Ben Roethlisberger 12 TD's In 2 Weeks

So how much of the lack of respect for Roethlisberger is because he plays in a smaller market and how much because he wasn't as much of a key player in his first Super Bowl win? On a somewhat related (because San Fran is a non-East Coast market) question, what kind of praise would the Yankees, Red Sox, etc., be getting right now if they had just won a third World Series in five years?

 

He's a ballerina in a bear's body. Phenomenal footwork under pressure.

 

Phenomenal footwork and instinct. Deserves more respect.

 

That's not it with the Giants. It's the lack of regular-season success. Baseball's playoffs are fun because they are unpredictable and a lot of teams have a chance. But they are the worst of the big four at identifying the best team.

 

How much does Roethlisberger's success have to do with having Antonio Brown, who may be the best wide receiver in the game the past few weeks, and the sudden emergence of Martavis Bryant, who may or may not be a fluke. Nothing in his past other than the dreaded "potential" tag has shown he could do this.

Not knocking Roethlisberger per se, but it seems he finally has two receivers along with Miller that can scare teams.

 

Maybe Martavis Bryant is realizing his potential because of who's throwing to him.

 

He has a pretty favorable schedule the rest of the season.

 

He was a bit in the shadows of Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins at Clemson.

Kind of funny that he was drafted after The Jets took two other receivers, neither of which made the team. Because Rex Ryan's kid played at Clemson Rex claimed to have vast knowledge of Tiger players.

 

Given Rex's vast knowledge, you'd think the Jets would have reinvented the kicking game by now

 

Market size does not have nearly the same impact in the NFL as it does in MLB. The Steelers get plenty of attention on the national level every bit their share of exposure in nationally-televised games.

Roethlisberger has started in three Super Bowls, two of them victories. He has also brought plenty of bad publicity on himself. The guy does not lack for exposure.

 

Is it just me, or has Ben done this in the teeth of backlash that he's not the QB he once was?

Just seems to me that fewer and fewer people have been numbering him as one of the elite QBs the past year or two.

 

Roethlisberger is in his 11th NFL season. He had thrown for 500 yards in a game previously. He had also thrown for five touchdowns in one contest. He was most likely well on his way to the Hall of Fame before these last two games. I'm fairly certain da man nailed it when he said it was more likely Roethlisberger making Bryant look good than the other way around.

I can't remember which of Bryant's two touchdowns it was last night, but on one of them, it was Roethlisberger creating the opening with a pump fake and then throwing right on target to Bryant. He uses the pump fake as well as any quarterback in the game and nobody is better at avoiding the rush and buying time to make a big play.

The funny thing is, getting away from those types of play is what seems to have made Roethlisberger so much better. He is making more quick throws than he used to and he is dumping the ball off to his running back more than ever. Le'Veon Bell is a big part of that. Mendenhall was also able to make plays as a receiver, but Roethlisberger never used him the way he uses Bell. Before that, he had feature backs like Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker and they both stunk as receivers.

You are right in pointing out the play of Antonio Brown. He keeps making one highlight-reel play after another. Tough catches in traffic. Short passes turned into long touchdowns. He is about as complete a receiver as you will find. But the rest of the receivers? I think that is playing with Brown and catching passes from Roethlisberger that is making them look better than they are.