Big Ben Ranked 17th By SI’s Peter King in QB Rankings

While Big Ben continues to try and put a below average 2006 behind him, the numbers he put up last season have earned him a ranking of 17 on CNN/SI’s Peter Kings list of quarterbacks. King did a 1 to 32 ranking in his “Monday Morning Quarterback” column, and Ben was just under the middle of the pack. King explains: “Ben Roethlisberger 17th? What gives? From Year 1 to Year 2 of his career, his completion percentage dropped 3.7 points; from year two to three it fell 3.0 points. His TD-to-interception ratio, plus-eight in 2005, dropped to minus-five last season. He is profoundly inconsistent. I say he’s a C-plus player until I see six or eight straight weeks of the same guy.”

The funny thing is King must have forgotten that Roethlisberger two seasons ago carried the Steelers through the playoffs all the way to Super Bowl XL. There is no question that the Steelers don’t get past the Bengals, Colts and Broncos to the Super Bowl without the very solid play of Big Ben. Yes he had what is considered an awful 2006, but let’s be real, the team was not the same, the running game was subpar in some games, the O-line allowed too many sacks, and Ben was rushed into action when he shouldn’t have been by a coach who was on his way out the door. I’m not saying that Ben should be in the top 5, but 17?! I’d like to see those rankings a year from now after 2007 and see where Ben falls then after he rebounds this season.