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“With the 11th Pick in the 2004 Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers choose Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback from Miami (Ohio),” Paul Tagliabue announced as the the Steeler nation cheered in Madison Square Garden...

From Big Ben To Worthlessberger

by Andrew Glenn (Contributor)

31

787 reads

Opinion

November 10, 2008


“With the 11th Pick in the 2004 Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers choose Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback from  Miami (Ohio),” Paul Tagliabue announced as the the Steeler nation cheered in Madison Square Garden.

The critics thought picking the 6-foot-5, 240-pound quarterback was a bad idea, and that the Steelers should have picked defensive tackle Tommie Harris or wide-receiver Lee Evans.

Nevertheless, when Roethlisberger stepped in for his first NFL action, sparks flew.

The injury to Tommy Maddox was a blessing in disguise—so to speak—which changed the plans for Roethlisberger. Instead of learning the team’s system, Steelers' coach Bill Cowher sent Roethlisberger out with the dogs in the third game of the season.

Arguably being the best choice Cowher ever made, Big Ben went 13–0 in the regular season, completing 196 of his 295 passes for a total of 2,621 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions with a passer rating of 98.1. He was unanimously selected as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.

However, the success was cut short in the playoffs when the team lost to the New England Patriots, 41-27.

After losing in the AFC Championship game, Big Ben made a special, and tearful promise to veteran Jerome Bettis. He assured Bettis that if he returned for one more year, he will go to the Super Bowl in Detroit.

You can’t say Ben wasn't a man of his word.

The Steelers won Super Bowl XL, 21-10 over the Seattle Seahawks.

The critics were corrected, saying that the Big Ben era has began.

Then Big Ben got stupid…

In the off season, after winning the Super Bowl, Roethlisberger was in a very serious motorcycle accident which almost killed him. Roethlisberger, although making a surprising recovery, missed out on the kick-off game due to an appendectomy.

Ben was not the same quarterback, finishing the season with a 59.7 passing percentage, completing 280 of 469 attempts, and throwing 18 touchdowns with 23 interceptions. 

Although the season was a bit embarrassing for Big Ben, he returned to form in 2007 when he set a Steelers' single-season record for touchdowns. He threw 32 touchdown passes, and finished third for NFL Comeback Player of the year honors.

Despite his strong performance, the Steelers' season was yet again cut short by an explosive Jaguars team, 31–29.

Author Poll

Should Mike Tomlin bench Ben Roethlisberger and start Bryon Leftwich?

  • Yes
  • No
  • Start Roethlisberger and if he messes up sub Leftwich at halftime
vote to see results
Author Poll Results

Should Mike Tomlin bench Ben Roethlisberger and start Bryon Leftwich?

  • Yes

    44.2%

  • No

    36.4%

  • Start Roethlisberger and if he messes up sub Leftwich at halftime

    19.5%
  • Total votes: 77
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31 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Jason 8 months ago

    Great Article! Good point. Big Ben is having a slump and he is injured, but you can't always blame Ben for his mistakes. The line isn't doing such a great job blocking and there's no more excitement like they had in that Super Bowl run.

    Yet I wouldn't start crowning Leftwich yet. Remember how he got to the Steelers anyway: cut from the Jags after that lovely season he had after losing to the Patriots two years in a row in the playoffs.

    We'll see what Mike does on Sunday.

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    • TYRONE PRICE 8 months ago

      hey jason ive loved the steelers all my life but i am sure that you know that we were lucky to even win the superbowl if he wouldnt have made the tackle to save the pick six, he needs to sit his ass down and let the healthy player play because right now he is hurting the team badly.

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    • Zachary Weiss 8 months ago

      Nice Article... could have been longer for effect but it is obvious that Ben's injury has slowed him down. Arians is a horrible offensive coordinator, and Ben takes forever to make a decision. Everytime Ben gets sacked, he finds a way to fumble. I have called for Leftwich to start since week 3 but it isn't going to happen because Tomlin is a wuss and doesn't want to disappoint Ben's fans, especially with the next two games being home games. The time for change is now, and Leftwich needs to be a part of the change.

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  2. Andrew Glenn 8 months ago

    Yeah. Jason, you do have a point. It not all Ben's fault that the Steelers are ranked 3rd in sacks (31 sacks this season). It's also an interesting thought too. The Steelers are ranked 3rd in giving up sacks, and 1st in getting sacks. But the blocking needs help.

