Big Ben Follows Brady's Lead

The QBs: Big Ben follows Brady's lead and just finds ways to win
Mike Bires, Beaver County Times Sports Staff
01/23/2005

PITTSBURGH - Some say Tom Brady is the second coming of Joe Montana, a "system" quarterback who wins and win and wins. The same can be said about the other quarterback in the AFC Championship Game.

Like Brady, a fourth-year pro who's already led the New England Patriots to a pair of Super Bowl wins, Ben Roethlisberger has a knack of doing whatever it takes to secure a win.

While Brady is 7-0 as a starter in the playoffs, Roethlisberger has yet to lose as the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting quarterback. He's 14-0.

Tonight, one of the streaks will end at Heinz Field when the Steelers (16-1) host the Patriots (15-2) in the AFC Championship Game.

"Tom knows he can't win a game by himself," Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "Somebody has to block. Someone has to catch the passes he throws. He knows that more than anyone."

So does Roethlisberger, the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the year. Even though he ranked fifth in the regular season among all NFL quarterbacks with a 98.1 passer rating- Brady was ninth at 92.6 - he's not a prolific passer like Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts or Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles.

This season as the Steelers re-established the run - they ranked second in rushing and first in rushing attempts - they passed only 358 times. Only the Atlanta Falcons threw fewer passes.In other words, all the Steelers have asked of "Big Ben" is to compliment a potent running game.

"He's done unbelievably well," Brady said of Roethlisberger. "My first year as a rookie, no way I could I have done what he did. I was awful. I couldn't do anything. I was just hoping to show up with my playbook." A sixth-round draft pick out of Michigan, Brady played briefly in one game in 2000 when he served as Drew Bledsoe's backup. A year later, he wrestled the starting job away from Bledsoe and led the Patriots to the first Super Bowl championship in franchise history.

Last season when the Pats won another Super Bowl, Brady became just the fourth player to win multiple Super Bowl MVP honors. Montana, the former San Francisco 49ers superstar, has four. Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr and former Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw each have two.

In the 69 games he's started as a pro, Brady has won 55. That winning percentage of .797 ranks first among all active NFL quarterbacks.

"Tom Brady is in a situation a lot of quarterbacks want to be in, and that's winning Super Bowls," Roethlisberger said. "I'm trying to emulate his winning style. He finds ways to get it done and wins games. If I can win like him, I'll be very happy."

The Steelers haven't lost since Sept. 19 when they were beaten by the Baltimore Ravens, 30-14. In the third quarter of that game, Tommy Maddox went down with an elbow injury and Roethlisberger has been the man ever since (although he didn't play the regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills due to a minor rib injury).

"Everything I hear about Ben is that he gives a lot of credit to his teammates," Brady said.

"I've tried to earn their respect," said Roethlisberger, a former star at Miami of Ohio and the 11th overall pick of the 2004 NFL Draft. "Hopefully, I've done that."

If the Steelers beat the Patriots tonight, Roethlisberger will become the first NFL rookie to start in the Super Bowl.

Mike Bires can be reached online at mbires@timesonline.com.
©Beaver County Times Allegheny Times 2005