Now it’s on to Kansas City!


From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

Ben Roethlisberger came out firing against the Dolphins, completing his first 11 passes, including two long touchdowns to Antonio Brown on the first two drives, one for 50 yards and one for 62 yards, in a 30-12 win over the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card Round.

Roethlisberger finished the day completing 13 of 18 passes for 197 yards and the two touchdowns, and said the plan was to open the game passing the ball and then let that open up the run game.

“We started the game off throwing the ball,” said Roethlisberger. “That created the open running game. We’ve gone into games where we’ve run it to throw. This game we came out throwing to run. We had a mindset on the third series we were going to go to the jumbo and bring in the extra lineman, (Chris) Hubbard, and we were going to run on four straight downs if we had to.

“You’ve got to do what’s best for the team. The running game opened up and worked.”

Roethlisberger said he injured his ankle on the second to the last snap of the game, but plans to be ready to go next week when the Steelers play the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round.

“I don’t know anything yet, but we will find out soon,” said Roethlisberger. “You always worry about being hurt, but I will be out there next week.”

Le’Veon Bell made his first-ever postseason game a memorable one when he carried the ball 29 times for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

“I think the offensive line did an incredible job of controlling the line of scrimmage,” said Bell. “It made my job real easy. The receivers on the edge, getting on their defensive backs and the safeties, and Ben (Roethlisberger) putting us in the right situation. It was a total team effort today. I was trying to run hard and get what I could.”


You can read more from Ms. Varley’s post-game report here.

You can watch Ben’s post-game interview here.

You can watch all the game highlights here.

And, you can check out a few game photos here.

We were delighted to receive three “thank you’s” this week to be shared with Steeler Nation…

“Thank you Ben for supporting Glimmer of Hope Foundation and always coming to Bid for Hope. This event has raised over 2 million dollars for breast cancer research. Best wishes this weekend. You are the best!!!” — Diana Napper, Glimmer of Hope.

“Our K9s had their first training in their new ballistic vests funded by a Ben Roethlisberger grant! Thank you for helping us keep our most loyal partners safe as we protect and serve Arlington VA!” — Arlington County, VA Police Department.

“One year ago Big Ben and A.B. made my sons the happiest Steeler fans in the world.

Then, over this past summer I took my boys to Big Ben’s Football Camp. Caden got to do a ‘Meet & Greet’ with Ben and he loved it! I was also fortunate to have a field pass, and while on the field Ben came over to the tent I was in. I thanked him for giving my son the game ball and he said, ‘You’re the browns fan!’ And I said yes. He also signed the football. My kids loved the camp and Chace caught a touchdown pass from Ben during a 7 on 7 drill. We’ll be going back to camp again this year.

I also took the boys to Antonio Brown’s softball game. They had fun, and after the game we waited and waited for AB to come out of the locker room to see if he would sign our football. When he came out, he was in a hurry because he had to go to another event, but he did stop to sign the ball.

Just wanted to say thank you again and wish Big Ben, A.B., The Steelers Organization, and fans good luck in the playoffs. I hope you guys get number 7.” — CLEVELAND BROWNS fan Jared Clonch (although it appears to us that he has turned into a Steelers fan, like his sons!).

“Teammates dish on what makes Ben Roethlisberger the player he is”

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

Ben being Ben:

Ben Roethlisberger has been a key to the Steelers success and getting them into the playoffs, and much of that is, ‘Ben being Ben.’

A few teammates who see firsthand what Roethlisberger does weighed in on what makes Ben, Ben, and why he is so special.


Maurkice Pouncey:

“Ben is a Hall of Famer. That is what makes Ben, Ben. He is a great player. He knows every situation. He is a great football player and a great leader.”


Roosevelt Nix:

“You just have to turn on the tape. People fear No. 7. I just sit back and watch. Like he said earlier this season, just follow him. He is a great leader, a great player, and a winner. His attitude. He wants to win and he is going to do that. You follow behind that. He is the captain, the quarterback. That is a great thing to have.”


Marcus Gilbert:

“He rises in big time moments. When we need him the most, we can count on him. That is what makes him a special player.”


Eli Rogers:

“His leadership. His ability to always stay focused and keep things balanced within the offense. His pocket presence, being able to move around and extend plays. And his arm. I mean there are all type of qualities that make Ben great. He is a Hall of Fame quarterback. I am just humbled to be playing with him. It still feels like a dream. He is the best.”


David DeCastro:

“You can’t sum him up in one word or sentence. It’s those intangibles. He is the ultimate competitor. He wants to win, needs to win, and he proves it.”


More here.



And:

“Bill Cowher loves the competitive spirit Ben Roethlisberger brings to the game”

From Ms. Varley once again:

On the day Ben Roethlisberger was drafted back in 2004, Bill Cowher made a statement that was definitely a fact.

