Ed Bouchette: Comebacks Are Becoming Roethlisberger's Signature

Be it in the form of fourth-quarter rallies or battling back from injuries
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Call it Big Ben Redux.

While the Steelers' one-point victory Monday night came as a surprise to many because they were such heavy favorites to beat the Baltimore Ravens in Heinz Field, the way they accomplished it was not.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger pulled out another game in the fourth quarter, leading the Steelers from behind to a 20-19 victory when Jeff Reed kicked a 37-yard field goal with 1:45 left.

The scenario has become almost routine for the second-year quarterback. He ran his personal record to 19-2, including playoffs, and eight of those victories came with the Steelers trailing in the second half, seven in the fourth quarter.

It's the kind of work John Elway made famous in Denver and Arnold Palmer turned into a trademark on the golf course. Crunch time has become Big Ben time.

"You know, we've done that pretty often with Ben as quarterback," center Jeff Hartings said.
Quarterbacks are fortunate to have one or two fourth-quarter comeback victories in a season, yet less than 11/2 seasons into his career Roethlisberger has seven. The Denver Broncos credit Elway with 46 game-winning drives and one that ended in a tie over the course of his 16 seasons, an average of nearly three per season.
As with Elway, Roethlisberger has developed a reputation as a quarterback who can pull a game out of the fire.

"He's a very poised quarterback. That's the only way I can put it," coach Bill Cowher said yesterday. "He has a feel for the game, an understanding of what the scenario is in terms of the time. He's a very competitive, confident individual in those situations. You never sense the guy overreacting. You can relate it to a lot of things, but he's like that guy in basketball who wants the ball in his hands with the game on the line. I would equate that to our quarterback at the end of a game."

Roethlisberger did it through another knee injury, only this one came on the first series and he played through it.

"He gutted it out. He was hurt," Cowher said. "After they came in and looked at it and taped it up, he told me at halftime, 'I'm going to give it a shot, but, if I feel like I'm hurting this team, I'm going to take myself out.' I told him, 'You know where you're at with it.' "
It's at least the third time he has had a knee injury this season. His right knee was bruised in the opener and his left knee was hyperextended Oct. 10 in San Diego.

"I've got a lot of respect for Ben. He's a competitive guy, he's a tough guy," Cowher said. "Our doctors have done a good job communicating with him and him with them in regards to the risks of putting him back out there. Like I said, I think it was painful and, hopefully, it's something he can work through. But we'll rest him and see where he is at the end of the week."

Roethlisberger has made the comeback famous in his short term as the Steelers' quarterback, both personally from injuries and from deficits in the fourth quarter. It was the second time in three games he led the Steelers to a comeback victory.

In San Diego, the Steelers trailed twice in the fourth quarter and twice he put them back on top with scoring drives. He guided them into position to win the game when he was injured with a minute left, and then Reed kicked a 40-yard field goal for a 22-21 victory.

It all began with Cincinnati in the fourth game last season, Roethlisberger's second pro start. Trailing, 17-14, in the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger took the Steelers 89 yards on 13 plays that ended with a 1-yard run by Jerome Bettis and a 17-14 victory.

It was the first of five fourth-quarter comeback victories last season to go with another in Cincinnati in which the Steelers trailed, 14-10, in the third quarter, winning, 19-14, after Roethlisberger threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Dan Kreider.

There could have been another this season when, trailing the Patriots , 20-13, Roethlisberger led a 51-yard drive in nine plays to tie the score with 1:58 on his 4-yard pass to Hines Ward. But the Patriots drove to the winning field goal with one second left.

"You look back and not just at the games we've won, but some of the games we've lost," Cowher said. "Against New England, we drove back down and tied that football game up. Unfortunately, we weren't the last ones with the ball in our hands.

"I think there's no question that you gain confidence, not just with your offense but with your whole football team, because you have a chance to come back and win a game at the end. Obviously, the more you're able to do that, when those situations arise, the more confidence it gives the team."


Seeding a legacy

A look at Ben Roethlisberger's comebacks in his brief career (all fourth quarter unless noted):

2004

1. Cincinnati:
Down, 17-14, he guides the Steelers 89 yards on 13 plays, Jerome Bettis scores from 1 out. Result: 21-17.

2. at Dallas:
Down, 20-10, he drives the team 74 yards on 11 plays and passes to Jerame Tuman for 7-yard TD, then drives 24 yards on five plays (following Dallas fumble) for Bettis 2-yard run. Result: 24-20.

3. at Cincinnati:
Down, 14-10, in the third quarter, Roethlisberger drives the team 53 yards on six plays, with 8-yard pass to Dan Kreider for TD. Result: 19-14.

4. at Jacksonville:
Down, 16-14 and with no timeouts, he drives the offense 56 yards on six plays to set up a Reed FG with 18 seconds left. Result: 17-16.

5. at New York Giants:
Down, 30-26, he leads the offense 67 yards on seven plays. Bettis scores on 1-yard run. Result: 33-30.

6. Jets (playoff):
Down, 17-10, Roethlisberger drives the offense 66 yards on 12 plays and throws tying 4-yard pass to Hines Ward. Result: 20-17 in overtime.

2005

7. at San Diego:
Down, 16-14, he takes the team 62 yards on three plays and passes 16 yards to Heath Miller for score with 10:30 left. Later, trailing, 22-21, he moves them 40 yards on 11 plays, all but three with him at quarterback, to set up Reed's 40-yard field goal with six seconds left. Result: 24-22.

8. Baltimore:
Down, 19-17, he moves them 60 yards on eight plays to put Reed in position to kick a go-ahead 37-yard FG. Result: 20-19.

(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3878.)