From the Baltimore Sun‘s Ravens Insider:

Asked during a conference call with Baltimore media Tuesday afternoon whether he enjoyed lining up against the Ravens, Roethlisberger replied, “As a competitor, yes, you love it, but heck no, I hate playing the Ravens. They’re so good. Defense, every single person and every scheme, everything they do, it just challenges you. As a competitor, you like that challenge and you like the competitiveness, but man, they’re good.”



You can read more here.


And about the broken nose…

The last time the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers met, the Steelers left M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 5 with a win and a broken nose for Ben Roethlisberger.

But the Pittsburgh quarterback said he understands that the left-handed blow his face absorbed from defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was inadvertent.

“It wasn’t like I was mad,” Roethlisberger said during a conference call with Baltimore reporters Tuesday afternoon. “No way was it on purpose. So I didn’t feel any kind of way about it.

“I have to apologize to Kelly Gregg,” Roethlisberger said. “I blamed him for it during the game. I’ll have to apologize when I see him on the field. I was giving him a hard time. But any time that these two teams play, the winner walks off feeling pretty good about themselves. I know that because I know some of the guys over there and I know what this rivalry means. So like I said, it’s always a big-time game.”


You can read more on that here.

Kelly Gregg accepts Ben’s apology here (along with a bit of good-natured ribbing).



From ESPN‘s James Walker:

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shrugged Tuesday at recent comments made by Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh (see yesterday’s post).

“I think it was taken out of context, if you ask me,” Roethlisberger said. “I know Coach Harbaugh. He’s a Miami guy and us Miami guys stick together; there’s so few of us. Actually, on the field before every game we talk to each other and ask how everything is going. So I don’t think it was intended maliciously at all.”


You can read more here.

You can watch locker room interviews with Ben, Mike Wallace, Ryan Clark, Heath Miller and […]

“It’s just ultimate confusion when we play — they’re trying to confuse us and we’re trying to confuse them. Their defense is all over the place. Guys are here, guys are there, all of a sudden this guy is over here and 20 guys are blitzing. That’s the biggest thing with Baltimore. Then you add the physical stuff. I don’t mind that … I can take hits. It’s tough.” — Ben, on playing the Ravens (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

What they’re saying…

“Flacco didn’t play a perfect game, but it was close…as a rookie, he was basically expected to manage the game. Last year, he suffered back and thigh injuries, which affected his throwing motion. But there are no excuses now. The playoffs are where quarterback legends are born because the great ones like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger take over games.” — Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun.


“It’s got to be Baltimore. I’ve had a feeling it was going to be Baltimore all along. I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s going to be some football game.” — Hines Ward, in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.


“I picked the Ravens to make it to the Super Bowl, but I don’t know that they make it out of Pittsburgh. Reason: The Steelers have their number at Heinz Field. OK, so Baltimore pulled out a last-minute victory there this year. Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play. With Roethlisberger, the Steelers are 6-1 at home, including a playoff victory. Plus, they won their last six overall vs. the Ravens with Big Ben.” — Senior sportswriter Clark Judge, CBS Sports.


“When you come into this locker room, you know this is a team of winners. So you have to put yourself in that right state of mind so you can go out there and win a world championship.” — Ziggy Hood, to Jim Wexell for the Tribune-Democrat.


“It’s one and done. There’s a lot of teams that have already gone home. But really, it doesn’t matter to us who we play. We just want to keep winning.” — Ike Taylor, in the Washington Observer-Reporter.

Ben was a guest, er…locker room reporter this afternoon on the Jerome Bettis Show at 12:30 p.m. on WPXI Channel 11.

What exclusive did he report on? That Jerome Bettis is in second place once again in the show’s season picks.


You can catch the video of his special report here (at approximately 1.55 minutes into video). Enjoy!


*Thanks Becky!

Today, the NFL announced the eight finalists for the 2010 GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year award and the Steelers’ Troy Polamalu is one of them!

The GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year is the best moment or play of the year that represents determination and perseverance.

