Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger

Pittsburgh Steelers
Career information
College:	Miami University
NFL draft:	2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11
Career history
Pittsburgh Steelers (2004-present)
Career highlights and awards
AP NFL Offensive ROY (2004) Diet Pepsi NFL ROY (2004)

Edward Ben Roethlisberger (born March 2, 1982, in Findlay, Ohio), is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. He led his team to a victory against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL in just his second year in the league and is the youngest quarterback to do so. Roethlisberger attended Miami University in Ohio.

Professional career

Roethlisberger was taken 11th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. On August 4 2004 Roethlisberger signed a six-year contract worth $22.26 million in salaries and bonuses, with an additional $17.73 million available via incentives. He was touted by former Steelers coach Bill Cowher in a press conference as a franchise quarterback.

2004-2005 season

He took over from Steelers starting quarterback Tommy Maddox when Maddox was injured during a game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. This injury changed the Steelers original plan for Roethlisberger, which was for him to sit on the bench or play very sparingly during the first season or two in order to learn the team's system. Instead he was thrown into the fire immediately. As a rookie, he went 13-0 in the regular season (14-1 including playoffs) as a starting quarterback, helping the Steelers become the first AFC team to have 15 wins in a single season, surpassing former Steeler Mike Kruczek for the record for the best start by a rookie (6-0), and exceeding the mark for total wins as a rookie set by Chris Chandler and Joe Ferguson. On January 5, 2005 Roethlisberger was unanimously selected as The NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press, the first quarterback in 34 years to be so honored.

One of Roethlisberger's biggest games was when he led the Steelers to a 34-20 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion and previously undefeated New England Patriots, ending their NFL-record 21-game winning streak. He completed 18 of his 24 pass attempts. He racked up 196 yards, and threw 2 touchdowns. The week after that game the Steelers defeated the also previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles 27-3. Roethlisberger was 11 for 18, with one interception.

In the divisional playoffs against the New York Jets, Roethlisberger threw two interceptions. One interception was returned for a touchdown, and the other was thrown with 2:03 left in the fourth quarter, which set up a potential game-winning field goal by Jets kicker Doug Brien. Brien missed the kick as time expired (his second missed kick in the last 2 minutes of the game), and forced the game into overtime. In overtime, Roethlisberger led the Steelers down the field and put them in position for the game-winning field goal, a 33-yard attempt that was made by Jeff Reed, sending the Steelers into the AFC Championship for the 4th time in 10 years.

On January 23, 2005 in the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger completed 14 of 24 pass attempts for 226 yards, but he also threw three costly interceptions. The Steelers lost the game to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots by a score of 41-27.

2005-2006 season

In 2005, Roethlisberger led the Steelers on the improbable run, winning 3 straight games on the road to put Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL. What made the run remarkable was that the Steelers began the post season as the sixth seed in the AFC. Since the NFL's current playoff format began, no sixth seed had previously even made it to a conference championship game, let alone the Super Bowl.

In the 2005 regular season, the Steelers finished 11-5 and secured an AFC wild card spot, en route to victory in the Super Bowl , where the Steelers pulled off upsets at Indianapolis and Denver in the AFC playoffs in addition to wins over higher-seeds Cincinnati and Seattle. During the course of the regular season, Roethlisberger generally played well when healthy, but missed four games due to various knee injuries. During the regular season, the Steelers were 9-3 with Roethlisberger at quarterback, and 2-2 without him.

The Super Bowl run began on Sunday, January 8, 2006 as Roethlisberger helped lead the Steelers to a playoff win over the Cincinnati Bengals -- an AFC North rival that had beaten the Steelers by 7 points in the regular season, to win the division championship. The rematch featured two teams with identical records, having split their regular season series with each team winning on the road. Early in the game on Carson Palmer's first throw, a tackle by former Steeler Kimo von Oelhoffen resulted in Palmer's anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) being completely torn. The Bengals backup quarterback, Jon Kitna came in and led the Bengals to leads of 10-0 and 17-7. However, the 17-7 lead midway through the second quarter would be the last time in the 2005 postseason that the Steelers would trail an opponent by more than 3 points. After Kitna failed to produce the Steelers took advantage by taking the next 24 straight points, and the win in a 31-17 victory in Cincinnati.

