Should Ben TheRapist be called an elite QB?

[BradyFTW!]

Roethlisberger is an elite QB. How could anyone argue otherwise?

 

[Real American Hero]

Roethlisberger is an elite QB. How could anyone argue otherwise?

I think it is a matter of how one defines elite vs. very good or even great. If you draw that distinction Big Ben is somewhere between very good and great right now. If consistently being one of the top 5-7 QBs year in year out is your measure of elite then sure he's elite now.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

A lot of NFL fans (and almost all Steeler fans) like to use the record in Super Bowls stat as some sort of be-all end-all stat. I think it's kind of ridiculous.

Reason for that is by that logic losing in a conference championship (or earlier - or losing regular season games to miss the playoffs entirely) does not count against a player or team at all - yet winning those same exact games (but losing in the final game) is something horribly bad.

Sorry, but that makes no sense - though both fans and the media will continue to recite won-loss records in the Super Bowl for eternity as if it was some deeply meaningful stat.


Back to the original topic: yes, Roethlisburger is currently one of the NFL's best quarterbacks even if his style is markedly different from that of Brady, Manning, Brees and Rivers.

Yep, this is pretty accurate. The other issue here is that Ben didn't even make the playoffs in 2006 or 2009. So no playoff losses, but didn't Brady achieve more last year by getting his team INTO the playoffs? Would you rather have a quarterback get you a first-round bye and be one-and-done, or have a guy go 1-1? In both cases, the QB got the team to the divisional round.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I think it is a matter of how one defines elite vs. very good or even great. If you draw that distinction Big Ben is somewhere between very good and great right now. If consistently being one of the top 5-7 QBs year in year out is your measure of elite then sure he's elite now.

There are only a few QBs who can consistently make plays behind a porous line, and he's one of them. I absolutely detest the guy, but he's excellent in the clutch, makes huge plays, has run offenses that had virtually no running threat with some success (Mendenhall's rookie year/Parker's last year) and he's one game away from winning 3 SBs by age 28. If that's not elite, I have no idea what is.

 

[BradyFTW!]

A lot of NFL fans (and almost all Steeler fans) like to use the record in Super Bowls stat as some sort of be-all end-all stat. I think it's kind of ridiculous.

Reason for that is by that logic losing in a conference championship (or earlier - or losing regular season games to miss the playoffs entirely) does not count against a player or team at all - yet winning those same exact games (but losing in the final game) is something horribly bad.

Sorry, but that makes no sense - though both fans and the media will continue to recite won-loss records in the Super Bowl for eternity as if it was some deeply meaningful stat.


Back to the original topic: yes, Roethlisburger is currently one of the NFL's best quarterbacks even if his style is markedly different from that of Brady, Manning, Brees and Rivers.

I'd agree with that. All it really does is penalize QBs who are good enough to bring teams that wouldn't have otherwise been in the SB to the SB. Last year, the Steelers went 9-7 and missed the playoffs, the Pats got blown out on their home field in the wild card round at 10-6, and the Colts went 14-2 and lost in the SB. Should that year somehow count as a minus for Manning, compared to Brady and Roethlisbberger? No way, that's just asinine.

 

[Ron Sellers]

I'm guessing every Steeler forum out there has its own thread devoted to this article. I just wish somebody other than Gerry Callahan would have been the voice of Pats fans.

Ben Roethlisberger's a zero, not a hero - BostonHerald.com

It’s up to the Green Bay Packers now, our Packers, America’s team. They are the last best hope for good and decent football fans everywhere. Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews and the rest of the Pack are all that stand between Ben Roethlisberger and his nauseating return to polite society.

It seems to be a familiar question when Roethlisberger is in the room, but we must ask again: Could someone please stop this man?

Roethlisberger was thoroughly outplayed by Mark Sanchez, who nearly lifted the Jets out of a 24-0 hole. Big Ben completed just 10 passes, threw two picks and covered up a botched snap in the end zone for a safety. Roethlisberger’s numbers look like something Sanchez would wipe on a teammate’s coat. His passer rating was 35.5, which was naturally downplayed by many critics and columnists who, when watching the Steelers, seem to think the most important thing a quarterback can do is extend plays.

And here I was, under the assumption that they were supposed to, you know, make plays.

Here was how one scribe from SI.com described Roethlisberger’s performance: “This effort illustrated the entire palate of greatness Roethlisberger possesses . . . He improvised, extended plays and showed the will of a champion. Early Roethlisberger managed a run-oriented attack. Later, he picked apart maybe the best secondary in football.”

He did what? Now I admit I may have been distracted by the bartender in the Miller Lite man-thong commercial, but I saw most of this game. And just to be sure, I went back and checked: Roethlisberger completed three passes for 37 yards in the second half. He threw a pick and got sacked twice after halftime. He did enough to win, as he often does, but he picked apart nobody. He did not illustrate a palate of greatness, whatever that is. And he certainly didn’t deserve an “A,” which is the grade John P. Lopez awarded him on SI.com.

