Ben Roethlisberger: The New Sheriff in Town

I was born in 1972. That means when the Steelers won their fourth Super Bowl, I wasn't really old enough to be concerned.

Since that time, we have had a long wait to have someone under center that I actually had any confidence in. The list is very long of people that were going to come in and take the beloved Steelers to the promised land of Super Bowl champions.

Here's a list of names for you: Mark Malone, Bubby Brister, Neil "I made more from the Cowboys in one game than the rest of my career" O'Donnell, Kordell Stewart, and even Tommy Maddox.

Every time we got a new QB, I had to hear how none of them were as good as Terry Bradshaw. And at no point did any of them give me any ammunition to argue that fact.

Then came Big Ben.

When Roethlisberger took us to Super Bowl XL and won, I could finally say that my generation's Terry Bradshaw had arrived.

Then there was the motorcycle accident, and most everyone I know jumped off Ben's bandwagon as quick as LaMarr Woodley going after a fumble caused by James Harrison.

The accident scrambled his brains, fans said. He doesn't know what he is doing back there. Why does he hold the ball so long? And other comments that are not intended for children under the age of 18.

The biggest questions Roethlisberger had to answer, thanks to his admission of being scared the entire game of Super Bowl XL, were if he could handle the pressure and win the game instead of just being along for the ride.

The question has been answered with a resounding sixth Lombardi trophy.

I am not saying that Ben is better than Terry, but Bradshaw had a lot more to work with than Ben does. It took Terry four years to win his first Lombardi. Ben has two at the end of his fifth.

Lets take a look at some of what Roethlisberger has done in his first five years in the NFL:

--Most wins by a rookie

--Most wins in first five years

--8-2 playoff record, second only to Tom Brady

--Two Super Bowl wins

And with all of that, Roethlisberger has slowly turned the Steelers from a run-oriented team to a team that passes first. And he has done it successfully.

At the rate Ben is going, 20 years from now, people will be saying they want their generation's Ben Roethlisberger, the way we now say he is this generation's Terry Bradshaw.