Their second road win came on Sunday, January 15, 2006. Roethlisberger led the 6th-seeded Steelers against the Indianapolis Colts, the NFL's top team throughout the season and a heavy favorite to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XL. Roethlisberger threw for 197 yards and recorded a game-saving tackle on Colts' defensive back Nick Harper, who had just recovered a Jerome Bettis fumble with under two minutes to play in the game. The tackle saved the season for the Steelers. Pittsburgh led early, but had to survive a Colts comeback to win 21-18, after an errant call that the NFL later admitted was a mistake [2] overturned a Troy Polamalu interception that would have secured the game for the Steelers. Roethlisberger's tackle on Harper, dubbed by many as The Tackle II or The Immaculate Redemption, was compared by many to "The Immaculate Reception" back in 1972 when Franco Harris made a miraculous reception and scored the game-winning touchdown against the Oakland Raiders. The victory marked the first time a sixth-seeded NFL playoff team defeated the top-seeded team in playoff history.

On January 22, 2006, the Steelers defeated the Broncos 34-17 in Denver to advance to Super Bowl XL. Roethlisberger completed 21 of 29 passes for 275 yards, and threw two touchdown passes as well as scoring one himself on a four yard play-action bootleg. His run was the last touchdown of the game, and sealed the win for the Steelers.

After losing the 2004 AFC Championship Game, Roethlisberger convinced veteran running back Jerome Bettis to delay retirement, after a tearful promise to him that he would get Bettis to his first Super Bowl. He lived up to his promise. The Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL 21-10 over the Seattle Seahawks in Detroit on February 5, 2006. Roethlisberger completed just 9 of 21 passes with two interceptions; his passer rating of 22.6 was the lowest in Super Bowl history by a winning quarterback. His best play of the game set up the Steelers' first touchdown with just under four minutes left in the first half. After being sacked for an eight yard loss (and a previous 10-yard offensive pass interference penalty), Roethlisberger faced third and 28. Pressured out of the pocket, he scrambled to his left, careful not to cross the line of scrimmage, and threw a pass to Hines Ward for a 37 yard gain.

With the victory Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to win the Super Bowl, a record previously held by Tom Brady of the New England Patriots.

2006-2007 Season

Roethlisberger drops back to pass in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006.

Roethlisberger missed the 2006 kick-off game (the first game of the '06 season) after having an emergency appendectomy on September 3, 2006. Charlie Batch, the team's backup, started and lead the Steelers to a victory over Miami. Roethlisberger played in the following game against Jacksonville on Monday Night Football. However, he played sub-par that night, throwing two interceptions with no touchdowns (though neither the Steelers nor Jacksonville made a touchdown, a record for Monday Night Football). The Steelers lost the game with a final score of 9-0. In week three, Roethlisberger completed less than half of his passes for three interceptions and no touchdowns in a 28-20 loss to the Bengals. The final interception came in the final seconds of the game, in the end zone, ending Pittsburgh's comeback attempt. In a week 5 game against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday Night Football, Ben Roethlisberger looked sharp throughout the first half, leading 3 scoring drives. However, he began to unravel in the 2nd half and threw two interceptions, both of which shifted momentum away from the Steelers and lead to the Chargers 23-13 win. In week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethlisberger had his best game of the season so far. He completed 16 of 19 passes for 238 yards with two touchdowns (his first of the year) and no interceptions during a 45-7 rout of the Trent Green-less Chiefs.