Not an “A-minus,” an “A” — for the guy with the 35.5 rating.

This is, of course, is only the beginning. The two-week deification of Roethlisberger begins. It’s been less than a year since he plied a group of college girls with alcohol and allegedly had his way with one of them in the bathroom while his stooge cop friend stood guard. Now Roethlisberger kneels and prays on the field after games. Now there is hardly a reminder of the behavior that got him bounced from the league for six games (later reduced to four).

 

[Bella*chick]

I'm guessing every Steeler forum out there has its own thread devoted to this article. I just wish somebody other than Gerry Callahan would have been the voice of Pats fans.

Ben Roethlisberger's a zero, not a hero - BostonHerald.com

Go, Gerry Callahan.:singing:

 

[The_Riddler]

The only reason Big Ben wasn't convicted in the case in Georgia was because of Police Misconduct.. The cops there screwed everything up so badly that there was no hope of getting the truth out.

And it's not the first time that this has come up. It came up in the lawsuit in Nevada. As well as times while he was in school in Ohio. It's just been swept under the rug..

That and the payoff to hush everything up.................

 

[Gunnails]

Ben is elite, top 5 or 6 QB in the world.

Has a different way of getting it done, has a great arm, very strong and big, tough as nails.

I hate the dirt bag.

 

[PittPatriot]

Ben is elite, top 5 or 6 QB in the world.

Has a different way of getting it done, has a great arm, very strong and big, tough as nails.

I hate the dirt bag.

Do you hate him because his team beat your team or do you hate him because he was accused of rape? I figure the latter is not a big deal to you if you are a Mark Sanchez supporter.

 

[Gunnails]

Do you hate him because his team beat your team or do you hate him because he was accused of rape? I figure the latter is not a big deal to you if you are a Mark Sanchez supporter.

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Ha Ha.

I hate him because of his over all demeanor, his goofy looks and voice, how he comes off dumb as a rock and selfish, and the rape thing.

- The rape thing, the same reasons I hate Cutler.

I do respect his play on the field.

 

[RobertWeathers]

All depends how you measure elite QBs.

Measurement #1- Pass for a bunch of yards, bunch of TDs, etc. (see Marino, Manning, Esiason, Fouts, etc.)

Measurement #2- Has won multiple Super Bowls but does not put up gaudy numbers every year (Starr, Aikman, Plunkett, Bradshaw)

Measurement #3- Does both (Montana, Brady, etc.)

I understand the fact that Ben has had some decent statistical seasons and has won multiple Super Bowls. If he wins a couple more titles and hits the 40-45k yards 250 TD threshold, he needs to be considered for the Hall of Fame.

Never thought it possible, but thanks to that defense it is very possible.

Just don't know how badly his off the field indiscretions will hurt him.

 

[PittPatriot]

===========================================

Ha Ha.

I hate him because of his over all demeanor, his goofy looks and voice, how he comes off dumb as a rock and selfish, and the rape thing.

- The rape thing, the same reasons I hate Cutler.

I do respect his play on the field.

I am not aware of Jay Cutler's history involving sexual assault. I always just see him as a victim. Mark Sanchez and his tag team partner/roommate Brian Cushing are a different story!
I'd put Ben in with the rest of them, but that does not make him any less of an elite QB.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

The bottom line is that if Roethlisberger wins his third SB as starting QB, he joins Aikman, Bradshaw, Brady and Montana as the only guys in 46 years of SB history who've done so. That makes him "Elite," whether we like it or not. Hopefully, people will regard him as "Elite with an asterisk."

 

[DarrylStingley]

The bottom line is that if Roethlisberger wins his third SB as starting QB, he joins Aikman, Bradshaw, Brady and Montana as the only guys in 46 years of SB history who've done so. That makes him "Elite," whether we like it or not. Hopefully, people will regard him as "Elite with an asterisk."

Yup. You win 3 SBs, you're elite. Ben has a knack for winning. He makes plays.

Other than Mendenhall, what Steeler stood out last Sunday on offense (and really defense) besides Ben? He made plays happen with his arm and his legs, and he was the MVP of that game, in my book.

I don't much like him. I do suspect that if we knew all the facts, we'd know that there are other really bad guys on both teams and in both teams' organizations, and that we just happen to know more about Ben than a lot of the other actors in this play.

But if winning is a key measure, Ben is elite. After Brady, Peyton and maybe Brees, there's no one I'd rather have QBing my team in a mythical game against the Russians for world domination. The only other guys I'd even think about are Rodgers and Rivers.

 

[Armen Da Pats Fan]

Well, first of all, Rapelisberger IS an elite QB because he wins. If the Steelers win Sunday, Ben the Molester will have the same hnumber of rings as Saint Thomas of Foxboro.

