Steelers 24, Jets 19

“Just how awesome it is.” — Ben, when asked what he was thinking when he buried his face in a Championship t-shirt (new Photo of the Week above at right).

Ben, post-game:

On the Steelers’ lengthy first-quarter drive –

“That’s huge. Any time you can come out and set the tone and the tempo running the ball and throwing the ball, and move it down the field and put points on the board…as an offense it feels good, and I assume for our defense it feels good. It helps them resting and is a big boost coming onto the field.”

On how they were able to “put it all together” for the win –

“This is a team win: offense, defense, special teams. I’m just so proud of the way guys stepped up and filled in. That’s what the Pittsburgh Steelers do. We win as a team and we win as a team and we had a great win tonight. It’s not always pretty, but somehow we find a way to get it done.

“We have a lot of tenacity. We have a ‘don’t-quit’ attitude and mentality and we have a belief in each other. We’re a family, we stay close no matter what. When things go bad on offense, the defense is picking us up. If things go back on special teams, the offense and defense are picking them up. And everybody is just always there for each other. There’s never finger-pointing.”


You can watch a 1-on-1 interview with Ben after the game here.

You can watch the post-game press conference here.

You can watch game highlights here.

And, you can watch a Championship Re-mix from NFL.com here.

You can see a few game photos here.


*Check back tomorrow for much more!

while you wait for the game to start  –


From Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Ron Cook, “Roethlisberger, Arians come down in 2-part harmony“:

“I don’t think Ben liked me because I had coached Peyton,” Arians said of the Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning, generally regarded as the hardest-working quarterback in the NFL. “I wanted to see him study harder. I wanted his work ethic to catch up with his passion for the game and all that talent he has.”

Well, guess what?

“He’s done everything and more that I’ve asked of him,” Arians said of Roethlisberger. “I’m as proud of him as you can be of a person who’s not your son or daughter.”

Their success together has been extraordinary. The Steelers went to the playoffs in ’07 and won the Super Bowl in ’08. They missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record last season despite having a 4,300-yard quarterback, a 1,000-yard rusher, two 1,000-yard wide receivers and a tight end who caught a franchise-record 76 passes.



From Patriot News columnist Jeremy Elliot, “Ben Roethlisberger on par with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Believe it“:

There are no GQ stories, good looks or a super-model wife like Brady. Roethlisberger isn’t witty and funny like Manning. There are no memorable commercials to make us chuckle.

Roethlisberger is far from mainstream, but he is still good.

No, make that great.

There is nothing flashy about the way he plays the game. It’s easy to forget a guy that doesn’t routinely throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns. But Roethlisberger finds a way to get it done, just in a different way.

He is rugged looking. He is more boots and a plaid shirt than a three-piece suit corporate type. Roethlisberger is a 6-5 mountain that is tough to bring down and doesn’t mind getting bloodied a bit if it means carrying his team to a win.

And there have been plenty of those in his seven-year career, which includes a .693 regular season winning percentage, a 9-2 playoff mark through last week and two Super Bowl titles.

Not too shabby.



Also:

Check out this slide-show and story of the “Steelers man cave” where one Riverside family will be watching today’s game.



Quote of the Weekend:

“I’d take him on my side any day of the week, […]

From the Toronto Sun’s Mike Zeisburger, “Big Ben is pure Pittsburgh“:

Manning and Brady are rhythm pocket passers who own quick releases. They shuffle rather than scramble and usually go down when you hit them. Hit Roethlisberger, on the other hand, and you are likely to bounce off him in the same way bullets harmlessly deflect off Superman. Rather than set and throw, Roethlisberger uses his size to his advantage, shedding potential tacklers like irritating bugs and extending plays as if they were drawn up in the schoolyard dirt, not on a classroom chalkboard.


From ESPN’s James Walker, “Ben Roethlisberger is NFL’s most clutch QB“:

There is no better quarterback on the big stage than Roethlisberger, who has a 9-2 career playoff record and is competing in his fourth AFC Championship Game in seven seasons Sunday. Manning has a sub-.500 record (9-10) in the playoffs, so he’s out. Tom Brady has a good playoff record (14-5), but he has lost three postseason games in a row.


