I think that it is blasphemy that Ben Roethlisberger is never placed in the same conversation as the other elite quarterbacks in the NFL. It seems as if people have amnesia when talking about Big Ben. In eleven seasons, Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl trophies, two Pro Bowls, and he has led the Steelers to a 97-43 record under his tenure, which is a shade under 70%. On paper Roethlisberger may not be as good as Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Aaron Rodgers, but Roethlisberger is only third in playoff wins (13 wins) for active quarterbacks behind the obvious choices in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. It may not be pretty when Ben steps on the field, but he does whatever he needs for his team to succeed. Since entering the NFL, Roethlisberger has adapted his game, and has become a great passer.
Yesterday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts is a testament to how far Roethlisberger has come. To look at Roethlisberger’s first Super Bowl run when he was merely a game manager to someone who has morphed into somewhat of a gun slinger, it’s amazing to see the development of Roethlisberger. Yesterday, Roethlisberger broke a team record throwing for 6 touchdowns, and the Steelers are quietly flying under the radar sitting at 5-3. After two consecutive seasons of going 8-8, Roethlisberger is looking to lead the Steelers back to the playoffs.
Roethlisberger is the type of player that will always get overlooked, because there will be younger guys that are more exciting, and there will be the veterans who post better numbers. I like to compare Roethlisberger to a steady Chevy Tahoe playing in a game surrounded by Ferrari’s, Bentley’s, and Porsche’s. Those vehicles will always get selected over the Tahoe, but at the end of the day the Tahoe is built to last. Eleven years of playing It all should boil down to winning, and that is just what Roethlisberger does. The past few seasons the Steelers haven’t been the strongest team in the AFC, but Roethlisberger may have something to say about that if the team continues to improve.
Big Ben may never receive enough credit from the public for what he does on the field, but the Steeler faithful, and Steelers knows how valuable he is to their team. Being Rodney Dangerfield amongst your colleagues isn’t so bad as long as you have the hardware to show for, and in that case Roethlisberger has two Super Bowls that a lot of the other “adored” quarterbacks would love to have.