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  3. dirk morrow 8 months ago

    I Think as long as he is injured he shouldnt play.But Im not saying he shouldnt be our starting QB.Even if he has to miss the rest of the season.That way he will have plenty of time to get healed up and possibly condition himself into being a better QB In the offseason....DM

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    • Andrew Glenn 8 months ago

      Point taken. There's one thing to be the starting QB and another to be a starting injured QB. Everyone's not Brett Favre (accredited for playing injured). That's why we have backup QBs. Playing injured makes himself a target to make his injury worse possibly long term. It's better to play 100% because your performance is 100%.

      Thanks for the comment.
      Andrew

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  4. Bob Fritz 8 months ago

    I think team management needs some of the blame for not addressing the offensive line. The line never has been great, but they knew they were going to lose Faneca and spent the first two picks on a running back and receiver. The one lineman they took, Tony Hills, was banged up at Texas last year and isn't likely to play for a while. Ben is great, but no QB can make passes on his back.

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    • Andrew Glenn 8 months ago

      Thanks Bob. You gotta question why would an organization pick an offensive tackle who just came off of a fractured left fibula, not to mention his reconstructive surgery on his left knee in 2003. In addition, the departure of Alan Faneca really hurt them and they couldn't replace him. Although Rashard Mendenhall was a good pick, they passed up the chance to get Duane Brown. He's nothing special, but he did have a 79.07 percent for blocking consistency, as he delivered 34 knockdowns/key blocks for an offense that averaged 330.5 yards per game in 2007 for Virginia Tech. And afterall, look Brown now. He started every game for the Texans while Mendenhall is...well you know...

      Andrew

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  5. Joe Willett 8 months ago

    The loss of Alan Faneca to the offensive line looms bigger than originally expected. Their line was good last season, nothing spectacular but got the job done, this season they aren't doing as well in pass protection, although from what I can tell, their run blocking has been good with even Mewelde Moore (I believe I have the correct cast-off runningback there, correct me if I am wrong) having strong games as the third-stringer.

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    • Andrew Glenn 8 months ago

      Haha! Cast-off running back. I couldn't have said it any better. Hard to believe that Moore is averaging 4.1 yards per attempt with 5 touchdowns. Rushing doesn't seem to be a problem for this line.

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  6. M M 8 months ago

    If Ben is truly injured, fine... sit him until he's healthy.

    If people are stating that Ben should be benched based on performance, go trade you Steelers colors for Orange and Brown where rooting for the backup quarterback is standard.

    Ben is the quarterback of this team. He will win many, many more than he will lose for this franchise. They are in first place. They are a playoff team. No team in the AFC is dominating like the past couple years. The Super Bowl is up for grabs in the AFC.

    If Ben is hurt, fine. Get him healthy for the playoff run!

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    • Andrew Glenn 8 months ago

      True. He has proven in the last three years that he's the starter and the face of the Steelers despite poor performance, even Tom Brady had a bad game or two last year. But you don't see Brady playing with that ACL tear. He is the QB of the Steelers and if he's 100%, then he should play, great games and bad games. However, if he's injured (shoulder, finger) don't play until your 100%. M, your right, the Steelers are in first place and with the division they're in, playoff hopes are promising. The Steelers would be more fortunate if an injured Ben sat down to get healthy to make a playoff push.

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  7. Bill Baetz 8 months ago

    Look at the Steelers rushing stats over the last few games, and you might get the impression that there's more wrong with the Steelers' offense than just "Worthlessburger". Maybe you could call it "Errians".

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  8. Jackson C 8 months ago

    Big Ben Healthy: Great under pressure, accurate passer, one if not the most physical QB in the league.
    Big Ben Unhealthy: The butt of all jokes, name called "stupid" or "worthless" or even "foe of Pittsburgh"

    Give me a break. Andrew - You ARE Pats Fan, so I know where you're going with this....

    http://bleacherreport.com/users/48157-Andrew-Glenn
    "Andrew's Bio
    Andrew S. Glenn is a college student at Penn State University at State College majoring in journalism. He enjoys reading about Penn State football and New England Patriots. Originally from Newark, New Jersey.
    Favorite Teams:
    NFL: New England Patriots
    NBA: LA Lakers and New Jersey Nets
    Baseball: New York Yankees
    Hockey: New Jersey Devils
    NCAA: Penn State

