Ben Roethlisberger

[Don Wassall]

It could all end as soon as next Sunday, but as of today, rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers are THE story of the NFL season thus far after beating New England and Philadelphia in consecutive games. The Steelers are now 7-1 and the team to beat after going 6-10 last year. Very few prognosticators even thought they had a shot at the playoffs this in 2004.

Big Ben looks like he could be the best rookie quarterback ever. The standard is Dan Marino, one of many great NFL quarterbacks born and bred in Pittsburgh and environs.

Ben is from rural Ohio. Obviously the national media can no longer ignore him, no matter how much the anti-white white journalists may wish he was black. And this young man is handling himself exceptionally well. He has not said one thing remotely self-aggrandizing. He always gives the credit to his teammates (which they deserve) and does so in a genuine way, not the obviously fake way so many other jocks do. He's a well-grounded person and a great role model for white kids and anyone else who wants to know how a successful athlete should handle himself.

 

[white lightning]

I think that Ben reminds me a little bit more of John
Elway.They keep comparing him to Marino but Dan couldn't
scramble at all.Ben can move around really good in the
pocket and run for the first down if needed.I personally
love the guy and since I'm a Steeler fan since the 70's,
I have waited a long time for the next Bradshaw.He makes
them a team to watch for the next decade!I just hope all
of the pressure doesn't eventually get to him.So far so
good for Big Ben!

 

[Don Wassall]

He's getting compared to Marino a lot because Dan was also very successful as a rookie, plus he grew up in Pittsburgh, but I agree Ben is more like Elway with his mobility. Mobility was the one thing Marino never had, though it didn't prevent him in the least from being one of the all-time greats. Edited by: administrator

 

[Colonel Callan]

Big Ben showing up the over-rated McNabb was one of Sunday's
highlights for me (along with the unreal catch made by Proehl), as
far as Sunday's action goes. He reminds me of Elway, as some of you
have already stated. I also enjoy the way he seems to shake off a bad
series. He puts it out of his mind the very next time out and gets
rolling again.

Yet he is not getting 1/10th the press he should. We all know why.

 

[JD074]

Right. If he were black there would be hype about
him being "the future of the NFL", like with Vick. Of
course, even if he were black, he probably wouldn't
be as popular in the media as Vick because Vick is a
"freaky athlete". It's all about how fast you can run
and how high you can jump when it comes to the
media. This goes beyond race to a certain extent;
after all, Lebron James gets more hype than Tim
Duncan, even though Duncan is also black.

 

[Don Wassall]

It's obvious that Big Ben's success has perturbed some of the league's players. "Kill the head and the body's dead," defensive tackle Gerard Warren of Cleveland is saying about Roethlisberger in advance of tomorrow's Steelers-Browns game:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1921643

One of the most vicious tackles in NFL history occured in 1976 when Cleveland's "Turkey" Jones picked up Terry Bradshaw and threw him down on the ground, head first into the turf. It's amazing he wasn't seriously injured that day.

 

[white lightning]

Your right.It's just like with Stokely having too much sucess and all of the jealosy.We just can't have too many white stars now can we?Keep up the good job Big
Ben.This kid has ice in his veins.He is so cool under pressure and really plays like a veteran.

 

[white lightning]

Big Ben is now 7-0 as a starter.Incredible,amazing,and
too many other things to even say.Whats even more amazing
is the teams he has won against.Even last week,the Browns
hate the Steelers,and were trying to take it to the rookie, but he is just so relaxed back there.They should
beat the Bengals easily this week which would only leave
about 5 more games left.Can you guys imagine if this rookie can go undefeated,and then win all the way through the Super Bowl! Then maybe we might see Ben get about 1% of the hype that Vick gets!Go Steelers.

 

[white lightning]

We need to up the record to 8-0 as a starter now.Each week,this kid handles the pressure like a pro-bowler.
Another good comparison of Ben is Tom Brady of the Pats.
Just like Brady, Ben just doesn't seem to get nervous
even when the pocket is breaking down all around him.
He has good communication and leadership skills with his
receivers and running backs.He demands their respect despite being a college age kid.Ben like Brady rarely turns the ball over.That is the biggest key.He doesn't fumble,rarely throws interceptions,and knows when to just throw the ball away.He is mature beyond his years.
You can just see him out thinking people out there and he is very athletic to go with his brains.He should have a great career ahead of him.

