Heath: Teammate, friend, brother
Words aren’t enough to express what I’m feeling and how blessed I feel. — Ben
And from his interview today with Teresa Varley at Steelers.com:
Ben Roethlisberger let his emotions be known when talking about Heath Miller.
It only took Ben Roethlisberger a split second to answer the question.
What was he going to miss most about tight end Heath Miller, who had just announced his retirement?
“Everything,” stated Roethlisberger.
And you knew he meant it.
Roethlisberger and Miller have been teammates for 11 seasons, Roethlisberger the Steelers No. 1 pick in 2004, Miller in 2005. But more than that, they have been friends, confidants, leaders, and family.
It made it tough for Roethlisberger to even put into words what Miller has meant to him.
“To put together a statement is hard because where do you start with Heath Miller?” said Roethlisberger. “For someone like me that has been blessed to play with someone like him, not just from a physical standpoint of how great of a football player he was, but the type of person he was, the type of teammate he was. Probably hands down the best teammate I have been a part of.
“It’s hard to talk about Heath, and I said this talking to him, it’s hard to do it without getting emotional. That’s how much he has meant to me as a football player, teammate and friend. I have been so lucky and blessed to have Heath around my whole career, 11 years. To have someone like him on my side has truly been a blessing.”
Roethlisberger said he knew this time was coming, something that the two of them talked about already, but it still wasn’t easy because like he said, this was the best teammate he ever had.
“It was everything,” said Roethlisberger about what stood out about Miller. “From his play and beyond. In an era when the tight end has gone by the wayside in a way, from when he was getting in the league and as he has progressed in the league the tight end has turned into a receiving tight end. They don’t ask tight ends to block anymore and do the things we asked him to do. He easily has the best hands I have been around. He gets open, he wins his […]
“The evolution of Ben Roethlisberger as a quick-strike passer”
From Jeremy Fowler, ESPN.com:
Ben Roethlisberger has the footwork of a finesse offensive tackle and the right arm power of the bear in “The Revenant.” For years, those two qualities made Roethlisberger a natural at staying in the pocket for four, five, six seconds at a time while waiting for big downfield plays to develop.
As the hits mounted, the Pittsburgh Steelers turned to offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who has Roethlisberger racking up more yards and less poundage.
That doesn’t mean former coordinator Bruce Arians wasn’t good for Roethlisberger. He was. He’s a great playcaller.
But Roethlisberger now looks more like a pure, drop-back passer than at any point in his career.
An unscientific, 20-throw sampling from the Week 15 win over the Denver Broncos shows three things:
* On short routes, the ball comes out fast.
* On intermediate to longer routes, the ball comes out in rhythm.
* There are minimal “Ben being Ben” scramble plays that were once his trademark.
“You never want Big Ben to lose creative ability — that’s what makes him unique,” said ESPN Insider Matt Bowen, a former NFL safety for seven seasons. “But what’s made him better is staying through the pocket, finding the matchups he wants, and not having to put so much stress on his body.”
What stands out about Roethlisberger in 2015 was how quickly he released the ball. Of 20 throws against Denver — tracking two first-quarter drives and most of the fourth quarter — Roethlisberger released the ball in less than 2 seconds on nine of them (unofficial stop watch). Roethlisberger held the ball for longer than 3 seconds on five of those 20 attempts. Nearly everything was out of the shotgun with one true I-formation, seven-step drop in the sample of passing downs. Denver was a unique game because the Broncos stacked the box and forced Roethlisberger to throw a lot. But this game is a good example of Roethlisberger’s skill set overall.
Yes, Roethlisberger has the perfect assortment of playmaking weapons for which to spread the ball. But he’s also refined his footwork and mechanics while throwing with conviction, knowing exactly where he wants to go with the ball.
“His footwork has improved, his eyes and vision have improved, and improved quickly,” Bowen said. “It’s also a confidence level that you can’t see on tape.”
Want […]
The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation in action
On December 31st, Ben announced a grant to the Aurora Police Department, who had recently re-established their K-9 unit with the addition of K-9 Nero and plans to use the funds to finish Nero’s training and outfit him with a bulletproof vest.
A proud Officer Riley wanted to show off his hard working and hard-training partner:
On January 4th, Chris Daley,a retired K9 officer and owner of Blue Mountain Canine Services, emailed us with an offer: to make & donate a collar for each dog that Ben’s foundation donates! Now these aren’t just regular dog collars we’re talking about – they are custom leather made specifically for working dogs with the K9’s name and an American flag laser-etched into the leather on the outside. The department’s name is etched on the inside. The Aurora Police Department was thrilled to receive the gift, and so was Nero.
“Officer Riley put it on Nero and he has not been on duty without the collar!” — Lt. Andy Lumpkins.
Nero wanted to show off his new collar, but he also wanted to look into the camera and look around and…well, just not sit still for a moment, so he received an assist from Officer Riley:
“I sure hope my partner is at least getting my GOOD side in this shot! Sigh!” — Nero.
