Today, Ben announced the sixth grant of the 2010 season from The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund.


The foundation will be distributing a grant to the City of Middletown Police Department, outside of Cincinnati, OH where the Steelers will play the Bengals tonight on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

The Middletown Police Department will use the grant to update their training equipment and facilities including the construction of six kennels. The facility is used for the training purposes of Middletown canines and handlers, as well as those of the City of Monroe, City of Kettering, City of Oxford and Miami University.

Middletown Police Chief Schwarber said, “We’d like to express our appreciation for this generous gift from The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation. Mr. Roethlisberger is a true supporter of canine programs and in the tough economic times, it’s gratifying to see a professional athlete like this step in and provide funding for a project that otherwise would not get done.”

The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation seeks to support K-9 units of police and fire departments throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on support for service dogs in Pittsburgh, PA.


For more info on Ben’s foundation, check out his page here.

For info on the City of Middletown Police Department, check out their website here.


About The Giving Back Fund

The Giving Back Fund (GBF) is a national public charity that creates and professionally manages charitable foundations and other philanthropic programs for athletes, entertainers, business entrepreneurs, and corporations.


For more info on The Giving Back Fund, check out their website here or contact Jessica Duffaut at jduffaut@givingback.org.

Excerpts from an article this evening by AP sports columnist Alan Robinson:


One month after returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger is an average quarterback.

By his standards, even if not by anyone else’s.

“I’m leaving plays out there,” said Roethlisberger, who grades his play at about a C. “I think there’s a lot of room for improvement.”

Off the field, the two-time Super Bowl winner is exceeding expectations. Teammates say he’s never looked more energized while going through the daily grind of playing the sport.

“He’s like a little kid,” wide receiver Hines Ward said.

The Steelers always liked the quarterback they had before, if not always the person who was that quarterback. They like him even better now. They expect to like him even more before the season ends.

“I’m always going to try to improve, I don’t care if it’s Week 1 or 20,” Roethlisberger said. “There’s some good things and some bad things. I’m just trying to constantly improve.”


You can read the full article here.

Ben spoke briefly to the media today prior to practice. A couple of the highlights:


Q: “How much fun would it be for a quarterback to have guys like T.O., Ochocinco…”

Ben: “Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Emmanuel Sanders. I love them. I wouldn’t trade my guys for them, and that’s no offense to either one of those two guys. They’re great receivers but I wouldn’t trade my receivers for anyone.”


Q: “Would you make room for Randy Moss in the offense?”

Ben: “Uh, you know what? He’s a great player. Like I said, I like the guys we have and I wouldn’t trade them for anybody.”


You can watch video of the interview here.

You can read more from Steelers.com here.



Quotes of the Day:

“He’s a good quarterback who keeps his feet moving and he’s not going to go down on the first tackle. Ben’s always been like that and he’s been a great quarterback. You have to give him his props. That’s what great leaders and great quarterbacks do.” — Bengals safety Reggie Nelson (Cincinnati Enquirer).


“I’ve never seen him as anything less than a great leader or individual. Like with any friendship you stand by him.” — Brad Bates, athletic director for Miami of Ohio talking about Ben (Cincinnati Enquirer).




Stat of the Day:

Ben is 25-7 vs. AFC North teams in his career. He is 11-2 all-time (including playoffs) in games played within his home state of Ohio, including a 6-1 mark in Cincinnati.

Charlie Batch’s 4th annual In the Pocket event is scheduled for Monday, November 15th from 7:30 p.m to 11:00 p.m. at J. Verno Studios (3030 Jane Street in Pittsburgh).


In the Pocket is a fundraising event where you have the opportunity to play pool, ping-pong, and poker with Charlie Batch,  his Steelers teammates, and other Pittsburgh sports stars and celebrities!

You can see a list of his teammates that have confirmed their appearance here.

You can purchase spectator tickets, player tickets or high roller tickets here.


You can also enter for a chance to win two high roller tickets (valued at $500.00 each) sponsored by Washington Financial here.


Proceeds from the evening benefit the Best of Batch Foundation.

Halloween night in New Orleans was anything but fun for the Steelers!

“We just never got into any rhythm tonight. This is definitely a gut check for us. We got knocked down a little bit tonight and now it will be interesting to see how we will bounce back.” — Ben, after the game.

From Steelers.com this morning….

Bob Labriola sums out what went right and what went right wrong here.


Mike Prisuta breaks down the game with quotes from Coach Tomlin and the men who played in it here.




From NFL.com:

You can check out their summary of the game, with comments from both teams here.


You can watch videos from the game here.



And ESPN’s James Walker tries to put it all in perspective in his AFC-North blog:

You didn’t think it would be a cakewalk for Roethlisberger, did you? You didn’t think he would come off his lengthy suspension, run through the entire schedule and avoid all potholes?

You can read his blog here.



Quote of the Pre-Game:

“As a player, I think he’s enjoying the monotony more. That’s natural, that’s human nature. When something is taken away from you, you have a greater appreciation for it once you have the opportunity to get it back. As a person, more than anything, it’s about taking an accounting of where he is and what’s important to him. A lot of times in life, we all get off the mark a little bit, especially when you experience the kind of success that he has. It can be trap door, if you will. He’s really assessing and evaluating – not only what’s important to him, but who he surrounds himself with and how he conducts himself.” — Coach Tomlin on Ben, during an interview with Bob Costas shown prior to the game.



You can see a few photos here.


Final Score: Steelers 10, Saints 20

“If you like superheroes, Ben’s kind of like Superman. You know, he’s got all the physical traits and all that kind of stuff. Whereas Drew is more like Batman. He’s kind of a self-made kind of deal.” — Saints strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple, from the article below.

Media Notes & Quotes…

From Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune this morning:

No one has a better perspective on the make-up of the two Super-Bowl winning quarterbacks who will take the field tonight than Saints strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple.

Dalrymple was the strength and conditioning coach at Miami (Ohio) during Ben Roethlisberger’s formative years earlier this decade – dating back to when the super-sized 6-foot-5, 241-pound quarterback was still a tall, gangly athlete. And Dalrymple has been with the Saints since 2006, when Drew Brees arrived and began his remarkable comeback from major shoulder surgery.

Dalrymple, who said he considers himself “blessed” to have had both of those guys on his side.

“Now, they’re both unbelievable competitors. So they’re both the kind of guys that whatever it is, a pickup basketball game or whatever, it’s intense. And they’re gonna find a way to win. … And they both have kind of an uncanny, like a third eye, just an ability to feel the rush, avoid the rush and keep plays alive and make plays.


You can read the rest here.



From Gary Mihoces, USA Today:

The Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints will go bump in the night Sunday in New Orleans in a Halloween clash of the past two Super Bowl champions. Both know frightful things can occur a season after winning it all.

Roethlisberger knows how the Steelers struggled last season when they went 9-7 and missed the playoffs in their attempt to repeat as champions.

“A lot of people want to beat the champs. … A lot of your games are prime time,” he says. “I don’t think you’d trade if for the championship, but it’s something you have to be prepared for. It’s never as easy thing.”

When a turnover ruins a long drive, it’s like the bottom falling out of your trick or treat bag. Both teams will be looking to avoid that this Halloween.

“It’s going to […]