New York Post
http://www.nypost.com/
January 19, 2011
PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 15: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger breaks a tackle by defensive end Cory Redding #93 of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Heinz Field on January 15, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)The kid has beaten Peyton Manning, Hall of Famer in waiting, one Super Bowl ring. The kid has beaten Tom Brady, Hall of Famer in waiting, three Super Bowl rings. Now the kid tries to beat Big Ben Roethlisberger, potential Hall of Famer, two Super Bowl rings. All off Broadway.
And Big Ben will be the toughest for Mark Sanchez to bring down, because of the enormous stakes 60 minutes from Super Bowl XLV, because of the Steel Curtain standing between the Jets and a shot at the Lombardi Trophy, and simply because Big Ben is the most difficult quarterback on the planet to bring down, even for 300-pound defensive linemen. And when you don’t bring him down, he will move out of the pocket quicker than any 6-foot-5, 250-pound man should be able to, buy time for his receivers to get open, and heave it over a defender’s head with demoralizing accuracy. Ben-but-don’t-break.
If Manning and Brady are the NFL’s princes, Big Ben revealed himself as its ogre. Roger Goodell’s Personal Conduct Pauper, suspended for the first four games of the season, lucky the Steelers didn’t get rid of him following that sordid night in Milledgeville, Ga., when he was accused of acting like a Big Bum at best, a sexual predator at worst.
They say he has grown up. Maybe scared straight is a better way to put it. He can no longer afford for the Rooneys to get a late-night telephone call from the police. He can no longer afford to take a daredevil spin on his motorcycle with no helmet on. There are Steelers fans who will never forgive him for his most recent transgression. But most of them will if he brings home another championship and proves he is truly no longer a self-entitled, arrogant, above-the-law menace.
“I think the uniqueness with him begins with, No. 1, his stature,” CBS pregame analyst and former Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. “He’s very strong in the pocket. He’s got mobility for being a big guy. He’s so very difficult to bring down.
“He extends plays better than any quarterback in the National Football League.
“His ability to throw the ball down the field, coupled with extending plays, makes him extra dangerous.”
And that isn’t the half of it.
“He uses the pump fake better than any quarterback in the National Football League,” Cowher said. “He can take his left hand off the ball, pump fake, and be able to pull the ball back. A lot of times he is pump-faking with one hand. Not every quarterback can do that.”
The toughest quarterback SNY Jets analyst Joe Klecko had to bring down was Steve Grogan. He has some advice on bringing down Big Ben.
“You’re better off trying to hug [Roethlisberger] like a teddy bear than try to throw your body against him,” Klecko said.
Big Ben is the great improviser. Trevor Pryce will tell you there is no way to game plan against instinct.
“You’ve gotta be prepared to cover longer than you ever have before,” Cowher said.
“The play really begins when he gets hit,” Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said on SNY. “It’s like organized streetball. They’ve had some issues up front where they’ve allowed some free runners or guys have gotten beaten one on one, but he’s so good at making the first guy miss.”
Roethlisberger will, though, because of his ability to keep plays alive, hold on too long and take his fair share of sacks. He was sacked 32 times in 12 regular-season games, including three times by the Jets in their 22-17 Week 15 win in Pittsburgh.
Klecko is impressed with Big Ben’s field vision.
“Pressure up the middle will be real big with this guy,” Klecko said. But what about the danger outside the pocket? “He does buy time with his legs,” Klecko said. “OK, what would you rather have — him surveying the field and seeing everybody, or making him move off his spot? I’d rather have him move off his spot.”
Big Ben, 28 now, became the youngest quarterback (23) to win a Super Bowl, doing so with Cowher in his second season. He is 9-2 in the playoffs. Since 1980, only Joe Montana (16), Brady (14), John Elway (14), Brett Favre (13) and Troy Aikman (11) have more playoff wins.
“He’s a great competitor,” Cowher said. “I don’t think any stage is too big for him. He was thrust into a lot of big games early.”
Cowher was surprised that Big Ben lost his way, and believes he has learned his lesson.
“Family and image are important to him,” Cowher said. “It was something he took very much to heart.”
Big Ben, broken nose and all, takes Super Bowls to heart.
“I’ve never seen a man take more punishment and just keep on rolling,” Phil Simms said on Dan Patrick’s radio show. “He doesn’t flinch when he’s gonna get hit, and it just enables him to make so many plays that normal quarterbacks can’t do.”
Mission Impossible III? On Nov. 26, 2006, Rex Ryan’s Ravens sacked Big Ben nine times in a 27-0 victory. Bart Scott’s blindside smackdown left Big Ben flat on his back. When he returned, he told Scott: “Great hit, Bart.”
Time to clock Big Ben.
steve.serby@nypost.com
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