 

[white lightning]

Big Ben does it again.It's beginning to sound like a broken record.He continues to laugh in the face of his
critics and just go out there and win.He has now won
10 in a row.The Steelers are 10-1 and show no signs of
slowing down.Thats why the top selling food item is a
Roethlisberger is the best selling hamburger as it is
served with everything.What Ben is doing is about the
equivilant of what Manning is doing.No rookie has ever
done this.If he wins it all,they will make movies about
this rookie of the century!

 

[white lightning]

Well another week and another victory for the Steelers and Big Ben.Damn can this kid play.He makes it look easy at times. His completion percentage is 2nd only to Peyton Manning. Does he know that he is a rookie.I think that someone should wake him up.He has been in the zone all year long.I think we have another Tom Brady on our hands here and I will take that any day over Vick!Keep it up Ben all the way to the Super Bowl.

 

[white lightning]

I will be anxious to see Ben play the Ravens this week.
The Ravens are the only team to beat the Steelers all
year long and it was the only game that Ben didn't
start.The Steelers can clinch home field up until the
Super Bowl and a bye week.Look for Roethlisberger and
the Steelers to win in a hard fought close game.The
Ravens are fighting for the wild card and will not go
down easy.Go Big Ben!Go Steelers.

 

[white lightning]

Big Ben does it again.I sound like a broken record.He
continues to amaze everyone.He had almost 300 yards passing today to continue his unbeaten streak.The Steelers are now 14-1. He hurt his ribs today and left
the game but should be back next week.They can afford
to rest him if needed as today they clinched home field
advantage all the way to the Super Bowl.He is 14-0 as
a starting qb in his rookie year.If I saw a movie about
that,I would say it would never happen in real life. Well
it is.Congrats to Big Ben!

 

[Don Wassall]

Over the holiday retail season, Roethlisberger jerseys outsold any other player in the NFL (Vick, Manning and McNabb ran two, three four).

However, Big Ben's popularity and talent is creating a strong case of jealousy among his teammates. The Steelers announced their team MVP today, an honor decided by a vote of the players, and LB James Farrior won, not Ben.

This announcement caused the sports talk show lines to be buzzing with calls from fans who couldn't understand how Roethlisberger couldn't be the team MVP. One host, a loudmouth who loves to rip white athletes and spread gossip, related three incidents that have contributed to Ben's unpopularity among teammates: backup center Chucky Okobi is upset because Ben supposedly ended their friendship which had begun in college because of his "big head"; Ben ignored Jason Bay, the Pirates '04 NL Rookie of the Year when he came to the Steelers locker room to visit Ben; and Jerome Bettis told a reporter that "certain young players don't know how to act like Pittsburgh Steelers" as his eyes followed Roethlisberger across the room. The more general complaint from the players is that Ben has too big of an ego. "Big Head" is his nickname among disgruntled teammates rather than Big Ben.

The only thing I know personally about any of this is that the local papers ran huge photographs in the sports section of Bay and Roethlisberger together when Bay came to visit, so Ben couldn't have "ignored" Bay.

It sounds to me like typical black resentment of white success in sports where whites aren't supposed to succeed much less be instant superstars. Big Ben has, as a rookie, done much to put the team in a position to win the Super Bowl but apparently he isn't playing the ultra-humble, head-down role that whites in the NFL are supposed to assume. It's like Wayne and Harrison being upset with Stokley's success even though they are integral parts of perhaps the best offense of all time.

Bettis is treated like royalty by most of the media in Pittsburgh, so it will be interesting to see what happens from here.

 

[Don Wassall]

Here's Reebok's Top 10 selling NFL jerseys:

1. Big Ben
2. Michael Vick
3. T. Owens
4. D. McNabb
5. Warren Sapp (???)
6. Priest Holmes
7. Tom Brady
8. Brett Favre
9. Clinton Portis
10. Peyton Manning

Mike Alstott and Wayne Chrebet at one time were both at or near the top, which shows there is at least some segment of NFL fans who root for white players, even if they don't have any comprehension of the caste system.