The Finalists:

Week 4: Roddy White forces a fumble

Week 5: Jason Campbell leads Oakland to the win

Week 6: Deion Branch sparks a comeback win in return to New England

Week 10: David Garrard’s prayer answered in miracle finish

Week 11: Ryan Fitzpatrick directs Buffalo to a largest comeback in 13 years

Week 13: Troy Polamalu’s sack-fumble leads to a game-winning score

Week 15: DeSean Jackson seals the Eagles’ miracle comeback

Week 16: Tim Tebow leads Broncos’ comeback


More on the Week 13 Finalist, Troy Polamalu –

In a battle for first place in the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens led the Pittsburgh Steelers, 10-6, with just over three minutes remaining the fourth quarter.

On second down, S Troy Polamalu came off the edge and sacked Ravens QB Joe Flacco, causing a fumble that was picked up by LB LaMarr Woodley and returned to the Ravens’ 9 yard-line.

QB Ben Roethlisberger then found RB Isaac Redman for a 9-yard TD to give the Steelers the lead en route to a 13-10 victory.


You can vote here through 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 27th.


The winner will be presented the 2010 GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year award during a press conference in North Texas, the site of Super Bowl XLV, on Wednesday, February 2nd.



Also Today:

From an article by the AP’s Alan Robinson on Mike Wallace:

When Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger steps into the pocket and looks downfield for Mike Wallace, he’s knows one thing for certain.

He’s not overthrowing one of the […]

Once again, Ben served up some good cheer and great food over the holidays at Ronald McDonald House in Pittsburgh.


This year, approximately forty children, including siblings, enjoyed a delicious New Year’s Eve dinner that included a menu of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, different salads, tortelli, and dessert, all provided by Ben.

According to Leslie Montgomery of Ronald McDonald House, “The families had a wonderful time at their holiday feast and enjoyed every last bite. There weren’t even leftovers and they loved the desserts.”

All together, sixty families from all over the United States, including Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, South Carolina and Vermont enjoyed the holiday meal together. There was also a family from Egypt and one from Kuwait who enjoyed the festivities so far from home.

The families were “overwhelmed” and a good time was had by all!


For information on Ronald McDonald House Charities, Pittsburgh, click here.

You can see more Community news here.


*Thank you to Ms. Montgomery!



Also Today:

If you missed Ben’s interview on ESPN Radio‘s Mike & Mike Show this morning, you can listen to the podcast here.



And:

If you’re ever driving through Bridgewater, New Jersey….

Stop by Soprano’s Pizza, run by Steelers fan John Galatti, and you’ll think you’re back home!

Just tell him that Erin sent ya!

Check out a couple of photos of John’s place here.

John’s children can be found in the Lil’ Fans album here.


*Thank you to John for sharing the photos!

Sports Illustrated is unveiling its list of the Most Decisive Moments over the course of the past 44 Super Bowls, presented by Bing:

Most games come down to one play, one decision, one moment that decides the outcome. SI has selected the most pivotal moments in Super Bowl history and they want you to select the winner. There are three rounds to the voting and no limit to how many times you can vote.

Round 1 began today and runs through January 18th. Round 2 begins on January 19th and ends January 25th.

The Championship Round begins January 26th and ends February 3rd.

The Winning Moment will be announced on February 4th.

There are two recent Steelers Super Bowl “moments” among the list:

Randle El-to-Ward Flea Flicker – Super Bowl XL
Steelers 21, Seahawks 10
Feb. 5, 2006 at Ford Field in Detroit.

Getting the ball on an apparent reverse around the right end, wideout Antwaan Randle El throws on the run and hits Hines Ward in stride for a 43-yard touchdown to give the Steelers a two-score lead with just over nine minutes left to play. It’s the first touchdown pass thrown by a wide receiver in Super Bowl history.

See photos here.


And:


Roethlisberger to Holmes TD
Super Bowl XLIII
Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
Feb. 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa

Surrounded by three defenders in the back corner of the end zone, Santonio Holmes pulls down Ben Roethlisberger’s perfect spiral and, using his tiptoes like a ballerina, keeps both feet inbounds to score the winning touchdown with 35 seconds left to play. The 6-yard reception – one of nine totaling 131 yards – earns Holmes MVP honors.

See photos here.


There are other “moments” in Steelers Super Bowl history as well – Terry Bradshaw’s completion, Super Bowl IX on Jan. 12, 1975; Swann’s catch, Super Bowl X on Jan. 18, 1976; Franco Harris’ touchdown run, Super Bowl XIII on Jan. 21, 1979; and John Stallworth’s touchdown catch, Super Bowl XIV on Jan. 20, 1980.


You can check out all of them and cast your votes here.