In week 7, Roethlisberger had another great game, going 16 of 22 for 238 yards, 3 touchdowns, despite a costly fumble. But during the third quarter, Roethlisberger was helped off the field after suffering a concussion following a controversial hit by Falcon's defensive end Patrick Kerney. Roethlisberger was replaced by Charlie Batch. Batch went on to throw two touchdowns and helped send the game into overtime, following a crucial false start call on Nate Washington that ended regulation. The Falcons got the ball first, and drove down the field, and 46-year old kicker Morten Andersen booted a 34-yard field goal to win the game for the Falcons. On October 29 against the Oakland Raiders, Roethlisberger threw 4 interceptions in a 20-13 loss. The loss was his fifth of the season--two more than he had in his first two seasons combined as a starter, and gave him a total of 11 INTs, versus just 6 TDs, on the season. In a Week 9 rematch of the 2005 AFC championship game, Roethlisberger threw for a career high 433 yards and 1 TD, but had 3 more INTs as the Steelers fell short, 31-20 to Denver. Roethlisberger and the Steelers got back on a winning track in a home game a week later against the New Orleans Saints. Roethlisberger threw for 264 yards on 17 of 28 passing and 3 touchdowns to help the Steelers beat the Saints, 38-31.

In Week 11, Roethlisberger overcame 3 first half interceptions by throwing for 224 4th Quarter yards and two touchdowns as the Steelers scored 21 points in the final quarter to comeback to beat the Cleveland Browns, 24-20. Roethlisberger finished 25 of 44 for 272 yards to go along with the 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. The following week, Roethlisberger and the Steelers were held scoreless in 27-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Roethlisberger finished 21 of 41 for 214 yards and two interceptions. Roethlisberger bounced back the following game going 12 of 25 for 198 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception in a 20-3 victory over Tampa Bay. Pittsburgh kept their playoff hopes alive in a week 14 27-7 victory against the Browns. Roethlisberger went 11 of 21 for 225 with one touchdown and added another on the ground. In week 15, Roethlisberger went 11 of 18 for 140 yards and a touchdown in a 37-3 rout of the Carolina Panthers. The following week, Roethlisberger threw 2 interceptions and had a sub-500 completion percentage as Pittsburgh lost to the Baltimore Ravens 31-7. The loss ended Pittsburgh's playoff hopes.

Roethlisberger ended the season on a good note by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-17 in overtime. He was 19 for 29 passing with 280 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Roethlisberger's one touchdown came in overtime on a short pass to Santonio Holmes who proceded to take the ball 67 yards for the game clinching touchdown. The win knocked the Bengals out of the playoffs, much to the joy of the Steelers team.

Career stats

Regular season

				Passing										Rushing						Defensive				Punting					Fumbles
Season	Team	Games		Att	Comp	Pct	Yds	YPA	Lg	TD	Int	QB Rating		Att	Yds	Avg	Lg	Td		Total	Tkl	Ast		No	Yds	Lg	Avg		Fum	Lost	Rec
2004	Pittsburgh	14		295	196	66.4%	2621	8.88	58	17	11	98.1		56	144	2.6	20	1		1	1.0	0		0	0	0	0.0		2	2	0
2005	Pittsburgh	12		268	168	62.7%	2385	8.90	85	17	9	98.6		31	69	2.2	13	3		1	1.0	0		2	72	39	36.0		2	1	1
2006	Pittsburgh	15		469	280	59.7%	3513	7.49	67	18	23	75.4		32	98	3.1	20	2		1	1.0	0		0	0	0	0.0		5	2	0
Total	3 seasons	41		1032	644	62.4%	8519	8.25	85	52	43	87.9		119	311	2.6	20	6		3	3.0	0		2	72	39	36.0		9	5	1

Playoffs

				Passing										Rushing						Defensive				Punting					Fumbles
Season	Team	Games		Att	Comp	Pct	Yds	YPA	Lg	TD	Int	QB Rating		Att	Yds	Avg	Lg	Td		Total	Tkl	Ast		No	Yds	Lg	Avg		Fum	Lost	Rec
2004	Pittsburgh	2		54	31	57.4%	407	7.54	34	3	5	61.3		9	75	8.3	20	0		0	0.0	0		0	0	0	0.0		1	0	0
2005	Pittsburgh	4		93	58	62.3%	803	8.63	54	7	3	101.7		19	37	1.9	10	1		1	1.0	0		0	0	0	0.0		0	0	0
Total	2 seasons	6		147	89	60.5%	1210	8.23	54	10	8	86.8		28	112	4.0	20	1		1	1.0	0		0	0	0	0.0		1	0	0