 

[Don Wassall]

Big Ben is now dating Natalie Gulbis, a professional golfer. If you're not familiar with Natalie, she is the "Anna Kournikova" of the women's tour, 21 years old and very attractive.

In other Steelers news, there was a shooting at a house in a rundown section of Pittsburgh at 4:30 this morning. Strippers and who knows who else live in this building. Two starting members of the Steelers were there when the shooting occurred. Their names haven't been released yet and may never be. Real nice way to prepare for the playoffs. These are the kinds of people football fans orient their entire lives around worshipping.

 

[Colonel Callan]

Well Don, I should have posted this earlier, but you can be fairly sure
Big Ben wasn't hanging around the building.

CBS re-ran Big Ben's Letterman appearance about a week and a half
ago. The kid handles himself very well indeed.

That the overrated Vick's jersey is #2 in sales shows the power of the
media to hypnotize, never mind McNabb, who in my mind (laugh if
you must) is as big a beneficiary as Vick of the League's agenda to
make the QB position black. Even if the league eventually makes it
illegal to cover or tackle any receiver on a team with a black QB. Just
to make sure QB's who can't look receiver's off are able to hit the
target.

 

[white lightning]

Tommorow we will really see what this kid is made of.
Ben has been up to every challenge so far but has never
felt the intensity of the nfl playoffs.The Jets have a
very tough defense and held Pitt. to 3 points in a half
earlier in the season.They will blitz him all day long.
I think Bettis will struggle a little,but I see Big Ben
taking the team on his shoulders and winning this game.
I think you will see him run alot more this game to.

 

[IceSpeed]

Poor game for Ben overall I thought. Of course, he did not get a
lot of help from some of his supporting cast. He made a clutch
scramble pass later in overtime though.







One thing that has bothered me about Ben was his comment at the end of a Mia(OH)

game. He said his offensive line was important because he was
completely white, referring to his mobility. Ben has excellent
mobility now, but maybe not in college.

 

[right winger]

I'll be rooting for Big Ben to have a solid game and knock off the Patriots. Tom Brady is already a legend and always will be with his two Super Bowl rings. It'd be great to see Ben reach that status too. If the Steelers can beat master strategist Bill Billichek and then go on to win the Super Bowl, Roethlisberger will be 17-0 for the season! Obviously his teammates deserve a lot of credit for the Steelers success, but the caste system would never be able to diminish a rookie year like that.

 

[IceSpeed]

Ben Roethlisberger is the quarterback of the future
and Tom Brady is the quarterback of the past. On paper,
Roethlisberger is a better quarterback, but Brady has skills that don't
show up in stats or paper. Brady can read defenses, find the open
man, and is sneaky quick. I think both quarterbacks are
about the same in total skill level.

Ben will have to be consistent. He will have
to be sharp on all his passes, and will not be able to rely on big
plays. If he is consistent, the Steelers will win.

 

[cxt7]

I see that rothlisberger broke several toes on his foot early in the game, not only did he not come out of the game, but didn't use it as a excuse. If vick were to stub a finger on his non throwing hand he would have left the game.

 

[Don Wassall]

I think Big Ben handled his less than splendid playoff games perfectly. He took his share of the blame, saying he felt he let his teammates down, but he also didn't hang his head and act as if he was filled with shame. He made some tough runs in the second half with those broken toes. Very gifted physically and very tough mentally.

 

[Don Wassall]

Big Ben keeps getting better and better. He hasn't thrown an interception yet and has the highest QB rating in the league. He's the real deal.

Just as with Tom Brady, Ben knows how to manage and win games and he'll only get better with experience. He uses his mobility intelligently, as his TD run on a blitz and general escapability in the red zone showed, rather than taking off immediately if his primary receiver is covered, ala Vick & Co. Hopefully his injury at the end of last night's game isn't serious.

 

[Gary]

I hope Big Ben has a great season. I also would like to see Bruce Gradkowski from the Toledo Rockets make the same kind of impact Big Ben has made in the NFL. I forgot until last night how Big Roethlisberger is, 6'5 250lb OB-Bruce is 6'2 225.I hope they both win Super Bowls at some point!!