Foster on Ben: ‘He never seems to get credit’
From Ramon Foster for DKSports.com:
Ben Roethlisberger is a future Hall of Famer. I don’t think anyone will dispute that statement. He’s part of the current golden generation of quarterbacks along with Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. They are the Rolling Stones of NFL signal-callers. Each one is a Super Bowl champion. Each one is a multiple Pro Bowl selection.
But when it comes to the Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award, the Steelers’ franchise quarterback has received scant recognition. Heck, he’s never even been named All-Pro first or second team.
Did you know that?
Some Steelers fans probably are wondering about the MVP snub despite all the winning seasons and three trips to the Super Bowl. Well, Big Ben is in silent attack mode this year. Trust me on that. The Steelers are 3-0, and look like a contender reborn after he missed much of last season with the elbow injury.
We’re used to seeing our Steelers overshadowed for major awards, except when it comes time to hand out the gold blazers in Canton. Seriously, you’re telling me Chuck Noll was never worthy of one Coach of the Year honor? Crazy.
Note to the national media: There’s a team on the western side of Pennsylvania with all of the makings of a Super Bowl champ. And it’s being led by the ageless Roethlisberger.
No doubt, the defense is getting headlines, and rightfully so. But let’s not overlook a quarterback with a long history of being overlooked during awards season.
Big Ben has earned a reputation for being a backyard gunslinger, someone who takes a pounding to extend plays. That’s all good, but let’s not ignore the production. He never seems to get credit for dicing defenses like a 3-star Michelin chef. It’s just characterized as “Ben doing Ben things” and never much more .
I know it’s early, but his 105.2 passer rating is higher than any rating with which he’s finished a season. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is 7-to-1. I’m not oblivious to the outstanding starts of Russell Wilson and Josh Allen. We know Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, the last two league MVPs, are going to get their love, too.
It’s not as though Roethlisberger’s supporting cast hasn’t been recognized. Antonio Brown is a four-time, first-team […]
Christmas is just around the corner!
It’s another Fan Friday!
“My grandfather John DeMidio, a WWII veteran from Elizabeth, PA, is going to turn 100 years old on October 13th, 2020. He is a HUGE Big Ben fan. We wanted Ben to know that he NEVER misses a game!” — Angela Leach.
When our attendings & residents root for the same football team…@steelers @_BigBen7 @CoachTomlin
“My friend Roger and I before last Sunday’s game. We haven’t seen each other since last year, and we used to talk about the games at work all the time. We were planning to go to a game this year with some other friends and family and then Covid-19 happened. And of course, we both love Ben…even though Roger doesn’t mention how handsome he is. Lol.” — Tara Henderson.
“My 9-yr old son Isaiah enjoying the last few sunny days by the water in New Jersey after our big win against the Texans.” — Murielle Raciti.
It’s good to have Ben back. This league is at its best when players like @_BigBen7 are out competing each week.
Just as its been at its best when other @steelers legends were out writing history on the field, week in and week out, across decades past. 😤⚫️🟡 #Steelers
NFL: Steelers-Titans to be rescheduled
The NFL issued the following statement on Thursday morning:
The Pittsburgh-Tennessee game scheduled for Week 4 will be rescheduled to later this season after one additional Titans player and one personnel member tested positive for COVID-19 today. An announcement of the new game date will be made shortly.
The decision to postpone the game was made to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel. The Titans facility will remain closed and the team will continue to have no in-person activities until further notice.
(Steelers)
Message from the NFL
Also Today:
“As a quarterback when we throw a big touchdown pass, that is what you are paid to do, what you grew up doing. We throw passes for a living. When we are able to finish games on big drives like that, and a lot of it is running, that means more to me in the sense that we are winning the football game. I will always be more about winning than individual stats. At the end of the day that is more important to me.” — Ben.
From Ben’s Wednesday Q&A with the media:
There is one stat, and one stat only, Steelers players are looking at right now.
3-0.
Individual numbers have taken a backseat to the team goal, and reaching that goal is only at its infancy stage.
And yes, while starting off the 2020 season with a 3-0 record is something to be happy about, it’s not something Steelers players are hanging their hat on.
“I have been doing this a long time, started different ways,” said Ben Roethlisberger. “I couldn’t tell you how I have started seasons in the past, what’s our best, our worst was. I just know where we are now. Obviously, guys, coaches, the whole building feels better when you are 3-0 compared to 0-3. This is a professional group. We aren’t riding that high right now.
“We know this is a big week and we have another really good football team we have to go on the road to play. It definitely feels better but we are taking it like professionals and taking it week by week.”
That 3-0 record has come courtesy of an overall team effort. On offense, contributions have come from all over, and the same thing can be said for defense and special teams. In the passing game, Roethlisberger has completions to 10 different players through three games, keeping the numbers low for some who are accustomed to putting up the bigger numbers, but again, those aren’t the stats that matter.
“I would say the biggest stat is 3-0,” said Roethlisberger. “I don’t think anybody cares about their stats right now. No one is complaining. No one is coming to me. I am not exactly playing lights out. Their stats are directly reflective of the way I play. If I am not playing well, […]
Week 3: Steelers 28, Texans 21
“It’s such an honor to be up there with Mike Webster, he was ‘Iron Mike’ for a reason. I am humbled to be in the same category as him. It’s not like I passed him, I joined him.” — Ben, during his post-game press conference.
Tremendous accomplishment – 221st career game as a @steelers, setting the franchise record, and the WIN. Congratulations @_BigBen7!👏🏽🚀 pic.twitter.com/KjJtgjhCDf
— Josh Dobbs (@josh_dobbs1) September 27, 2020
“It’s huge for us, especially at home. We want to win it for the fans. For us to get off to a good start like this is important and fun.” — Ben, during his post-game press conference.
Roethlisberger completed 72 percent of his pass attempts while spreading the ball around to seven different receivers. He completed touchdown passes to Eric Ebron and Juju Smith-Schuster in the second quarter but deferred to the running game a bit more in the second half. Although the yardage total was nothing to hang his hat on, it was a rather efficient performance from Roethlisberger against what has been a surprisingly adept Texans pass defense to this point. He will look to take advantage of a more favorable matchup against a soft Titans defense next Sunday.
James Conner rushed for 109 yards, Ben Roethlisberger passed for 237 yards and two touchdowns and the Steelers got big contributions from two of their newest players — tight end Eric Ebron and rookie running back Anthony McFarland Jr. — to start 3-0 for the first time since going to the Super Bowl in 2010.
The Texans (0-3) had leads of 14-3 in the second quarter and 21-17 at halftime, […]