By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
John Marshall Mantel/Associated Press
Eli Manning, left, and Ben Roethlisberger were two of the top quarterbacks taken in the 2004 NFL draft.
In a league whose greatest stars, historically, have been quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning will form a rare combination when they meet Sunday at Heinz Field. And it's not because their division-leading teams have identical 5-1 records.
They are one of only three sets of quarterbacks in NFL history to be drafted in the same year and win Super Bowls. And they are the only pair to be drafted in the first round.
Roethlisberger was the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft and had instant success, going 13-0 as a starter his rookie season and winning the Super Bowl in 2005. Manning was the first overall pick in 2004 and, after some early struggles, led the Giants to the Super Bowl title last season, winning the Most Valuable Player Award in the process.
"We both have come a long way," Roethlisberger said. "We both have won Super Bowls. It's fun watching him grow and get better as a fellow quarterback and guy from the same draft class."
The only other quarterbacks from the same draft class to win a Super Bowl were Jim Plunkett and Joe Theismann (1971) and Phil Simms and Joe Montana (1979). Plunkett and Simms were first-round choices; Montana was a third-round pick and Theismann was drafted in the fourth round.
But, this is the first time two first-round picks who won Super Bowl rings will meet in a regular-season game.
"I think that that bodes well for two young quarterbacks who had an opportunity to play as young guys and experienced a lot going through the first couple of years," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin.
"They stood tall and accepted whatever challenge was thrown in their way. They have each, in their own right, made outstanding contributions to the game and to their franchises."
Based on the way each team is playing, nobody would be surprised if this was just the first of two meetings this season between the marquee quarterbacks. The other one could be in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla.
This could be the start of the chase.
"There is always that little thing inside you that wants to be the best," Roethlisberger said. "I do want to win another Super Bowl before he does."
Roethlisberger and Manning have met once before -- in 2004 when each were rookies and each were headed in opposite directions.
The Steelers beat the Giants, 33-30, Dec. 18 in East Rutherford, N.J., a game in which Roethlisberger threw for more than 300 yards for the first time (316) in his career. It was the 11th victory for Roethlisberger in a season when he became the only NFL quarterback to go 13-0 in a regular season.
But it was something of a breakout game for Manning, too. Despite going 1-6 as a starter as a rookie, Manning threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns and had a season-high passer rating of 103.8 against the Steelers.
"I remember that game because I was coming off of an awful game at Baltimore; it was early in my career and I was going through some struggles," Manning said. "We came to play Pittsburgh, a team that had won a bunch of games in a row and was hot; they were playing great football; their defense was one of the best in the league at the time.
"We came out and we played well. I finally played decent for the first time and managed the game pretty well and made some big plays. At the time it was important for me and for my confidence and the confidence of my teammates that I could go out there and compete, and put us in the situation to possibly win the game."
Manning was the first overall pick in the 2004 draft, but he was chosen by the San Diego Chargers. The Giants actually drafted Philip Rivers with the fourth overall selection and then swapped quarterbacks with the Chargers.
Rivers could become the third quarterback from that draft class to win a Super Bowl. The Chargers made it to the AFC championship game last season and are considered one of the top teams in the AFC, despite their 3-4 start. No draft class in NFL history has produced three Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks.
Manning and Roethlisberger each said there is no rivalry among the three, just because they were each drafted the same year
"No, there really isn't," Manning said. "As a quarterback, you try to get your team prepared. Early on you are just trying to learn as much as you can to become a better player each game, each week and each season. All you can really do in this league is try to improve your own ability and help out your own team to win games for your own organization."
So far, they have each done that with great success.
Gerry Dulac can be reached at gdulac@post-gazette.com.
First published on October 24, 2008 at 12:00 am
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