It was Big Ben's finest hour, and don't forget it

Monday, January 09, 2006
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

CINCINNATI -- They will talk about the Kimo von Oelhoffen hit on Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer all winter long. They will look at the replay over and over and over again and see a cheap shot every time. They will go to their grave thinking the Cincinnati Bengals would have won on this playoff yesterday if Palmer's left knee hadn't been busted on the second play.

I beg to disagree.

I don't think Palmer would have been the better quarterback on the field even if he had played.
Palmer would have had to do wondrous things to trump Ben Roethlisberger. On a day when the Steelers' defense struggled in the first half against a Bengals offense that was without Palmer and third receiver Chris Henry, who also was injured on the first drive, Roethlisberger kept his team from being blown out, then made a couple of big plays in the second half to fuel a 31-17 win. From this view, he clearly was the game MVP, although all Cincinnati fans surely would vote for von Oelhoffen.
"I'd take Ben over anybody," Hines Ward said.

They might argue that point in Indianapolis, where the Steelers will go for Round 2 of the playoffs Sunday. You'll be hearing a lot about the Colts' great Peyton Manning all week. It might not be such a bad idea to pay a little attention to Big Ben, who is the Steelers' best chance for a huge upset.

The Colts will be facing a much different Roethlisberger -- a more poised and confident Roethlisberger -- than the one who melted under the playoff spotlight a year ago. You could argue the win yesterday was his first legitimate post-season win, the one against the New York Jets last season a gift from troubled Jets kicker Doug Brien.

Actually, the Colts will be facing a much different Roethlisberger than the one they faced in late-November on a night they trounced the Steelers, 26-7. That was Roethlisberger's first game back after missing three games because of knee surgery. He wasn't exactly sharp on those rare occasions when the Colts' relentless pass rush gave him time to throw. He won't just be healthy this time around. He'll have offensive tackle Marvel Smith to protect his back. Smith missed that first game in Indianapolis.

"Ben has been working hard in practice to develop some timing and continuity with the receivers," Bill Cowher said. "That will be the biggest difference against Indianapolis this time ... We're going to need all the continuity we can get."

The fruits of Roethlisberger's labor were obvious after the Bengals took 10-0 and 17-7 leads. He threw a swing pass to wide-open running back Willie Parker that went for a 19-yard touchdown when the Steelers caught linebacker Brian Simmons in a blitz. That made it 10-7. He then followed a 54-yard pass to wide receiver Cedric Wilson with a 5-yard dart to Ward for a touchdown that made it 17-14.
"Our offense did a good job responding [to the Bengals' early scores]," Cowher said. "We kept coming back."

In the second half, Roethlisberger was even better. He threw a beautiful ball that Antwaan Randle El should have caught for a 45-yard touchdown despite pass interference by safety Kevin Kaesviharn. Randle El dropped the pass, but the 40-yard penalty set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Jerome Bettis for a 21-17 lead.

Roethlisberger's final touchdown pass was another beauty, a 43-yarder to Wilson that was set up by a little trickery -- a throw-back lateral from Randle El. The play-call by offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt so fooled the Bengals that Wilson and Ward were wide open.
"I had to draw straws in my head," Roethlisberger said, grinning. "I just threw it up there."

Don't believe it.

"He was aware of what was going on around him," Cowher said.
All day, Cowher meant.
"That's the thing I liked -- his composure and his poise," Cowher said.

Both were especially visible on a Roethlisberger scramble on the final play of the first quarter. It went for a mere 6 yards, but it might have been the most important play of the game. Down, 10-0, and facing a third-and-5 at the Steelers' 45, Roethlisberger stepped up in the pocket and sprinted toward the right sideline. If he doesn't get the first down there and the Steelers have to punt, who knows how the game turns out? As it was, Roethlisberger completed the drive with the touchdown pass to Parker, and the Steelers were alive.

"I just tried to get skinny and step up," Roethlisberger said of his scramble. "I saw Antwaan come across the middle, but I also saw a lot of green grass in front of me. I probably could have tried to get Antwaan the ball, but why take a chance?"

It's fair to say Roethlisberger wouldn't have made that same wise decision a year ago.

"Everything was so fast to him then," center Jeff Hartings said. "He was just trying to keep up."
And now?
"He's way out in front," Hartings said, "leading the way."

(Post-Gazette sports columnist Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1525.)