Big Ben Is Just Another "Black (and Gold) Sheep" Among The NFL Elite

There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about Big Ben's legacy as a current elite QB in the NFL today.

Believe it or not, I thought the NFL, and its fans (though in the back of most minds) recognize him in the elite group of the NFL...OR HAVE WE REALLY ?

I recently caught a clip on the NFL Network by two of my more respected commentators (meaning the more bold, clear and non-biased ones with experience from playing through the corporate level of NFL Teams. Call it having more of a base Football perspective rather than emotional knee-jerking, go with the flow, wishy-washy type. You know the type I'm referring to.)

Anyway, these two were having a little segment on: " Which one of the current four QB's left in the Playoffs would you pick to QB your team to get you to the Super Bowl to win?"

I was pretty stunned and disappointed seeing this particular segment. It sparked me to finish this commentary article I had been thinking about as I watched some of the other analysts follow the short-sighted trend of a lot of fans.

Seeing fans doing it and being ignorant, flat-out wrong and clueless is acceptable because of the higher level of personal emotion and what's supposed to be a fun, competitive nature. But when I start seeing the "Pros" of the media, who we count on to put things in a bigger overall perspective, worry more about ratings, it just fires me up.

Well, I'm a big Aaron Rodgers fan and I picked Green Bay last year to be the team to beat in the NFC and go to the Super Bowl in 2011.  And out of the four QB's remaining, he is my favorite to watch and even pull for. But as I'm watching that segment's topic, my football common sense immediately thought it was a no-brainer for me to choose Big Ben instead. He is a proven asset during this time of the season.

But both analysts picked Aaron Rodgers because they just like his appeal of play right now without any other good reasoning other than that. So they joyfully were head over heels to have Aaron over Ben. Huh? My jaw felt like an anchor as my respect level dropped a bit for them. I felt as if they sold their professional soul's just to be on a bandwagon.

Now, the question was which QB, not which offense, would they pick. I thought they had to be delirious in their unanimous choice. I thought, "What if Big Ben had the receiving core that Aaron has?  Would that put things in a better more simpler perspective?... Oh well, I guess, that's just my simple observation as a football fan.

Now, I'm certainly no different as an NFL fan to appreciate potent offenses with explosive QB's. But the truth is most fans and "analysts" will always be more intrigued by the "explosive at will" offenses with high-powered statistics to a rare fault, in this particular case, for Ben's image.

And what's more is now the recent surging of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers and even Mike Vick's influence this past season to the Eagles' offense are getting more spotlight from fans and the networks who are staffed with the "pros."

The simple fact is that despite Ben's gritty style of play that has been a big part of his team's success, he is just not as likable because of his "ugly" style of getting it done and lack of the offenses explosiveness. They've had their clutch plays here and there but are just not consistent as the other Super Bowl winning teams like Colts, Patriots and Saints' styles of offense.

Aside from that,NFL fans overwhelmingly think of the Steelers as a dominating defensive-based team that wins or loses depending on whether or not Troy Polamalu is playing. Unfortunately, that's what we all know is true about what kills and overshadows Ben's deserved elite stature as a QB. 

Lets face it, when you think of the Patriots, you think of Tom Brady.

The Colts = Peyton Manning
Saints= Drew Brees
Steelers = it's Troy Polamalu's team.

A while ago I put out an article with my insight to what separates an Elite QB from the pack of greatest of all-time. It simply comes down to how he leads in the most important games above individual season passing stats.

To me Big Ben's breakdown of success:

1- Steady performances and to step-up in postseason and Super Bowls

2- Not folding under the added level of pressure 

3- His play-making and clutch play ability

4- Taking care of the ball by not making game-changing mistakes to lose the game

5- Having his team's confidence

Not only does he do those things more times than not, but he also almost seems flawless in those categories during important games. That earns him an elite standing among current QB's. At this rate in his young career, these achievements will put him into an all-time of elite rankings with the likes of other ugly-duckling style of QB who wore the Black and Gold from the 70's.