polamalubeast
08-05-2015, 09:35 AM
Jerome Bettis will receive the highest honor an NFL player can hope when he is formally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this Saturday; that didn’t stop him from taking a moment to offer some kind words to another future Hall of Famer from the Steelers.
Ben Roethlisberger’s story has been told time and time again. He’s always been just on the cusp of greatness, but never could quite break through the public’s perception of his ability.
“He won games because of great defenses.”
“He was awful in those two Super Bowls.”
“If you take away the wins, he’s just an average game manager.”
Excuses, excuses, excuses.
Roethlisberger was tied for the league lead in passing last season with Drew Brees, a player often held in higher regard than Roethlisberger because of his statistical dominance. Roethlisberger tossed 32 touchdowns last year; tied for a career best. His 103.3 quarterback rating was third in the league. And, of course, he did what he usually does, and won games for the Steelers, leading them to an 11-5 record and an AFC North crown. It took over a decade, but Roethlisberger finally accrued the statistical resume that made him worthy of top-five quarterback consideration among those who observe football for a living.
Jerome Bettis isn’t buying it, though. As far as he’s concerned, Roethlisberger was destined for greatness the day he set foot in Pittsburgh. In fact, even when Roethlisberger’s numbers looked more like Andy Dalton than Ben Roethlisberger, Bettis already knew the man known as “Big Ben” was among the best passers in the league.
“You knew he was special. You could see it,” Bettis told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. “He was limited in terms of his opportunities. It wasn’t even a question mark. When you have players like that, even if numbers don’t say it, you see it.”
read more
http://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2015/08/05/jerome-bettis-knew-ben-roethlisberger-would-be-a-top-five-passer/
Ben Roethlisberger’s story has been told time and time again. He’s always been just on the cusp of greatness, but never could quite break through the public’s perception of his ability.
“He won games because of great defenses.”
“He was awful in those two Super Bowls.”
“If you take away the wins, he’s just an average game manager.”
Excuses, excuses, excuses.
Roethlisberger was tied for the league lead in passing last season with Drew Brees, a player often held in higher regard than Roethlisberger because of his statistical dominance. Roethlisberger tossed 32 touchdowns last year; tied for a career best. His 103.3 quarterback rating was third in the league. And, of course, he did what he usually does, and won games for the Steelers, leading them to an 11-5 record and an AFC North crown. It took over a decade, but Roethlisberger finally accrued the statistical resume that made him worthy of top-five quarterback consideration among those who observe football for a living.
Jerome Bettis isn’t buying it, though. As far as he’s concerned, Roethlisberger was destined for greatness the day he set foot in Pittsburgh. In fact, even when Roethlisberger’s numbers looked more like Andy Dalton than Ben Roethlisberger, Bettis already knew the man known as “Big Ben” was among the best passers in the league.
“You knew he was special. You could see it,” Bettis told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. “He was limited in terms of his opportunities. It wasn’t even a question mark. When you have players like that, even if numbers don’t say it, you see it.”
read more
http://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2015/08/05/jerome-bettis-knew-ben-roethlisberger-would-be-a-top-five-passer/