    Favorite Players include Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Tom Brady, Troy Brown, Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, Wes Welker"

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    • Andrew Glenn 8 months ago

      You couldn't ever be so right Jackson, I am a Patriots fan. Long time Pats fan. However, me being a Patriots fan has absolutely nothing to do with my article other than the fact that the Pats and Steelers are in the AFC, and they both meet in Gillette Stadium on Week 13. If anything I would want a healthy Big Ben to play in New England so he can be that great under pressure accurate passer that is not the most physical QB in the leauge.

      But where am I going with this article. It's just an example of how NFL teams ignore such injuries whether minor or major. That's all.

      But thanks for posting my bio. However, you ignored to read that I'm a journalism major.

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  9. J. Graham 8 months ago

    Andrew, you have a good point. The safety of these football players are important and someone needs to stress that Patriots fan or not! If they're injured, they shouldn't play. Point Blank! Good job! Great article!

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  10. Jackson C 8 months ago

    Andrew,

    I did read that you are a journalism major. That's why I pointed out "where you were going," because you don't like the Steelers so you've created an set of opinions (yours) on Ben that characterize him.

    You said: "But where am I going with this article. It's just an example of how NFL teams ignore such injuries whether minor or major. That's all."

    If this article had ANYTHING to do about the dangers of players playing with injuries then shouldn't that have been included in your "Introductory Paragraph"? And then should the Title have been something other than "From Big Ben to Worthlessberger"?

    I don't care if you are a journalism major or not - I actually have a degree and know what I'm talking about. Just because you are in college doesn't mean you have a foot up on anybody...and just because you are a journalism major does not make you a journalist. It makes you a recent HS Grad with intentions or being a smear doctor.

    All I am saying is that if you're going to write crap like this just to smear a player then at least fess up to it. What if I wrote an article entitled "Ton Brady: An A-hole in Disguise" and spoke about him leaving his pregnant girlfriend etc...and then said "Oh, no...this article is about the dangers NFL Players pose on influencing young men's decision making."

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    • Mark J. 8 months ago

      Jackson,

      Don't get me wrong, I'm not picking sides of the argument, I'm a Steelers fans just like you, and I see how Andrew is presenting how Big Ben's injuries are making him become Worthlessberger. However, I also see in a way him attacking him as a quarterback. But most of all I see you discrediting him for being a rookie writer. Yeah he's a journalism major which doesn't make him a journalist, but that doesn't mean that he can state his opinion whether attacking Big Ben or using him as an example of how bad players perform when injured.

      I know how you were saying lay off Big Ben for being young. Shouldn't you lay off Andrew for being a young writer too?

      Mark

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  11. Jackson C 8 months ago

    I know there are typos on that last post, but I have to get to work...later

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  12. thomas moreland 8 months ago

    im a steeler fan good article good points. ben should be resting the shoulder a couple of weeks. i ve always liked leftwich too! he is a fine back up and can do well for the team. start him a couple games rest ben til 100 percent or give the job the leftwich the rest of the way! thomas

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  13. Bruce Dickenson 8 months ago

    "Against the Eagles, Roethlisberger was sacked eight times," says it all! This guy is awesome, but he needs some protection.

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  14. Jackson C 8 months ago

    Mark,

    Absolutely, it ticked me off that Pittsburgh lost that game and I was mad that Big Ben had even played a single down. But I'm not about to call him "worthless" and I'm sure the Steelers fan that called him "Worthlessberger" is really embarrassed now for saying such a thing, especially since it is plastered across the cyber universe for all to see. He or she was probably as upset as I was. However, to take that passion and to write an article on it...to really exploit it and then say the intent was something else or about all NFL players who play with injuries etc...and then not make one single connection with any other player is completely different.

    It was this comment that Andrew made that provoked me to say anything at all about journalism.

    Andrew said: “But thanks for posting my bio. However, you ignored to read that I'm a journalism major.”

    By all means I wish Andrew the best. What it all comes down to is that I’m ticked off about the article calling Ben “worthless”. That’s a very definite word. Nobody is worthless now…and then not later, it is a definitive term. The Steelers fan who made that comment is beyond me...I commend Andrew for writing the article and I certainly didn't mean to create any waves.

