“Ben wouldn’t be so good if it wasn’t for Antonio Brown.”

“AB isn’t the same without Ben.”

How many times have you heard these kind of statements Nation?

It’s almost like the old argument about which came first, the chicken or the egg? Is Ben only Ben because he’s got AB, or is AB only AB because he has Ben?

I’m going to discuss this in a series of posts, starting with this one, where we’ll focus on Ben. Let’s start the discussion by looking at some stats that have been accumulated by one “elite” quarterback:

• Owns 2 500 yard passing games in a career (only QB to ever do so.)
• Has 2 40 completion games in a season (again, only QB to ever do so in a year, or even in a career.)
• Has 2 consecutive games with 6 TD pass games (you guessed it, only QB to ever do that as well.)
• One of only 4 quarterbacks to throw 5 TD passes in consecutive games.
• Holds the record for most touchdown passes in consecutive games.
• Thrown 10 touchdowns in each of his 12 seasons (which is tied for third most consecutive seasons to start a career.)
• Has 3 perfect passing games during the regular season (one of only 2 QB’s ever.)
• Has 2 perfect passing games in a single season (only QB ever to do so.)
• One of only 10 quarterbacks in history of NFL to record 40 career 300+ yard games.
• Reached 40,000 yards in 163 games – fifth fastest in history of the NFL.
• Reached 25,000 yards in 3,109 passes – second fastest in history of the NFL.
• One of only 6 quarterbacks to surpass 3,000 passing yards in nine consecutive seasons.
• Second youngest quarterback to start in a Super Bowl.
• Most regular season wins as a rookie QB.
• Youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
• Has won 2 Super Bowls and appeared in 3.

What elite QB am I talking about? Who could it be? (I mean, assume you didn’t read the title to this post, and that you don’t realize you’re on a Steelers blog.)

If you somehow got here without realizing this is a Steelers site, and you don’t like titles, so you didn’t read it, you might not be sure who those stats all belong to.

Drew Brees? No.

Tom Brady (sorry, vomited a little in my mouth as I typed that?)

No. Peyton Manning? No.

Ben Roethlisberger – YES!

That is right, Ben Roethlisberger.

Ben holds nearly every single franchise passing record, and by the time he retires, will probably own them all. He is the only QB in league history to do certain things (and that doesn’t even account for Ben’s escapability, which is unlike any other QB ever.) Is it beyond our imagination that he might not pass for 500 plus maybe 2 or even 3 more times in his career? With the receiving corps we currently have, and with Martavis hopefully returning next year, I’d say it’s not a question of if he does, but how many times he does.

As stated above, Ben already has two, and nobody – let me repeat that – NOBODY in the history of the NFL has more than 1.

As I alluded to in that first paragraph, Ben plays his position, in my opinion, in a way that has never been seen before. He’s not Steve Young or Fran Tarkenton in the pocket, but every week whomever is announcing the game simply has to mention how difficult it is to bring him down. He does things in the pocket nobody else does. His QB rating after contact is other-worldly. His completion percentage after contact is ridiculous. (I tried to find some stats to back that up, but I couldn’t, although I know it’s another talking point that comes up whenever a Steelers game is nationally televised.)

The point I remember being made is that Ben’s completion percentage and quarterback rating actually goes UP after he’s contacted: he’s unlike anyone else you’ve ever seen.

As that contact information would indicate, Ben thrives on the physicality of the game. Yes, at times, he can be a little dramatic, and can overstate injuries (“I had broken toes”) but then again, nobody would ever say this guy wasn’t tough-as-nails either. There is no question that he does not get the same protection from the officials that other “elite” quarterbacks do.

I will never forget the Ravens game where Haloti Ngata broke his nose, and one of his linemen (I think it was Max Starks) asked the refs why they weren’t calling a penalty and the story is that the ref replied “He’s a big guy. He can take care of himself.” I’m sorry but if you fart near Brady or Manning a flag gets tossed (ok, depending on what was eaten, maybe that should be a penalty, but you get my point.)

One of the other things I believe strongly about Ben is that he makes the team better. I used to say it was just his receivers, but I don’t think that’s where it ends anymore. As Ben has matured and as he’s grown and become more of a “student of the game”, he is now making everyone better. There is no question that the line blocks better when Ben is in, the receivers seem more aware, and they make catches that, in some cases, or just crazy (Hello Martavis Bryant through the legs and flipping over!)

It’s not just me either, there is actual evidence to support this! Receivers who flowered with Ben as their quarterback (yes I’m talking about you Mike Wallace) and left for the big money, soon discovered that life without Ben wasn’t as sweet as it was with him.

He throws balls every single week that cause the announcers to marvel at their placement.

Here is a perfect example of what I mean: remember Super Bowl XLIII against the Cardinals? Ben was 21/30 for 256 with 1 TD and 1 pick. I said after the game that James Harrison deserved the MVP, but I knew he wasn’t going to get it. Then I said if he doesn’t get it, it should go to Ben.

