Tag: Ben Roethlisberger

Jaguars vs. Steelers golf event set for October

The Jaguars and Steelers won’t meet on the football field this season, but they will go head-to-head on the golf course.

Jacksonville Jaguars legend Tony Boselli and a yet-to-be-named former Jaguars player will team up on the golf course on Oct. 7 against a pair of former Pittsburgh Steelers led by Ben Roethlisberger, according to the Florida Times-Union.

The Jaguars vs. Steelers showdown on the links is set to happen at the Constellation Furyk & Friends PGA Tour Champions event, which will be held at the Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville.

Boselli, who became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August, and his Jaguars teammate will be playing for the charity Blessings in a Backpack. Roethlisberger and his yet-to-be-named Steelers teammate will be playing for Beaches Habitat for Humanity.

The pairs will be a nine-hole scramble and will include additional competitions to decide which team earns the most of the $100,000 in charity money up for grabs.

Roethlisberger retired earlier this year after 18 seasons as the Steelers’ quarterback. He threw 12 interceptions in nine career games against the Jaguars. Only his AFC North rivals — the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Browns — recorded more picks against Roethlisberger.

Big Ben says he sometimes feared playing Bengals due to ‘dirty’ or ‘cheap’ plays

Big Ben shared some interesting thoughts on the Bengals.

Right before the Cincinnati Bengals host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hit the podcast scene and proceeded to hit the Bengals, too.

Big Ben, appearing on his own podcast named Footbahlin, talked about playing within the AFC North and said that at times he feared playing the Bengals due to dirty or cheap plays.

“When you played Baltimore, you knew it was going to be a physical football game… Clean, just physical,” Roethlisberger said. “But when we played Cincinnati, there was a stretch of games there, years then when you played them, you almost didn’t want to play…There were times I was almost fearful to play because I was afraid I was going to get hurt because of something dirty. Something cheap.”

In context, Big Ben’s comments aren’t totally out of line. There was a stretch of time there where Bengals-Steelers games were borderline uncomfortable to watch because it seemed inevitable a scrap or two would happen.

But…this narrative the Ravens were a respectable rival and the Bengals weren’t is silly, especially given the long line of dirty things done by players within Big Ben’s own organization, ranging from Antonio Brown and Mike Mitchell to Joey Porter and James Harrison, among others.

Either way, those days of Bengals-Steelers street fights are things of the past, especially with the Bengals on to contention and the Steelers looking to rebound quickly in the post-Big Ben era.

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Where Seahawks Super Bowl quarterback matchups rank all time

CBS Sports ranked the Super Bowl quarterback matchups of all time – here’s where Matt Hasselbeck and Russell Wilson of the Seahawks landed.

This year’s Super Bowl pitting Matt Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams against Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals is now less than a week away. The battle between opposing quarterbacks in the big game has always been interesting to watch and this season will be no different.

Ahead of the contest, Bryan DeArdo over at CBS Sports ranked every Super Bowl quarterback matchup in history. Below is where the Seahawks’ three appearances landed in the rankings.

No. 15. Tom Brady vs. Russell Wilson, Super Bowl XLIX 

“The 37-year-old Brady was in the midst of a career resurgence,” DeArdo writes. “After a decade without a ring, Brady finally won his fourth Super Bowl after getting the better of Seattle’s ‘Legion of Boom’ defense. Brady also out-dueled Wilson, who was just completing his third season in Seattle. Since that game, Wilson has blossomed into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. He’s made the Pro Bowl in each of the last four seasons, and is coming off of a career-high 40 touchdown season.”

No. 16. Russell Wilson vs. Peyton Manning, Super Bowl XLVIII

“While Wilson was coming off of his first Pro Bowl selection, Manning entered Super Bowl XLVIII fresh off of his fifth and final MVP award,” DeArdo notes. “Had these two both been in their primes, this one would have been a top-10 matchup. That being said, No. 16 isn’t too shabby.”

No. 32. Ben Roethlisberger vs. Matt Hasselbeck, Super Bowl XL 

“Though he threw for just 123 yards, Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to win the Super Bowl,” DeArdo starts. “His counterpart, Hasselbeck, was bedeviled by costly penalties and an ill-advised interception late in the game. Along with helping lead Seattle to its first Super Bowl, Hasselbeck was a three-time Pro Bowler who retired as the Seahawks’ all-time leading passer. ”

Super Bowl LVI is set to kick off Sunday, Feb. 13 at 12:30 p.m. PT.