From the New York Times’ Judy Battista, “Ben Roethlisberger and the art of the pump fake“:

In his seven seasons, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has elevated it to an art form, winding up, pretending to throw, pulling his arm back and reloading so often that it looks as if someone is hitting the fast forward and rewind buttons while watching game tape. Roethlisberger uses the pump fake more than any other current quarterback except perhaps Peyton Manning.


From NFL.com’s Albert Breer, “Big Ben, other title game QBs had shot to grow into roles“:

Dan Rooney wrote in his 2007 autobiography that the memory of passing on Dan Marino in 1983, the quarterback who grew up down the street and starred collegiately across town, stuck with him for two decades. And it was that memory that motivated him to push his football people to draft Ben Roethlisberger in 2004, even as some of them leaned toward selecting Arkansas tackle Shawn Andrews.

On draft day, Rooney recounted, “I couldn’t bear the thought of passing on another great quarterback prospect the way we passed on Dan Marino in 1983, so I steered conversation to Roethlisberger.”


From Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley, “Players message to fans“:

“Lots of noise, lots of excitement,” said Ben Roethlisberger. “We want energy, which they always bring, but take it to the next level. Mark Sanchez uses a cadence […]

Accompanied by some great photos from the 2010 season!


Ben, good luck in the game this weekend. We know you will do Great!

Here is a picture of my husband Bill Ellis, Colonel USAF. He is currently serving in Qatar and moving to Afghanistan on Monday. I wanted to send you this photo in a way to tribute him too. He works so hard and has been a loyal Steelers’ fan since he was 7 years old. We all appreciate you and the Team! Thanks so much. God’s speed with your game against the Jets. You will win! — Susan, Shannon, Connor and Colleen Ellis (the photo of Colonel Ellis was taken on the roof of Saddam Hussain’s palace in Baghdad).


Best of luck on your game Go Steelers — Earl Wilkinson

Go Steelers!! Knocking on 7’s door!! — Karen, PA


I love to watch Big Ben and the whole team play whether its on a big screen or at game. Ben keeps me on the edge every step of the way! I wish the best of luck to the whole team by winning SuperBowl XLV! You guys have awesome team work! Lets see it to the fullest against the Jets! Go Steelers! — Natalie, Atlanta, GA


Best of luck this week to Ben and the Steelers. Let’s bring home ring number 7 for ole number 7. — Rich P., Memphis, TN

Just sending a shout out to Ben from Wintersville, OH only about 25 minutes from the Burgh!! You have overcome so much….YOU deserve this! We believe in #7 to take us to 7th Heaven!!!!! Luv ya big guy! — Kelly and Karli, Wintersville, OH

Best of luck guys. I have been a huge Steelers fan since age 9. I am now 47. You guys make us proud to be fans. Lets get #7. — Phil Payne, Hiddenite, NC


Hi! Just wanted to say good luck, and I hope we watch you guys in the Super Bowl again. There are a lot of Steeler fans here […]

Some of the highlights:


On having Heath Miller in the line-up –

“It’s huge. Heath Miller is one of the best tight ends in the game. I don’t want to take anything away from DJ or Matt Spaeth who played well last time, but Heath Miller is a special player, even when he is not getting the ball, he opens up things for the guys on the outside and he’s a great safety valve for me.”




On how different the New York Jets defense looks week to week –

“There is a lot of confusion. That’s probably one of the things that they pride themselves on. It starts with Coach Ryan. I mean, he is a mastermind at what he does. That’s why it’s extra study, it’s extra walk-throughs, it’s as much as you can do. The Jets defense beat the best two quarterbacks in the game, at their place. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, they’re good!”


On whether he believes his ability to move out of the pocket gives him an edge –

“I guess. But those two are also the best IN the pocket at doing what they do. And like I said, to go into their place and beat them at home is something really special.”


On New York Jets’ cornerback Antonio Cromartie’s comment that he loves him –

“I love him too! (laughter from the media). I have a lot of respect for those guys on defense, every single one of them because they are so good, they really are! All I have to say is they went into Indy and New England and beat the best two quarterbacks in the game, enough said in my opinion.”


On New York Jets’ quarterback Mark Sanchez –

“He makes the plays. People get on him a lot, you know it’s, ‘run the plays and manage the game, Mark!’, well no! To be a quarterback at this level and do what he has done you don’t just ‘manage the game’! You play the game and you do it at a high level, and that’s what he’s done! I think every week you see him take strides and get that much better.”


On whether there is frustration at not being put in the same “class” as both Peyton Manning and […]