Fortune Has Smiled on Big Ben

By Joe Bendel
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 6, 2005

Ben Roethlisberger knows he could be living the life of San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers, a 2004 first-round draft pick serving as a backup on a playoff contender.

But ...

"Some people get lucky," Roethlisberger said Wednesday. "I was lucky to be a part of a great organization and a great situation. Things just happened to work out for me. For some people, they do. And, for some, they don't. Unfortunately, Philip has to sit behind a great quarterback in Drew Brees."

For Roethlisberger, fate intervened in his rookie season, when Tommy Maddox suffered an elbow injury in Week 2, and Roethlisberger went on to win a record 15 consecutive regular-season starts before losing to the Patriots on Sept. 25 at Heinz Field.

For Rivers, fate has been less kind, highlighted by a draft-day trade from the New York Giants to the Chargers and a subsequent holdout that sabotaged his hopes of beating out then-unproven Brees for the starting job.

All of which brings us to Monday night, where Roethlisberger will grab the spotlight, and Rivers will continue to sit behind Brees.

"Like I've said, I've been fortunate, and a lot of things have gone my way," said Roethlisberger. "You just never know what's ahead of you in the future."

Roethlisberger was selected seven spots behind Rivers in the 2004 draft, possibly because he played at Miami (Ohio) in the MAC instead of the ACC, where Rivers played at N.C. State. Roethlisberger was asked if MAC players tend to get less credit coming out of college.

"A little bit," he said. "But it's just one of those things that when you come from a little school, no one thinks you can do it. I've said a million times that you have to go out and be the best you can be -- and that where you come from doesn't matter. It also helped that I came to a team that fit me. Not everybody gets to be in the position I was put in. A lot of it was luck."

Roethlisberger was the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year last season, had a sandwich named after him and watched his jersey become the top seller in the league.

Rivers, meantime, watched from the sideline, as Brees led the Chargers to the AFC West title, went to the Pro Bowl and was named the Comeback Player of the Year.

Roethlisberger is 16-2 as a starter, including the playoffs. Rivers is 0-0.
Rivers was the fourth-overall pick in the '04 draft by the Giants, who then swapped him for No. 1 overall selection Eli Manning because Manning refused to sign with the Chargers. Projected as a rookie starter, Rivers held out of training camp until Aug. 24 and lost his opportunity to supplant Brees.

Brees took advantage of the situation. He ranks fourth in the NFL this season in passing, has completed 82.6 percent of his passes the past two weeks (both victories) and operates an offense that ranks second in total points.

The Chargers made Brees their franchise player last season and signed him to a one-year, $8.078 million deal, and also exercised their 2010 option on Rivers' deal that's worth $6.625 million.

The Chargers seem to believe the two quarterbacks can co-exist.

"From our point of view, we have an ideal circumstance," Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer said yesterday via conference call. "We have a young man in Drew Brees, who's made considerable progress, and behind him, Philip, whom we hold in extremely high regard.
Fortunately, we're in a position where I think we can afford them both."

Not that Rivers, whose salary in '06 is just $615,000, plans to stay on the bench.

"I'm not going to sit here forever," he told ESPN.com recently. "There's an end to it. Do I want to be a Charger in '06? Sure. But more importantly, I want to be a starting NFL quarterback somewhere."

To Brees' credit, he's never been threatened by having Rivers in the organization, despite Rivers' first-round status.

"I'm a pretty confident guy," Brees said yesterday. "I knew that '03 (when he threw for 11 touchdowns and 15 interceptions) was just a fluke. In my mind, I believe everything happens for a reason. That happened to make me a stronger person, a stronger player and us a strong team."

Joe Bendel can be reached at joecbendel@aol.com or (412) 320-7811.