Goodbye Big Ben!
Well it’s official that Ben Roethlisberger is retiring from the Pittsburgh Steelers football team. I’ll miss him dearly. It’s not often that a football team gets 18 years of stability at the quarterback position. When he replaced Tommy Maddox in 2004 and led the team to a 15-1 record, I knew he was special. Actually, I knew he was special when the Steelers drafted him. Goodbye Big Ben! See you in the Hall of Fame.
The Tackle
It’s probably a little strange to highlight a tackle that a quarterback made. In the 2006 playoffs, Jerome Bettis fumbled at the goal line and the Colt’s Nick Harper picked it up and starting sprinting for a touchdown. Big Ben dove at him and grabbing his ankle, and brought him down. The Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl in Bettis’ home town of Detroit. This play is etched in Steelers folklore.
The Throw
Super Bowl 43 was a back and forth matchup between the Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals. The Steelers were losing 23-20 with 2:30 remaining in the game. Big Ben led the team down the field getting them to the 6 yard line with 48 seconds remaining. Two plays later, Big Ben found Santonio Holmes in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown and the win. The throw was a laser and Holmes made a catch that remains in Steelers folklore.
Rivals
Big Ben played some of his best football against AFC North rivals the Baltimore Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns. I remember a lot of hits on him by Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs of the Ravens. I also remember the dirty hits by Vontaze Burfict of the Bengals. And, I remember him beating the Cleveland Browns almost every time they played. Ben showed up for the biggest games and represented Steelers Nation with pride.
And More
There are so many more highlights. Here is a great YouTube video of Ben’s career highlights.
All-time great!