Sept. 15, 2005, 1:06AM
Steelers QB dedicates season to his grandfather
By MEGAN MANFULL
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hopes his grandfather is watching. He wants him to see every game, every practice.
Ken Carl Roethlisberger was one of his grandson's biggest fans long before "Big Ben" became a household name. He attended all of Roethlisberger's high school games in Findlay, Ohio, and college games at Miami of Ohio.
When Roethlisberger arrived in the NFL last year, he put together an exceptional rookie season by going undefeated in all 13 of his regular-season starts. There was one void in the season, however. Ken Roethlisberger was too ill to attend even one of the games.
He died on June 25 at age 83.
"I was the only grandson, and we were very close, so this season will be special," said Roethlisberger, who will look to extend his record as a regular-season starter to 15-0 at Reliant Stadium on Sunday. "He never got to see a game because he was very sick and couldn't travel. Now, he gets to watch every game from the front row."
Roethlisberger is dedicating his second season to a man he always admired.
In last week's season opener, Roethlisberger put on a show that would have made his grandpa proud. The 23-year-old lifted the Steelers to a 34-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans to stretch his record as a starter in the regular season to 14-0, the longest such streak in NFL history by a quarterback to begin his career.
Roethlisberger, who completed nine of 11 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns, recorded a perfect passer rating (158.3). He is the first to accomplish that feat since Kansas City's Trent Green in 2003.
Roethlisberger doesn't get tied up in the numbers, though. It's the victories that are the most important, especially in a football- crazed city such as Pittsburgh.
"They live, breathe, die everything Pittsburgh Steelers," Roethlisberger said. "There are two seasons in Pittsburgh: football season and almost-football season. It's so important. You see the mania around the football season. It's almost like an added pressure the fans put on you as a quarterback to win football games for them."
Wins upon wins
Maybe it's that mentality that has scared Roethlisberger into winning. He emerged onto the scene as a rookie when starter Tommy Maddox was hurt in the second game of the season. Roethlisberger led the Steelers to 13 consecutive victories, sat out in Week 17 and saw his only loss come in the AFC Championship Game against New England.
"Basically, what he did all last year was unprecedented when you look at the history of quarterbacks thrown into the mix right away," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "I think the biggest thing Ben was able to do was manage this team and be a part of this team. He had to take things on his shoulders at times when we needed to make plays, and he did.
"Coming into this year, it's the same thing. We're not looking for him to do anything more than he did a year ago."
Texans outside linebacker Antwan Peek hasn't exactly been shocked with Roethlisberger's success. The 14-0 start was nothing Peek envisioned, but he did expect his former college rival to succeed.
"Ben has been a good quarterback since college," said Peek, a third-year player out of Cincinnati. "I'm looking forward to playing against him again. We had a lot of fun against each other.
"He has the players around him to help him. It's not just Ben doing the work all by himself. He has Pro Bowl linemen, and he has a great running back in the backfield. So he has a lot of guys around him to help him form them into the team that they are now."
No. 7's crew
Roethlisberger credits his supporting cast with much of his success.
"You have to know as a starting quarterback that there are going to be games that people love you and games where they're ready to kill you," Roethlisberger said. "That's just part of being a quarterback. In Pittsburgh, everything's magnified.
"When you're winning, you're glorified even more, and when you're losing, they'll rip you apart. So, its just part of the territory and hopefully you'll win more than you lose."
That's Roethlisberger's goal, especially with his grandfather watching from the front row.
megan.manfull@chron.com
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