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Former Eagles director of pro personnel Louis Riddick to interview for Steelers’ GM opening

Former #Eagles director of pro personnel and #MNF analyst Louis #Riddick to interview for #Steelers’ GM opening

Louis Riddick is one of the top football minds on broadcast TV and the Pennsylvania native is currently an analyst for ESPN on Monday nights, but constantly has his name mentioned when a front office or personnel job opens up around the league.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the former Pitt and NFL safety will interview for the vacant Pittsburgh Steelers general manager openings.

Longtime Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert will step down after the 2022 NFL draft in April, team owner Art Rooney II said of the veteran front office executive who has been with the Steelers for 22 seasons. Colbert took over as general manager in 2010 after a decade as the director of football operations, helping the storied franchise win two Super Bowl titles and three AFC championships.

Riddick started out as a scout in 2001, before being named pro personnel director for the Washington Football Team.

He later joined the Eagles and was promoted to pro personnel director.

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Why the Steelers should pass on a QB and trot out Mason Rudolph in the 2022 season

In just a few short months, Mason Rudolph will get into the nitty-gritty of his first offseason as QB1 for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ben Roethlisberger was the reason the Steelers won as many games as they did in 2021. Take him out of the equation, insert Mason Rudolph, and they’re easily a sub-.500 team.

Rudolph will get into the nitty-gritty of his first offseason as QB1 for the Pittsburgh Steelers in just a few short months. He’ll get first-team reps, he’ll be “the man,” he’ll be the focus of the Steelers offense, he’ll be the first guy not named Ben Roethlisberger at the helm of the team in nearly two decades.

But even a full offseason as QB1 won’t magically make Rudolph good enough to be the face of Pittsburgh’s franchise. He just isn’t that type of quarterback. Rudolph doesn’t have that “it” factor. If he had, we would’ve seen a glimpse of what could be in his 10 career starts.

Given what Rudolph has shown in those starts, he won’t find success in 2022. He’ll fold under the pressure alone. But trot him onto the field and see what happens. If he flounders, so be it. Send Dwayne Haskins out there.

Times have changed — quickly. The Steelers won’t be ready to compete with the likes of the Bengals (or even the Ravens) in 2022. With all of the pieces the Steelers need, it will take patience.

There’s no harm in having a subpar season other than a bruised ego. A season with eight or fewer wins will get you in the top 15 of the NFL draft. Less than that, even better. It’s not what Pittsburgh wants; it’s not what it aims for. But if it’s what you get, it only means a higher draft pick and (hopefully) greener pastures in 2023.

These nine-win seasons only get you in the 20s — that’s not where the future is and certainly not a shot at a franchise quarterback.

Throw caution to the wind.

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Cleveland newspaper trolls Ben Roethlisberger retirement with perfect headline

A perfectly hilarious and troll-oriented headline from @dan_labbe on Big Ben’s retirement and big failure:

The Cleveland Browns have long been the victim of quality play from Ben Roethlisberger during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. As shared when announced his retirement, the Steelers were 26-3-1 against the Browns.

Roethlisberger’s retirement, along with multiple changes in Baltimore, could lead to a changing of the guard in the AFC North. The Cincinnati Bengals enter the AFC Championship Game with a chance to go to the Super Bowl. They must get through the Kansas City Chiefs but their rise to division champion was quick.

The Steelers could go a number of directions at quarterback, along with defensive coordinator, for 2022. The team hopes that their new quarterback has more success against Cleveland in the playoffs than their old quarterback, as perfectly laid out in a local headline:

Dan Labbe of The Plain Dealer did a great job trolling Roethlisberger for the one time he faced the Browns in the playoffs. The 2020 playoff victory by Cleveland looked as if it could be the final nail in Big Ben’s professional coffin but he came back for one more season.

In his final season, Roethlisberger’s Steelers defeated the Browns both times. While the retiring quarterback didn’t have huge games, he did enough to help his team win and push Cleveland’s disappointing season closer to the final failure it ended up being.

That doesn’t change the fact, as the headline states, that Ben Roethlisberger could never get the job done against the Cleveland Browns in the playoffs.

Antonio Brown congratulates former teammate Ben Roethlisberger on his retirement

Antonio Brown took to social media with some kind words for Ben Roethlisberger.