    Good Job Andrew!

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    • Andrew Glenn 8 months ago

      Hey Jackson,

      Thanks. I think i went out of line when I made that comment too saying that I'm a journalism major not even acknowledging that the person I said it to might be a journalist and I'm just what Mark called a "rookie writer"

      I appreciate your concern and sincerity and I also apologize for discrediting you as a reader because I claim to be a journalist and wrote an article.

      Thanks.

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  15. Chris Ball 8 months ago

    Can't blame a quarterback for being worthless when his O-line is forcing him to run for his life (see Drew Brees in 2003). Can't blame Ben. They know he's not the most mobile at 6'5" 265# and so they have to protect him- and they aren't doing that- AT ALL!

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  1. Jackson C 8 months ago

    Andrew, I apologize too, we cool.

    Chris, I agree. The O-Line is throwing off their entire Offensive front. If you think about it that can include everything from play calling, timing, and really screw up decision making for any QB.

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  2. David Geller 8 months ago

    His offensive line sucks, his run game is average, and he holds the ball too long. Right now he's not in the best spot so succeed.

    As good as that Steelers defense is I don't think they'll be a Super Bowl team until their offense gets straightened out.

    And I wouldn't bench Ben either.

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  3. Cody Swartz 8 months ago

    I think Roethlisberger is very overrated, and it's nice to see other people realize that, too. Even when he won the Super Bowl, the fact that he gets credit for that win makes me sick. He had the lowest passer rating of any winning quarterback in Super Bowl history in that game.

    And while I do credit some of his failures to that poor offensive line they have in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger just isn't the same quarterback he was last year. He is making more mistakes than I ever thought he could.

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  4. John Parker 8 months ago

    he entered the system as the perfect quarterback for the pittsburgh steelers

    the system has changed though, with bill cowher leaving both offensive lineman veteran LG Alan Fanaca leaving and an injury to Willie Parker Ben can no loner hold on to the ball all day or rely on the running game as heavily as he use to
    until they get some offensive lineman and a power runningback big ben is going to struggle under Mike Tomlin

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  5. Ben Bleikamp 8 months ago

    Amazing how quickly fans will turn on Roethlisberger. He is still a good player.

    The Steelers are in first place in their division and are one of the better teams in the league. I think Tomlin needs to sit Ben so that he can get healthy and get him in for the last 3-4 games of the regular season.

    They will likely win the division no problem at this point, let anyone who is feeling slightly beat up take a break and get healthy for the playoffs.

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  6. M M 7 months ago

    It amazes me how easy it is for people to criticize Ben Roethlisberger.

    Let's see...

    * 13 wins as a rookie and a 15-1 record.

    * Super Bowl win in 2nd season. And, who cares what he did that day other than WINNING. I seem to recall he had three very dominating games against Cincy, Indy and Denver on the road. Oh, yeah, great clutch tackle, too, in Indy.

    * 45-19 career record as a starter (this might not be exact but it's close).

    * Tough season in 2006 following the motorcycle accident, appendix, etc. The entire team was sleepwalking that season. O.K., if you are really desperate to point out his faults.... he was a 24-year-old coming off a Super Bowl season. I was a kid once, too.

    * It would have been easy to fold at this point in his career but he shows great poise and maturity by providing a 32 TD / 11 INT season, division crown and HE didn't lose that game to JAX last year.

    * This year, playing injured all year, 6-3 record, division lead and likely playoff appearance. Also, a pretty good shot at making the Super Bowl if they are healthy.

    I don't know about all you critics but I want my QB to win more than anything else. People who criticize him for an occasional bad game are "not exactly the most knowledgeable football fans out there".

    Enough said. I'd be interested in intelligent counter-arguments if any exist.

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  7. jon shelton 7 months ago

    I think the point is being missed here. The question is not whether Ben is a good quarterback, but whether he gives the Steelers the best chance to win while playing with an injury. I think that the answer is definitely "no". Leftwich is healthy and is an excellent passer. Leftwhich, right now, gives the team the best opportunity to move the ball downfield. Once Ben is healed, he should be the starter. If he does not rest his shoulder and the injury has no chance to heal, then the team has resigned to the fact that the offense is limited. Let Leftwich play for now while Ben heals....

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