*Thank you so much to the Aurora Police Department for sharing these great photos, and a special “Thank You: to Chris Daley for your contribution to Ben’s foundation!!
You can check out Mr. Daley’s website here.
What they were sayin’ this week about #7
From Jeremy Fowler at ESPN.com’s AFC North Blog:
“Ben Roethlisberger is AFC North’s most valuable player”
NFL Nation reporters from the AFC North — Jeremy Fowler, Coley Harvey, Jamison Hensley and Pat McManamon — have reviewed the film and sorted through the analytics to determine the 2015 annual awards for the division. On Friday, we hand out the AFC North most valuable player.
Winner: Ben Roethlisberger
Runner-up: Antonio Brown
Brown gave 136 reasons why he’s an MVP candidate. Andy Dalton had the league’s second-highest passer rating before a thumb injury derailed his season.
But Ben Roethlisberger was clearly the catalyst for the AFC North’s best offense. He earned his divisional MVP award with playmaking ability that few matched in 2015.
Roethlisberger’s 328 passing yards per game led the NFL. He consistently challenged defenses in fearless fashion. For much of the season, Roethlisberger’s passes, on average, traveled nearly 11 yards in the air before reaching a receiver, also tops in the league.
This is not a check-down quarterback. This is one of the most feared, and one of the most difficult matchups for defensive coordinators.
Who else beat the league’s best defense, Denver, with 55 passing attempts? Fifty-five!
The Steelers should consider themselves lucky they went 2-2 without Roethlisberger. Just consider Brown’s production. He averaged 133 yards per game with Big Ben and 59 per game without him. For as great as Brown is, Roethlisberger still stirs the drink.
The Steelers’ streak of six straight games with at least 30 points was truly special, and Roethlisberger’s arm drove that streak. He played through several injuries to stay on the field. He’s thrived in Todd Haley’s system that emphasizes rhythm and timing in the passing game.
Roethlisberger is undervalued in his own locker room, winning one team-voted MVP in 12 seasons. Not here. He’s a logical choice as division MVP.
You can read more from Jeremy Fowler here.
From Curt Popejoy at USA Today:
“Former Steeler Santonio Holmes offers high praise of Ben Roethlisberger”
For whatever reason there are an awful lot of NFL fans and writers that don’t give Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger the respect he deserves. He is clearly one of the top quarterbacks in the league, but many refuse to admit it. He’s not as flashy or has the celebrity status of […]
Big Ben at Shear Da Beard!
Brett Keisel’s 6th Annual event was a big success in raising funds for Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC for their cancer programs. Guest barbers included Ben, James Harrison, Cam Heyward, Sean Suisham, and former Pirates infielder Neil Walker.
“Ben Roethlisberger, looking like he could use his own beard shearing, takes the last lock from Keez.” — Randy Baumann via Instagram.
*Actually, it looks like “Keez” is trying to escape from Ben the Barber!
Children’s Hospital @ChildrensPgh
@_BigBen7 shearing @bkeisel99 beard! #ShearDaBeard
“Big Ben gets his turn to #ShearDaBeard !” Photo: IATW Foundation – Thank you to Trish!
So, how well did the guest barbers do in the shaving of #99? Stop by his website to see for yourself!
Sarris Candies: Smooches for Pooches
Hey Steeler Nation! You can combine K9’s with Valentines with the help of Sarris Candies!
“We’re so grateful for Sarris Candies’ generous support. We’re excited to involve a local favorite like Sarris Candies in helping to support our police and fire departments!” – Ben.
Each NFL season, the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation distributes grants to police and fire department K-9 units in the city, and surrounding community, of each regular season away game for the Steelers.
The foundation also distributes several grants each year to K-9 units in the Pittsburgh area.
K-9 units are often woefully underfunded and depend on public donations to continue their important work protecting the community and their human partners.
Sarris Candies wants to help you with your Valentines Day gift-giving and at the same time, you can help Ben’s foundation support our public service heroes!
Just use the group code of 77-7777 on Sarris Candies’ website, (www.Sarriscandiesfundraising.com) to purchase any of Sarris’ expansive candy fundraising catalog products, like the Heart Deluxe Assortment, Cordial Strawberries, yummy Valentines Day Oreos or go sporty with the Pittsburgh Black and Gold Assortment….and of course, Smooches (pictured)!!
Sarris will then donate 25% of the purchase price to Ben’s foundation.
“Giving back to the community in which we live has long been a core belief here at Sarris Candies and we’re excited to have the opportunity to have a little influence and encourage people to support and donate to such a worthy cause in our community.” — Bill Sarris, President of Sarris Candies.
The Foundation distributed more than $130,000 in grants to K-9 units around the country during the 2014-15 NFL season and has distributed in excess of $1.3 million since 2007.
For more info or to make a donation to the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation please contact Jessica Duffaut at The Giving Back Fund.
*Photos: Sarris Candies and the Sacramento Police Department.