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When Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement on Thursday, the last person I expected to congratulate him would be have been former teammate Antonio Brown.

However, that is exactly what Brown did, taking to Twitter and Instagram with surprisingly kind words for his former quarterback.

Brown said he and Roethlisberger were the best tandem of all time. This might not be wrong. When Brown was with the Steelers, he and Roethlisberger had a rare connection which led to Brown topping 100 receptions and 1,200 receiving yards for an unprecedented six consecutive seasons. Neither guy has the career they do without the other.

It is good to see Brown willing to bury the hatchet publicly after his scathing comments about Roethlisberger after Pittsburgh traded Brown to the Las Vegas Raiders. Brown has since turned his opinion of Big Ben around and made peace on some level.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZPzicivpOt/

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Giants legend Eli Manning congratulates Ben Roethlisberger on retirement

New York Giants great Eli Manning offered up his congratulations to Ben Roethlisberger on retirement and a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

On Thursday, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement from the NFL, marking the end of an era for the 2004 draft class.

Big Ben was, of course, the final quarterback to retire out of the big three to come out of that draft class. The others being long-time San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and New York Giants great Eli Manning.

The former Giant and two-time Super Bowl champ took to Twitter to congratulate his fellow 2004 draftee Ben Roethlisberger on his career:

“Hey, Ben. Just wanted to congratulate you on retirement, pal. Eighteen years with one historic organization is a great task, so congratulations on that,” Manning said.

“You know, we’ve been tied together since our draft class in 2004, so it’s an honor to have shared that … with you. It’s an honor to have competed against you and it’s an honor to call you a friend now, man. All the best in retirement and enjoy.”

Roethlisberger, like Manning with the Giants, won two Super Bowls for the Steelers and certainly left his mark on the NFL. With such storied careers as Roethlisberger, Manning and Rivers all had, the debate will continue on which QB was the best out of the three.

Roethlisberger will likely make the Hall of Fame as his stats clearly stack up against most, let alone against the other quarterbacks in Steelers franchise history.

Had Big Blue failed to execute the draft-day trade with the then-San Diego Chargers, the Giants were rumored to be in favor of taking Big Ben over Rivers. And if former GM Ernie Accorsi was unable to come to an agreement with San Diego, the implications quite literally change football history.

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When is Ben Roethlisberger eligible for the Hall of Fame?

Now that Big Ben is officially retired, the countdown to Canton is on!

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The biggest non-surprise of the Steelers season happened today — Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement.

Roethlisberger is a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer with 5,440 pass completions, over 64,000 passing yards, 418 touchdowns, two Super Bowls, and 165 wins in 18 seasons.

To be eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a player must be retired for at least five seasons. So, Roethlisberger’s first shot at a gold jacket will be 2027.

There’s still time to book a flight and accommodations.

Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley had a chance to talk to Big Ben about his next stop being Canton. He said he tries not to think about it.

“It’s humbling to have people say [next stop is Canton], but I try not to think about it,” Roethlisberger said. “That’s such a special, elite company to be in, elite place. If one day you’re lucky enough, blessed enough for them to call your name or them to come shake your hand and tell you that you’re in, it’s hard to think about it until then. People just talk about it. You just get humbled every time it’s brought up. I would feel incredibly blessed one day to be able to get there.”

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AFC North: Ben Roethlisberger posts his retirement via video

Big Ben makes it official with a video today, he is retiring from the NFL after years of tormenting the Browns:

The Cleveland Browns will finally, officially not have to deal with Ben Roethlisberger with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite success against Roethlisberger in 2020 including a playoff victory, “Big Ben” has been a thorn in the team’s side since being drafted by their division rival.

Since the Browns passed on drafting the Ohio native in the 2004 NFL draft, Roethlisberger has led the Steelers to a 26-3-1 record against them.

While his play had gone downhill due to age and injuries the past few seasons, the former Miami of Ohio product still led the team to the playoffs the last two seasons. Roethlisberger hasn’t been able to lead Pittsburgh to a playoff victory since 2016 despite all the other success.

Thursday, Roethlisberger posted a video to Twitter confirming what was expected, that he was retiring from the NFL:

As the Steelers look for a new quarterback, the team also needs to replace their defensive coordinator after Keith Butler retired this offseason. A couple of big transitions for the Browns AFC North rival. None bigger than the retirement of Big Ben.