Impersonator

In July 2005, a man from Brentwood, Pennsylvania was arrested for impersonating both Roethlisberger and then-Steelers third-string quarterback Brian St. Pierre. Brian Jackson, 31, had posed as Roethlisberger in order to attract the romantic attentions of a woman named Mary Groft. After arriving at her home for a date on July 6, he autographed a jersey for her neighbor, an act which ultimately led to a charge of criminal mischief for ruining the garment. That neighbor uncovered the deception while the couple was at dinner, when he looked at a photo in a news article and noticed that Roethlisberger and Jackson looked nothing alike.[3] Jackson was also charged with two counts of harassment, but as a result of a plea bargain on August 29, 2005, he received only a summary citation for disorderly conduct.

Jackson has recently been arrested a second time for allegedly impersonating Steelers Tight End Jerame Tuman. [4]

Motorcycle accident

On Monday, June 12, 2006, at 11:17 a.m. EDT (UTC-4), Roethlisberger was involved in a motorcycle accident near the intersection of 10th Street and Second Avenue near downtown Pittsburgh, in which he was not wearing his helmet. KDKA-TV of Pittsburgh has reported that Roethlisberger did not have a valid Pennsylvania motorcycle license at the time of the accident, only a temporary permit that he had obtained after moving to Pittsburgh. According to KDKA, this permit had expired in March. Roethlisberger was travelling east on Second Avenue when a Chrysler New Yorker made a left-hand turn in front of the motorcycle and onto the South Tenth Street Bridge when the accident occurred. According to an eyewitness, Roethlisberger went over the handle bars of his bike, a 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa shattering the windshield of the car with his head. The eyewitness reports claim Roethlisberger tried to get up, but was bleeding from the head. Reports from the scene and news media indicated that the accident was serious but "not life- or career-threatening", though Roethlisberger would later relate in interviews that paramedics on the scene stopped the bleeding in his throat just in time to save his life. After the accident, the shift commander for the Allegheny County emergency service described Roethlisberger as "alert and conscious". He was transported to Mercy Hospital and was described as being in "serious but stable" condition in the operating room.

Police sources have indicated that Roethlisberger suffered fractures to the jaw and right sinus cavity, as well as a nine-inch laceration to the back of the head, the loss of two teeth and many others were chipped. His facial injuries were severe enough that witnesses on the scene did not immediately recognize him, even after he identified himself as "Ben".

Upon arriving to Mercy Hospital he went immediately into surgery where he remained for over 7 hours. The broken bones in his face were repaired. The subsequent news conference with the Mercy Hospital staff was brief but confirmed early reports that the most serious injuries were to the head and face. There was no neck, spinal, nor brain damage found. After surgery, at approximately noon on June 13, 2006, Roethlisberger was upgraded to fair condition. [5]

The most serious injuries to Roethlisberger were a broken upper and lower jaw, and a broken nose. Roethlisberger was expected to make a full recovery in time for the opening game of the season.

In the wake of Kellen Winslow II's crashing of his motorcycle in May 2005, Roethlisberger had been criticized by various NFL members and the media for not wearing a helmet while riding. Even Roethlisberger's coach, Bill Cowher, lectured him about motorcycle safety. Former Steeler Terry Bradshaw warned Roethlisberger personally when he visited Steeler training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and on television, saying "Ride it when you retire." In a segment put together by ESPN following Winslow's accident, Roethlisberger had said he didn't wear a helmet because it was not required by law, adding, "You're just more free when you're out there and there's no helmet on." Transcripts of the interview recall Roethlisberger telling Suzy Kolber that he only rides a Harley, or his chopper with friends, not a sport bike (like the one Winslow was on). He also claimed to have his license. Both statements have been proven false since this accident.

Roethlisberger was released from the hospital at 11:46 PM on June 14, 2006. The next day, he released a statement that apologized for concerning friends, family, fans, and the Steelers organization, and in which he also stated, "If I ever ride again, it certainly will be with a helmet."

