It's Big Ben's Time

Friends,

In true Middle Man form :-), I want to look at the other side of the coin a bit. I have to say that even though I am not a Steelers fan...which is probably apparent if you read yesterday's article...I am a Ben Roethlisberger fan. What is amazing to me is that this guy seems to be the Rodney Dangerfield of QB's in the NFL. He does not seem to get any respect. Now that he has won two Super Bowls, perhaps he will get some more love, but he just does not seem to be able to shake the down-to-earth, kid-next-door image that would allow him to be compared to some of the other NFL greats. Don't get me wrong, I think his folksy demeanor is great...it is what endears him to people, but it just does not seem to have the same effect as Tom Brady's shoot and ask questions later demeanor. What is truly amazing is that Payton Manning has much the same personality as Big Ben, down-to-earth...and yet, he has been able to transcend to be one of the top three or so faces of the NFL. Maybe all it will take is time. But, Terry Bradshaw won four Super Bowls for the Steelers and he has never been mentioned amongst the top ten, or maybe even top fifteen all-time great QBs. Much of all this may have something to do with quarterbacking the Steelers. I think that there is a certain amount of disrespect that goes with being the Steelers QB, because they have always been known for stellar defense and running game. Ben's image also took a hit because he had the worst winning QB rating of all time in the Steelers SB XL victory over the Seahawks. Nevertheless, it is almost like a mental block to even consider that there could be an adequate to great Steelers QB because so much attention, historically, has been given to these other positions.

Make no mistake about it though...Big Ben willed this Steelers team to victories this year. He should have won the Super Bowl MVP, if nothing else, just because he carried this team on his back all year while he had running backs dropping like flies to injuries. Understand, I do not have a problem with Santonio Holmes winning the MVP, but it just goes to show the lack of respect for Steelers QB. If it had been Tom Brady or Payton Manning who had led his team down the field for the game winning touchdown, either one would have been the shoe in MVP...and this, not to mention the fact that Ben led the Steelers to six 4th quarter comebacks this year. So...it is time to give the Steelers QB his props. Big Ben deserves much of the credit for the Steelers success this year. Let's hope that it will not take three, four or five Super Bowls for him to get the respect he deserves. Make no mistake about it, he could very well lead his team to this many more championships...because Big Ben is one thing -- a winner. Blessings,

Don