Go Pitt Panthers!

“We had a special visitor last night π…”

“Thanks to Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger for coming out to the Field House!” — Pitt Volleyball, via Facebook.
Tomorrow: “Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger”, Episode 40

“Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger”, Episode 39
‘Terrell Suggs Gets Ring of Honor Congrats From His Biggest Adversary, Ben Roethlisberger’
From Clifton Brown, at the Baltimore Ravens Official website:
As Terrell Suggs prepares to join the Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor presented by Meritage Jewelers, his longtime nemesis Ben Roethlisberger wishes him well, and with much respect.
Suggs will be honored at halftime of Sunday’s Ravens-Lions at M&T Bank Stadium, watching his name join the Ring of Honor with legends like such as Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Jonathan Ogden.

During his 16 seasons with the Ravens, Suggs was beloved for his irrepressible spirit and irreverent sense of humor, finishing as the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks (132.5) and forced fumbles (37). The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year was a seven-time Pro Bowler who had a Hall of Fame worthy career and helped the Ravens win their second Super Bowl following the 2012 season.
However, no rivalry defined Suggs’ career like the one had had with the Steelers and Roethlisberger.
“Tell Suggs I said congratulations. I loved playing against him because of the competitors we both are, the battles that we would have, the mutual respect that we had for each other. And I absolutely hated it because he was either intercepting a pass, knocking passes down, sacking me β something that just made my day miserable.
“When we were going to play Baltimore, I had to know where he was. I had to try and mentally beat him and that was hard. People talk about his physicality and what kind of physical freak he was. But he was a smart football player. You could outsmart a lot of guys, but not him. When I had to go up against him, I had to stress my brain. Only he can answer if I raised his game, but I know he always raised mine. He was a special player.”
The careers of Suggs and Roethlisberger were closely intertwined β Suggs drafted in 2003 and Roethlisberger in 2004. Their teams met twice every season, and sometimes a third time in the playoffs. Every year, Suggs knew he’d have to get past the Steelers.
“You never want to lose to the Steelers,” Suggs said on “The Lounge” podcast. “Especially if we lost to them early in the season. You can’t get swept. That’s blasphemy. This game is the game that made me the player. This is the most […]
“Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger”, Episode 38
Tough as Nails

“There were many times that I grabbed my helmet ’cause I thought I might be going in,” Batch said. “We were playing in a home game once and he [Roethlisberger] goes into the tunnel to the locker room. I was literally with the offensive coordinator getting ready for the next play and the referee said 10 seconds to go when all of a sudden I heard a roar from the crowd and Ben ran out onto the field.”

Batch had been a starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions for parts of four […]