Tom Brady is almost a lock for the NFL MVP award this year. Peyton Manning is a Hall of Famer and 4-time NFL MVP. Both will be hope this weekend wishing they could be playing in the AFC Title Game.
Which leads us to another signal caller this weekend who FINALLY seems to be getting some credit for getting his team back to the AFC Championship. Yes, it’s finally time people start realizing that Ben Roethlisberger is one of, if not THEE top QB in the NFL.
Sure, take your Drew Brees, your Aaron Rodgers, and anyone else for that matter in the NFC. the bottom line is that the best three throwers in the NFL reside in the AFC, and there’s a very real case to be made that the best one plays in Pittsburgh.
“When you talk about the Steelers, it’s always about the defense, it’s never about Ben,” said former NFL QB Trent Dilfer, who now works as an analyst with ESPN. “To me, there are five truly great quarterbacks in the league right now: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. Aaron Rodgers is getting there, but he doesn’t have the championship pelts or, in Philip Rivers’ case, some pretty impressive playoff performances in conference championship games.
“You can take those five and put them in any order you want one thru five and it doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t call anyone crazy no matter what order you put those guys in. You can justify Tom being No. 1, Peyton No. 2 and Ben No. 3. You can justify Peyton being No. 1. You can justify Ben being No. 1, in my opinion. But, for whatever reasons, Ben doesn’t get as much respect as the others.”
But isn’t it about time that he does? How is this for a resume – 7 seasons, two Super Bowl rings, four AFC Title games, 8-2 in the postseason entering Sunday, Most wins as a starting quarterback in first five NFL seasons, and on and on and on.
He has a shot Sunday to again add to that resume, as with a win over the underdog Jets at home, he has a shot at a third ring in 7 seasons, tying the guy that everyone has elevated to superman-like heights in Brady, who won three in four seasons. If Roethlisberger wins Sunday and then two weeks in Dallas, that will be three rings in six seasons. Not bad.
Yes Roethlisberger has a very good supporting cast. A Hall of Fame WR in Hines Ward to throw to, a couple of solid backs over his career in Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker and now Rashard Mendenhall, and the big reason that many discredit what Roethlisberger has done in 7 seasons – a legendary defense.
The defense may be the same reason why Terry Bradshaw didn’t get all the credit he deserved when he was playing. The Steel Curtain was something that overshadowed Bradshaw, and now it seems the same thing is making the case for why Ben doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
“It’s like when Bradshaw was the Steelers quarterback and people didn’t think of him as one of the truly elite. You talk about Ben and people don’t give him his due, but then you look at some of the numbers and they’re amazing,” former Raiders QB and NFL MVP Rich Gannon said. “Then you consider that he has two Super Bowl wins already and getting close to maybe getting a third and you say, ‘Man, there’s something pretty special going on here.’ ”
So will the credit finally come if Ben and the Steelers can win the next two games? That remains to be seen, and it also probably rides on what type of games they are. If they turn into games where Roethlisberger ends up making a late play to win it like in Tampa vs the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, then there’s no question the debate for Roethlsiberger being the best in the league will grow stronger.
Roethlisberger has done enough to have his name mentioned among the elite, and it’s about time that it is.
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Steel Q
January 21, 2011 at 8:12 pm
Thank you!! coz i am sick and tired of arguing with people that BIG BEN is one of the best QB’s in the game. You can keep Manning, Brady, and Drew; give me Big Ben!
Kristi
January 21, 2011 at 9:33 pm
I so agree with everything you said about BEN! I am so sick and tired of him always having to prove himself to everyone and the NFL officials. NO matter how many superbowl rings he has he’s never going to be up there with Brady or Manning butt he’s the one who is playing in the AFC championship game..huh? =] Ben has grown up so much in the past year. People has to stop dreading up the past. He’s made mistakes. He’s not perfect. He’s human just like we all are. Everyone is entitled to make mistakes that’s how we learn from them. =] GO BEN! Beat those freakin JETS and bring home another supebowl ring!! =]
DrGeorge
January 21, 2011 at 9:35 pm
We all know Big Ben is one of the elite QBs in the NFL. He hasn’t received the acclaim of Manning or Brady, but it is not because he was overshadowed by his Defense. He has simply gotten in his own way. His off-field incidents (they do matter to some in the media), his frequent sacks, and his inconsistency in terms of QB rating (see Super Bowl XL) have diminished his acceptance among sportswriters. Before this year, he was a gifted athlete, but he wasn’t an elite QB.
After his suspension this year, however, Ben changed for the better: he became more open to the media, he has been a model citizen, he has stopped looking for the bomb (patience) and begun releasing the ball in 3 seconds or less (fewer sacks). He has begun to orchestrate the offense rather than merely running plays; thus, he has become more like Manning and Brady and deserving of recognition as one of the elite. In short, he has matured.
What Ben has over all of the other QBs named above, however, is his physical strength and leadership. He is one of the few QBs who can take a game on his shoulders and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. He has always had that quality and it cannot be coached. It is a gift.
If he continues on his present course, he will one day join his idol, John Elway, in the Hall of Fame. He is just beginning to discover how good he can be when he trusts the players around him instead of trying to do it all himself. His better days are still ahead of him. Before he’s through, he may redefine the meaning of ‘elite QB.’ But that process has just begun.
Marie
January 21, 2011 at 9:38 pm
You know, I get so tired of hearing about how stupid Ben was for not wearing his helmet, how he has not brains for doing it. Then the problems with the lies from women/girls accusing him. The have nothing good to say about the man, so they go to all that stupidness. All I can think of, is they’re jealous that our team is so good & there’s is crap. Wait till they win the Super Bowl & see what they all say then. Marie
GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL
January 21, 2011 at 10:07 pm
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