The Next Big Thing

I know that now that Big Ben won the AFC title game and the Steelers are on their way to the Super Bowl, people will be jumping on this bandwagon pretty quickly. (Much like Vince Young following the Rose Bowl showcase he put on) But the fact is, Mr. Roethlisberger is for real and anybody who knows football could have told you that when left Miami (OH). Minus his lost to the Hawkeyes, in which he threw 3 or 4 picks I think, he never lost the rest of the season, putting up solid numbers throughout. At 6' 5" and 240 lbs, this guy has size and smarts. He is quickly become a premier QB in the league and makes Bill Cowher look more like a Hall of Fame coach.

Pittsburgh's struggles in the playoffs often came from poor QB play, see Neil O'Donnell, and now with their strong running game, and a slew of above average WR, this team, on the offensive side of the ball, looks great. Having running backs like Bettis and Parker takes some of the burden off Big Ben, but the Steelers leading rusher, Bettis, only had 39 yards. This put a lot of pressure on Roethlisberger to make plays, and he did. He was 21 of 29 for 275 yards and 2 TDs with no picks. He played very efficiently. He made plays when he needed to and took care of the ball when he had to. Jake Plummer led to 4 turnovers, two INTs and two fumbles. Big Ben was also 7 of 9 on third down. Want to see the true test of a QB, this is it. Most of these were 3rd and long. He found a way to exploit, as did offensive coordinator Ken Wisenhunt, rookie CB Foxworth and take advantage of their 29th ranked pass defense all day.

Pittsburgh looked good, as did Seattle. In a Super Bowl with two very talented teams, QB play can make the difference. It may be to early to pick a winner, but right now it looks like Roethlisbeger and the Steelers are the early favorites. And the 2006 season may see a new MVP in Ben Roethlisberger.

Note: Look for USC QB Matt Lienart to grow into a second coming of Big Ben. He also has the size and ability to read the field that makes a good NFL QB.