It’s Draft Day in Da Burgh!
Pittsburgh's time to shine is here as the NFL Draft starts today! The Wyndham has been lit up with a huge projection screen that will show the picks as they come in. The city was absolutely buzzing last night. I hope everyone visiting from out of town has a great time here!… pic.twitter.com/4ZWmB4UnFZ
— Dustin McGrew (@dmcgrew) April 23, 2026
A love letter to the Steel City and its football 🟡⚫️
The Football Town streams 7pm tonight on the @PatMcAfeeShow, and all weekend long on YouTube pic.twitter.com/T4S6HMzNEa
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) April 23, 2026
Labriola: “Asked & Answered, April 23”
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 […]
Dulac: Behind the Pick
His college coach, Terry Heppner, was frustrated that his former star quarterback was still waiting. He had already thrown a water bottle across the room when the New York Giants passed on Roethlisberger with the fourth overall pick.
“That was because he thought he had the inside scoop, that he talked to [the Giants] and thought I was going fourth to New York,” Roethlisberger said. “When it didn’t happen, he was kind of mad.”
At that point, Roethlisberger thought he might have to wait until the 13th overall pick, where the Buffalo Bills were looking for a quarterback. He did not think he would be drafted by the Steelers at No. 11, even though the Steelers were the only team he visited before the draft.
That tackle was Shawn Andrews, who was high on the Steelers’ draft board.
But, depending on which story you want to believe, something happened that changed their mind. With a little nudge from team chairman Dan Rooney, who remembered the time the Steelers passed on Dan Marino, Cowher and Colbert decided to take Roethlisberger.
“When the phone rang, we were like, ‘What is this?’ ” Roethlisberger said. “It was [agent] Leigh Steinberg who answered the phone, and I remember when he handed me the phone he looked at me and said, ‘It’s going to happen.’ And I remember Cowher saying, ‘Would you like to be a Steeler?’”
But it almost didn’t work out that way…
“Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger”, Episode 126
“Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger”, Episode 125
Steelers: “2026 NFL Draft Blog: Plenty of fun on tap”
“If you are planning on attending the 2026 NFL Draft, there will be no shortage of activities for fans of all ages. From the Draft Theater and Main Stage to Steelers Country, there is something for everyone.” — Teresa Varley, Steelers.com.