On June 19, the Pittsburgh police announced that Roethlisberger would be cited for failure to wear a helmet and failure to operate in his license class. Wearing a helmet is optional in Pennsylvania only for operators who currently possess and have had a motorcycle license for at least two years. The driver of the car was cited for failure to yield the right of way. July 13 Roethlisberger in his first interview explains that he was told by responding paramedics that he ruptured a major blood vessel in his mouth and was minutes away from dying. Despite the seriousness of the accident, his recovery went so well that he started the first three Steelers 2006 preseason games.

Records

• Most career touchdowns by a Miami (Ohio) University quarterback - 84
• Most regular season wins by an NFL rookie quarterback (2004) - 13 games (Roethlisberger did not play in the Steelers' season opener against Oakland, or their season finale at Buffalo, and did not start the loss to Baltimore during their 15-1 season)
• Highest quarterback rating by an NFL rookie quarterback (2004) - 98.1
• Highest completion percentage by an NFL rookie quarterback (2004) - 66.4%
• Longest regular season win streak to start a career for an NFL quarterback (2004-05) - 15 games
• First quarterback to start two Conference Championship games in first two seasons in the NFL (2004 & 2005)
• Lowest QB rating for a Super Bowl winning QB - 22.6 (Completed 9 of 21 passes for 0 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions)
• 34-12 won/loss record (including 5-1 in the playoffs) as a starting quarterback in the NFL (as of 12/07/06)
• Second youngest quarterback to play in the Super Bowl (2005), behind Dan Marino
• Youngest starting quarterback ever to win the Super Bowl (2005) [see above]
• Second quarterback of Swiss descent to play and win a Super Bowl (Jeff Hostetler)
• Achieved the 32nd perfect passer rating in NFL history in a game against the Titans on September 11, 2005.

Trivia

The "#7 Roethlisburger"

Peppi's restaurant, home of the "Roethlisburger."

• Has a sandwich named after him, called the "Roethlisburger," which costs $7.00 (because his football jersey number is 7) at Peppi's, a restaurant at several locations in Pittsburgh. The burger is topped with sausage, corned beef, scrambled eggs, grilled onions, and American cheese on a Portuguese roll. Also has a very large burger named after him at Tony's in his hometown, Findlay, Ohio as well as one in Oxford, Ohio at the bar and restaurant Brick Street. There is also a bagel named after him at Oxford's Bagel and Deli Shop called the "Ben's Best".
• Wears #7 to pay tribute to John Elway of the Denver Broncos.
• Grew a beard in his 2005/2006 season after the Steelers lost to the Cincinnati Bengals. He credits the beard as the good luck charm that led him on an 8-game winning streak, straight to Super Bowl XL.
• His surname "Roethlisberger" (Swiss-German spelling: Röthlisberger) is of Swiss origin with roots in the village of Geissbuehl Lauperswil, Switzerland.
• His sister Carlee will play women's basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners and Coach Sherri Coale.
• Appears in television commercials for Fathead.
• Is a spokesman for Swiss Roots, a campaign intended to help Americans of Swiss origin reconnect with their Swiss ancestral roots.
• In May 2006, Roethlisberger and his family traveled to Switzerland for a week long trip in order to explore about their Swiss roots.
• Roethlisberger did not start at quarterback until his senior year in high school. Prior to that, he played wide receiver while the coach's son, Ryan Hite played QB. (Coach was Cliffe Hite)
• Revealed in a 2006 interview that he is a close friend of Donald Trump and they speak weekly. [6]
• Has his own line of Barbecue sauce. [7]
• In the Madden NFL Series of games, Ben Roethlisberger's surname is truncated to "Roethlisbergr" taking out the last "e" in his last name. This peculiarity also occurs with Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
• Has a tattoo on his lower left ankle which represents "Grandfather" who died.
• Named the best Quarterback under 25 years of age[8]
• In an episode of Mind of Mencia, Carlos sang in the "Dee Dee Dee" sand of Roethlisberger in the song, saying he wore no helment because he was a star until after the night he was hit by a car.

References

• Staff (September 2006) "Ben Roethlisberger 1982-" Biography Today 15(3): pp. 102-117

External links

• Ben Roethlisberger's Official Web Site
• Ben Roethlisberger's Official Blog
• Ben Roethlisberger at NFL.com