I laughed and was asked why.

I said, “Tone will get it because that’s just how it is. Ben gets no respect. Yeah, it was a great catch, but the fact that Ben put it where only Santonio could catch it, and on time, and under pressure. The throw was better than the catch.”

Sure enough, Santonio lifts the MVP trophy.

I maintain to this day, if it wasn’t going to Deebo, it should have been Ben’s.

The cry of “Ben gets no respect” is one that has sounded loud and long amongst Steelers Nation, and I am glad to say that it seems to finally be changing. The Steelers ran a piece called 7-on-7, which had several different Hall of Fame players, and others, who discussed their views on Mr. Roethlisberger.

Here are a few of the things people had to say:

“He has the ability to lead his team, that is the word I think about when I think of Ben, leader. He always seems to be pulling one out of the fire and taking his team down the field.” – Dan Fouts

“I just think any year he is going to play 15, 16 games, he is in the discussion to be the best quarterback in football.” – Peter King

“He is one of the elite quarterbacks in the game. He is a future Hall of Famer without question.” – Stephen A. Smith

“You watch him the last three years and he is getting a little better, a little better. It’s like fine wine. Supposedly it gets better with age and that is what Ben Roethlisberger has done right in front of our eyes in the National Football League.” – James Lofton

Even our own HOF QB, Terry Bradshaw has started singing Ben’s praises. In an interview on Steelers.com, Bradshaw said this about Ben:

“I would rate Ben right on top of the list, ahead of (Tom) Brady for sure and anybody else, (Philip) Rivers, Eli (Manning.)”

Bradshaw continues, saying that it’s Ben’s poise (read that as the ability to perform under pressure) that sets him apart and makes him a great leader.

This is coming from the same man who in “the dark times” said that the Steelers should have “dumped” Roethlisberger, and we know that the two men have had issues beyond those in the past. Maybe, finally, the past has been put solidly in the past.

It’s not just Bradshaw and other players, the pundits (read that as the press) are starting to notice what they should have seen for years: Ben Roethlisberger is an elite quarterback. A once-in-a-lifetime talent, and a guy who plays the position in ways that nobody else does.

As I said before, Ben has grown up a lot, and he’s had to do it in the spotlight. Is there a more pressure filled position than that of NFL quarterback? Let alone the quarterback for maybe the most storied franchise in the league over the past 50 years? Ben has been under the microscope and the truth is that it’s not hard to imagine that kind of scrutiny and adulation going to a young man’s head. He made mistakes, and thank the powers that be, he learned from them.

The man he is now (married and a father of 3 and to all appearances a dedicated family man) is a man who has matured. He’s not the “frat boy” he was early on. He has been through a lot, and it has shaped him. Do you remember last year during the Bengals game how they highlighted the fact that Ben sent a young Steelers fan (whose father was a die-hard Bengal fan) a pair of signed shoes? He didn’t ask for notoriety about that, and I am positive that he does many other things under the radar that we never see. He’s a good man, and one who gives back. He has done, and I think continues to do work with the Make-a-Wish foundation and the Ronald McDonald house. His Ben Roethlisberger Foundation is a project that has gotten a lot of press, and deservedly so, as it provides K-9 units and service dogs to police in every city in which the Steelers play.

But, until recently, the guy, as Rodney Dangerfield might say, “can’t get no respect.”

What makes me laugh is that some of the most vocal critics Ben has are among the faithful.

He gets called “chubby.”

He’s called “slow.”

He’s called a variety of far worse names as well. (I’m not going to address the things Ben did in his past off the field. I am simply glad to see that the boy he once was has grown into a man who we can be proud to have on our team.)

I think we as Steelers fans have to take a step back and realize what a bunch of spoiled brats we are! (Adam Crowley would completely agree with that statement!) Steelers fans have been fans for the better part of our lives, and we have had unparalleled success. This franchise is the best in the NFL, no matter what anyone says. And we are spoiled – and our expectations have been molded by that (I think I’ll stop talking about that – there is enough content there for an entire article.)

Talent-wise, Ben is the best quarterback in the history of our team, and I include Bradshaw, who I love, in that group. He plays the position the way Joe Greene played his – with aggression and abandon and a will to win. When he hangs up his cleats, he will own every franchise record, and a great number of NFL records, and when he gets his gold jacket it will be well deserved. Let’s enjoy the ride for what’s left in it. He is a gift and one that I don’t think we had any idea we were being given when he was drafted.

Now, the title of this post is Ben and Antonio: Who made Who?

I haven’t even started talking about AB!

Ben is a rare and special talent, and right now he, and we, are lucky enough to have another one of those on the team, and that is Antonio Brown. The synchronicity between these two guys is amazing. In the next post we’ll take a look at the other half of this dynamic duo, a receiver for whom business has been “Boomin!” for the past few years.

Until next time Nation!