From Bob Labriola, at Steelers.com:

Samuel Hartman, from Keyser, WV: Ben Roethlisberger was famous for getting out of sacks to continue the play. And he was elite with his pump fakes. Is there a stat that shows exactly how many sacks he avoided where the defender actually had a chance to take him down? And has any other QB been better at it?

Mr. Labriola: I’m not aware of any statistical measurement of a quarterback escaping sacks in the manner you describe, and even if one existed I would imagine the “escapes” would have to be put in different categories. Did the QB escape the sack ultimately because of speed and/or quickness, or was it because of strength, which is how Ben Roethlisberger often managed it. I have heard defensive players interviewed who described the difficulty in wrestling Roethlisberger to the ground, and his ability to keep fighting to prevent that from happening never was more evident than in a Dec. 5, 2010, game vs. the Ravens in Baltimore.

The Ravens were protecting a 10-6 lead, and on a second-and-5 from the Baltimore 43-yard line with 3:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, Troy Polamalu strip-sacked Joe Flacco, and LaMarr Woodley recovered and ran 19 yards to the 9-yard line. On first-and-goal from the 9-yard line, Roethlisberger threw incomplete on first down. On second down, he dropped back to pass again, and he was wrapped up by Terrell Suggs, who would finish the game with 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 5 hits on the quarterback. Roethlisberger refused to go to the ground, and as he kept fighting he managed to free his right arm from Suggs’ grasp sufficiently to be able to throw the ball in the direction of Hines Ward for an incomplete pass and avoid the sack. A sack there would’ve had the Steelers facing a third-and-goal from outside the 15-yard line and needing a touchdown against a Ravens defense that ended up allowing less than 300 yards of total offense that day. On the next play, Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass to RB Isaac Redman, the Steelers ended up winning the game, 13-10, and the AFC North Division, which meant that the inevitable meeting in the playoffs between these teams would be played in Pittsburgh. The Steelers won that game, then defeated the New York Jets the following week in the AFC Championship Game to advance to Super Bowl XLV.


You can check out the rest of Mr. Labriola’s “Asked & Answered” here.