fan for the “#1 Cochran Ben Roethlisberger Show.”

He talked about just how much fun it was getting the win.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Roethlisberger said. “Because it’s an AFC Northopponent, going back to Ohio…whatever the reason, it was a lot of fun.”

Roethlisberger also discussed what he saw happen during a pregame brawl, when Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict crossed onto their side of the field.

“I saw Burfict. I didn’t even know it was him, all the way on our side where we were stretching and I was like, ‘What in the world is going on?’ Sometimes during those times you talk to maybe a friend that you know on the other team…then I realized it got a little more serious and then my biggest concern from there, I wasn’t nearly close to the middle of it or anything like that, my biggest concern was just making sure my linemen, you know, guys that weren’t already there, don’t come running into the middle of it and try to start something.”

That chippy mentality usually ends once the game starts according to Ben, but that wasn’t the case this past Sunday.

“Usually when that happens…t usually dies out,” Roethlisberger said. “This was as chippy as, quote unquote, kind of dirty, extracurricular stuff throughout the game that I’ve ever been a part of. There was a lot of stuff going on under piles, a lot of extra pushing, a lot of extra shoving. It was kind of unusual because usually you get out there and there’s still a level of respect, even if you despise the other team and you want to beat them so bad, there’s still a level of respect and level of professionalism you don’t really want other people to get hurt. It was definitely as physical, extracurricular stuff as I’ve been a part of.”

Part of that aspect of the game reared its ugly head when Burfict hit Roethlisberger low on a play. After watching the film, Roethlisberger thinks he was targeting his legs.

“He said, ‘I got pushed into you, my bad.’ and the official just kind of nodded like, ‘Yeah, ok.’ So, I just went about my day, didn’t think anything of it…I turned my phone on afterwards and one of the texts I got from a former player and a friend of mine says, ‘How is this not a fine or a penalty by Burfict?’ And he showed me the clip of it. And since then, I have seen the clip, and I don’t buy that he was pushed. You know, I think that he definitely was diving in low and going for my legs,” Roethlisberger said.


You can not only read more, but listen to excerpts from his show here.