Ben Roethlisberger wishes he had more time with Steelers HOF HC Bill Cowher

SiriusXM NFL Radio stopped in Pittsburgh and got a chance to talk to Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger about legendary HC Bill Cowher. 

SiriusXM’s Training Camp Tour recently stopped at Pittsburgh Steelers camp and got a chance to talk to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger about legendary head coach Bill Cowher.

“It’s so humbling to have played for a Hall of Fame coach,” said Roethlisberger on SiriusXM’s Movin’ the Chains. Cowher was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday as part of the Centennial Class of 2020.

Several years after he’d retired, Cowher told Roethlisberger that as a rookie, he had two options. “‘I could’ve treated you like you were God’s gift to the Steelers or I could’ve treated you like a crappy, young kid. And I chose the crappy young kid,'” Roethlisberger shared with a smile.

The latter worked because Ben Roethlisberger had a record of 13-0 his rookie season.

It wasn’t until Cowher and the Steelers selected Big Ben 11th overall in the 2004 NFL draft that the Steelers really started going places.

After 14 attempts, in the 2005 season, Cowher finally got his team to the big show and won it. The Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Super Bowl 40.

Roethlisberger said he and his teammates knew Cowher would be heading to the Hall, especially after the Super Bowl win.

“What he meant and means to the city of Pittsburgh… I’d say it’s unparallell but you have Coach Chuck and now Mike, but the tradition and what he means is truly something special.”

In just three seasons under head coach Bill Cowher, Roethlisberger threw for 8,521 yards and 52 touchdowns. When he retired following the 2006 season, the Steelers had a record of 29 and 11 and a Lombardi Trophy for their efforts.

“I love playing with Mike, I’m not taking anything away from Mike,” Roethlisberger said. “I wish I could’ve played with Coach Cowher later in my career, too.”

[vertical-gallery id=490555]

[lawrence-related id=492977]