The legend of Big Ben Grows

[feeq14]

How awesome is this story


http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slu...yhoo&type=lgns


This combined with Haynesworth's 10th grade comment is why football is the number one sport in this country.

[metallicatz]

He's absolute money when it matters most. It isn't pretty. He'll rarely be a fantasy numbers guy. But all he does is win, and that's all we care about. He's the only QB in the NFL who could thrive behind that horrible O-line.

[bgeno]

He's in the upper echelon of QBs in my book.

Just because he doesn't put up the gawdy numbers that Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees put up doesn't mean he's not as good of a quarterback. He just does it in a different way (and I've said that on these boards before). He makes big plays, he extends others, and he is unflappable late in games.

"Different" is the key word when referring to Ben and comparing him to the other great QBs in the league now. The others are just typical big numbers, high touchdown totals guys... Ben will never be that (at least not behind this offensive line), but what he does is simply amazing, and he shouldn't be penalized just because he's not your standard QB.


Oh, and, by the way, he was 33 of 43 for 363 yards in that game.

[JBH3]

In regard to his numbers they ain't that bad.

He needs some youth at WR, a better O-Line, but 2007 was a very solid fantasy season for Big Ben. Conincidentally that was when Faneca was still there too...

Prior to his Superbowl 43 performance I was skeptical about Big Bens place among the Manning's and Brady's of the NFL universe, but he's proving his worth...

Additionally...the others are more than just "typical big numbers, high touchdown totals guys"...because there is nothing typical about the numbers Brady, Brees, or Manning put up.

Those are elite numbers, not typical...and all three have their innate abilities that make them top5's... and like Big Ben seperate them from the rest of the pack.

[CW McGraw]

Quote: Originally Posted by metallicatz

He's absolute money when it matters most. It isn't pretty. He'll rarely be a fantasy numbers guy. But all he does is win, and that's all we care about. He's the only QB in the NFL who could thrive behind that horrible O-line.

I wouldn't say that Ben is the only QB who could succeed in Pittsburgh. Ben will admit that many of the sacks he takes are his fault. If you put Drew Brees on the Steelers, they'd be winning basically every game just because Brees can get rid of the ball quickly when it needs to be. I'll give Ben credit for tearing apart a top tier defense with no help from the running game. I'll even say he's the fourth best QB in the league, but the three QBs I rank ahead of him, Brees, Manning, and Brady, can make mediocre talent look good. Ben makes mediocre talent look mediocre. What separates great QBs from the rest is that very ability.

Still, Ben Roethlisberger is literally the exact same QB as John Elway. He doesn't blow the game for the first three quarters, and then becomes unstoppable in the fourth.

Am I the only one who thinks the Steelers should just run a No Huddle offense and let Ben run the show? That offense is anemic when Bruce Arians calls the plays, but is unbeatable when Ben is given free reign.

[Ewing]

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

Am I the only one who thinks the Steelers should just run a No Huddle offense and let Ben run the show? That offense is anemic when Bruce Arians calls the plays, but is unbeatable when Ben is given free reign.

Nope, I'm with you completely on that one. As for the article, the guy is on drugs if he thinks I'd rather have Ben than Manning or Brady.

[lonewolf371]

Quote: Originally Posted by CW McGraw

I wouldn't say that Ben is the only QB who could succeed in Pittsburgh. Ben will admit that many of the sacks he takes are his fault. If you put Drew Brees on the Steelers, they'd be winning basically every game just because Brees can get rid of the ball quickly when it needs to be. I'll give Ben credit for tearing apart a top tier defense with no help from the running game. I'll even say he's the fourth best QB in the league, but the three QBs I rank ahead of him, Brees, Manning, and Brady, can make mediocre talent look good. Ben makes mediocre talent look mediocre. What separates great QBs from the rest is that very ability. Still, Ben Roethlisberger is literally the exact same QB as John Elway. He doesn't blow the game for the first three quarters, and then becomes unstoppable in the fourth. Am I the only one who thinks the Steelers should just run a No Huddle offense and let Ben run the show? That offense is anemic when Bruce Arians calls the plays, but is unbeatable when Ben is given free reign.

Maybe that's because other teams only game plan for the running-game type Steelers. I think spreading the field would be a bad idea for them on a consistent basis. Yeah, they have great skill position players, but they have huge match-up issues in the trenches with most teams. Spreading the field against teams like the Ravens, Patriots, Chargers, or Jets could result in disaster. Much better to make the line of scrimmage a big mess of tight ends and fullbacks on both running and passing plays when you have those kinds of match-up problems.

[JBH3]

Quote: Originally Posted by lonewolf371

Maybe that's because other teams only game plan for the running-game type Steelers. I think spreading the field would be a bad idea for them on a consistent basis. Yeah, they have great skill position players, but they have huge match-up issues in the trenches with most teams. Spreading the field against teams like the Ravens, Patriots, Chargers, or Jets could result in disaster. Much better to make the line of scrimmage a big mess of tight ends and fullbacks on both running and passing plays when you have those kinds of match-up problems.

Yea...I agree w/ that, and also take advantage of Hines Ward's run-blocking abilities in those bunch/multiple TE sets.

Trying to run the ball against a healthy TENN D...even minus Haynesworth, isn't a very good litmus test to your teams overall ability to run. The odds are stacked against you that you likely won't have much success running regardless.