“This kid has a lot of upside,” said Cowher, who coached Roethlisberger his first three seasons in the league.

Now, as Roethlisberger is set to lead the Steelers into the postseason, Cowher has far greater words of praise for him and the way he has grown.

“When I left […]

After learning about this story through another fan, and then contacting Ernest Freeman personally, we are posting it with his permission:

“I’m humbled and very much appreciative of you doing so as well. Ben is my favorite player and I’d be honored. This has been unintended and overwhelming to say the least.” — Ernest.

Ernest’s Christmas Day story –


I had an extra ticket for the game tonight. I was originally going to sell it until I listened to the song, “Give Love on Christmas Day” by Johnny Gill. In the song there’s a line about giving love to the ‘man on the street’ which gave me an idea. Instead of selling the ticket, I invited ‘a man on the street’ to the game.

This is Ricky aka “Stretch” as he’s known on the streets of Pittsburgh. He’s 43 years old and has been in the Burgh his entire life, but had never been to a game. He and his friends on the street look out for one another, so one of friends was able to take his backpack and other belongings until the game was over. He told me he’s lost 12 friends this year to heroine overdoses and a few other tough stories.

I offered to buy him anything he wanted during the game, but he never once asked for anything, nor did he accept any offers of food or money after the game. He told me the gift of being invited inside the stadium to watch the game was the best Christmas gift ever for him. The looks on his face during the game looking around the stadium was something I’ll never forget because it reminded me of my own blessings. It also reminded me of what this day is all about in that the ability to give is a blessing in itself.

Initially, I wasn’t going to post about this but then I remembered the many, many, many blessed people I know in life, and saw this as a way to remind us all to give, give back and/or make a difference when and where we can.


God bless you Ernest. Imagine a world with more people like you in it! Thank you so much for allowing us to share your beautiful story.

*Thank you to Misty Mills for […]

Have you ever wondered what the “story” is behind that pregame hug between Big Ben and James Harrison that’s become it’s own tradition?

Ben explained the origin in his second sit-down interview with the Steelers’ Missi Matthews:

“Boy, I didn’t know it was so well known. It started after one of the very early games, maybe the first or second game [of the season], he sent me a text of a picture of us hugging, saying, ‘Look how cool this is?’ in the tunnel before we went out. With a guy like James, and shoot – myself, you never know when it’s going to be your last game, your last season.


“I remember texting our team photographer, and saying, ‘Hey, if you’re around, could you get a picture of this before every game. Just thought it would be a neat kinda collage of this season that we feel is special. It kinda turned into a tradition. I’m hoping at the end of this thing, we can put together a nice little collage of two brothers that I think respect each other, respect the game that each other play, and just have love for each other before we go on the field just telling each other, ‘We love you brother, go get it.’ Hopefully, it turns into something really special.”


You can watch Ben’s “Face Time, Part II” interview with Ms. Matthews here.

From Ben’s guest appearance on The Dan Patrick Show today, courtesy of Sean Gentille at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Ben Roethlisberger isn’t going to tell his kids not to play football. He also knows the best way to make real money as an athlete, minus football’s inherent brain/body-destroying risks.

“If they want to. I’m not gonna tell them they can’t. I will encourage my kids to do whatever they want to do and love to, whatever it is,” Roethlisberger told Dan Patrick on Wednesday.

“Hopefully it’s golf, though.”

Roethlisberger specifically brought up the toll football has taken on his knees, saying he expects to have replacements installed in about “20 years.”

“I hope it’s just an outpatient surgery, like going to the dentist,” he said. “I’m hoping we get that far that fast.”

He also congratulated former teammate Alan Faneca, who was named a Hall of Fame finalist on Wednesday. Naturally, the discussion turned to what Faneca said back in 2004, when Roethlisberger, during his rookie year, replaced Tommy Maddox. (The exact quote: “No, I’m not excited [about Roethlisberger’s first start]. Do you want to go to work with some little young kid who’s just out of college?”)

DP: “I remember getting into a real heated discussion with Alan Faneca, and I was sticking up for you. This is when you were a rookie, and I think Alan said something about, “I guess we’re gonna have to go with the rookie.” And I criticized him to say, “That’s not the way you want to embrace your quarterback.” I don’t know if you remember that, but Faneca said something in the locker room that I had a problem with, that I just didn’t feel like that he was embracing you as the starting quarterback. Do you remember that?”

BR: “Absolutely. And Alan and I still joke about that today. Obviously we can laugh about it now, but yeah, I remember that. And that meant a lot, coming from a guy that I looked up to as a leader and a guy that was a leader on this team. It hurt, but I also understood where he was coming from. I knew that he was really close with Tommy, and he’s a guy that wanted to go win and knew that we had a really good team and didn’t […]