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View Full Version : Jerome Bettis knew Ben Roethlisberger would be a top-five passer



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.”


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http://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2015/08/05/jerome-bettis-knew-ben-roethlisberger-would-be-a-top-five-passer/

86WARD
08-05-2015, 09:49 AM
I think we all had it on our radar during that first season...

polamalubeast
08-05-2015, 09:57 AM
I think we all had it on our radar during that first season...

Many have doubted Roethlisberger after his horrible 2006 season, but it was his only bad season.

tube517
08-05-2015, 12:17 PM
I think we all had it on our radar during that first season...


This

lipps83
08-05-2015, 01:20 PM
I was impressed by the very first game he played in against Baltimore. You could kind of tell he had 'it' during that game. Yes we lost and he threw two picks, but the good throws were there.

Pity what Alan Faneca said about him after the game.

86WARD
08-05-2015, 06:31 PM
That stretch where they played the Cowboys, Eagles and Patriots back to back to back says it all. The Eagles and Patriots were the Super Bowl teams and Ben and the Steelers handled both of them...not to mention that great game against the Cowboys.

polamalubeast
08-05-2015, 07:01 PM
His first 2 seasons were unbelievable...27-4 including the playoffs with a QB rating of 98

I admit I had some doubts after the 2006 season, but in 2007, Roethlisberger has convinced me

st33lersguy
08-05-2015, 07:21 PM
Steeler nation has known Roethlisberger was elite all along.

tube517
08-05-2015, 08:07 PM
His first 2 seasons were unbelievable...27-4 including the playoffs with a QB rating of 98

I admit I had some doubts after the 2006 season, but in 2007, Roethlisberger has convinced me

'06 was a nightmare. He came back too soon after the accident and appendix surgery and Cowher wasn't focused that year. it was a year to forget.


He came back strong in '07 so I wasn't worried at all