Ty Cobb was a winner and and a class a-hole. Jack Tatum was a winner and scumbag. Bob Gibson was a winner and loved to beat the crap out of black women in the offseason. Pete Rose was a winner and a degenrate gambler. Mike Tyson was a winner and a rapist. Roger Clemens was a winner. So was Barry Bonds.

So, winning has nothing to do with character.

Of course, I would rather have MY GUYS win the right way and have character, ala Brady, Youkilis, Jimmy Rice, Larry, Bird, Bourque, etc.

That said, here's what I hope happens in the Super Bowl:

Opening Steeler series, 1st and ten, Rapelisberger drops back and gets cut at the knees on a weak side blitz by Clay Matthews.

Torn up everywhere - ACL, MCL, DCL, MC5, ACDC, DC Cab, Run DMC, EMC2 - everything ripped to shreds.

Blown up.

It would be nice if his college-girl-raping penis also ended up dysfunctional on that hit.

Just at the moment, the two off duty Pittsburgh cops who guarded the bathroom door in GA have simultaneous massive strokes and become incapacitated and confined to wheelchairs for the rest of their rest of their lives having to speak through one of those beer bong tubes.

Then, Byron Leftwich or Charlie Batch comes in and goes 30 for 39 for 377 yards and four TDs and no INTs wins the MVP Award and the Steelers crush the Packers, 44-17.

Because, really, I love the Steelers (this comes from my youth of rooting for them as a surrogate team when the Pats sucked) and I hate the Packers (never forget Reggie White and Desmond Howard in '96!)...

So, I get my Steeler/AFC win, the Packers go down and fathers of college age daughters everywhere can sleep a little knowing Ben is off the rape circuit!

(Inhaling on my stogie)

...Yeah, that's the ticket!

 

[Rob0729]

Finally I heard a talking head who didn't kiss Roethlisberger's arse for his mediocre performance in the AFC title game. The apparent party line was that Roethlisberger was masterful by extending plays which made his pittiful completion percentage and interception ratio. Some I even heard some talking heads commend Roethlisberger for the INTs because they were deep in Jets' territory pinning them deep.

Boomer Easiason was on WEEI this morning and he said watching the game film Roethlisberger was awful. He should have been picked four times.

 

[DarrylStingley]

Finally I heard a talking head who didn't kiss Roethlisberger's arse for his mediocre performance in the AFC title game. The apparent party line was that Roethlisberger was masterful by extending plays which made his pittiful completion percentage and interception ratio. Some I even heard some talking heads commend Roethlisberger for the INTs because they were deep in Jets' territory pinning them deep.

Boomer Easiason was on WEEI this morning and he said watching the game film Roethlisberger was awful. He should have been picked four times.

Then Boomer missed the point. Ben missed some throws, to be sure, but he also made plays when he had to. With his feet. With his arm. By improvising.

I like Boomer a lot. But he's just way off here. Those two first downs at the end of the game were GREAT plays by Ben, even if one of the passes was behind the receiver a bit.

 

[Rob0729]

Then Boomer missed the point. Ben missed some throws, to be sure, but he also made plays when he had to. With his feet. With his arm. By improvising.

I like Boomer a lot. But he's just way off here. Those two first downs at the end of the game were GREAT plays by Ben, even if one of the passes was behind the receiver a bit.

And he missed a lot of plays with his arm. He was inconsistent at best. He made costly mistakes. He made some great plays and he made some god awful plays. Without the running game and defense in the first half, the Steelers would have been crushed. The guy completed 10 passes on 19 throws and he rushed for 21 yards on 11 attempts. He threw two bonehead picks (granted they were strategically great interceptions which proves how great he played by picking those times to be picked).

Did Roethlisberger play awful? No. Did he have a great day? No. He had an uneven day that all the media turned into a masterful performance. He was great at times and awful at others.

 

[DarrylStingley]

And he missed a lot of plays with his arm. He was inconsistent at best. He made costly mistakes. He made some great plays and he made some god awful plays. Without the running game and defense in the first half, the Steelers would have been crushed. The guy completed 10 passes on 19 throws and he rushed for 21 yards on 11 attempts. He threw two bonehead picks (granted they were strategically great interceptions which proves how great he played by picking those times to be picked).

Did Roethlisberger play awful? No. Did he have a great day? No. He had an uneven day that all the media turned into a masterful performance. He was great at times and awful at others.

Those rushing numbers pick up kneel downs and times when he was sacked or nearly sacked.

I dunno. I saw a guy who made the plays he needed to make and picked up some key first downs with his legs, especially on that first, tone setting drive.

Ben seems to me like a guy who often doesn't look pretty but gets the job done at a very high rate.

Would you really rather have anyone but him (if you excluded Tom and Peyton and Brees) if you had one game to win and your life depended on it? And if so, who would be on that list ahead of Ben (excluding the three I mentioned)? Would more than one or two guys be on it?