Big Ben, other title game QBs had shot to grow into roles

[polamalubeast]

Dan Rooney wrote in his 2007 autobiography that the memory of passing on Dan Marino in 1983, the quarterback who grew up down the street and starred collegiately across town, stuck with him for two decades. And it was that memory that motivated him to push his football people to draft Ben Roethlisberger in 2004, even as some of them leaned toward selecting Arkansas tackle Shawn Andrews.

On draft day, Rooney recounted, "I couldn't bear the thought of passing on another great quarterback prospect the way we passed on Dan Marino in 1983, so I steered conversation to Roethlisberger."


The pick itself, might have seemed a little unconventional. The Steelers' 6-10 season in 2003 was an aberration, coming off consecutive division titles, and the roster was stocked in a win-now kind of way, making it an awkward place for a stud rookie quarterback to traverse. But the owner has pull, and Big Ben's talent was too much to overlook.

So the Steelers pulled the trigger, and even if by accident, proved an oft-overlooked point about the development of young signal-callers: There is no more important factor than environment.

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http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/story/09000d5d81dd1e2c/article/big-ben-other-title-game-qbs-had-shot-to-grow-into-roles

[Hindes204]

I still remember draft day when we picked Big Ben up, I was jumping up and down telling my roomates how excited I was. I had been researching him for a while before the draft and knew how tough of a qb he was. I was hoping he would somehow find a way to Pittsburgh but at the time I remember thinking there was no way we were going to draft him...luckily I was wrong.

I bought a Roethlisberger jersey (which I still wear today) before the season even started. I can still recall people at the bar in Little Rock (where i was stationed at the time) making fun of me for "wearing a rookies jersey who will probably not start for a long time to come." Somehow I just had a feelingthat wouldnt be the case.

This guy is special, and I knew it from the begining



EDIT: I just went and read the rest of the article, that guy is an idiot. In so many words he says that Brady is just amazing, but the team around him is making him lose, and the QBs still in the playoffs all suck, but the team is making them win................moron

[BigNastyDefense]

I still remember draft day when we picked Big Ben up, I was jumping up and down telling my roomates how excited I was. I had been researching him for a while before the draft and knew how tough of a qb he was. I was hoping he would somehow find a way to Pittsburgh but at the time I remember thinking there was no way we were going to draft him...luckily I was wrong.

I bought a Roethlisberger jersey (which I still wear today) before the season even started. I can still recall people at the bar in Little Rock (where i was stationed at the time) making fun of me for "wearing a rookies jersey who will probably not start for a long time to come." Somehow I just had a feelingthat wouldnt be the case.

This guy is special, and I knew it from the begining



EDIT: I just went and read the rest of the article, that guy is an idiot. In so many words he says that Brady is just amazing, but the team around him is making him lose, and the QBs still in the playoffs all suck, but the team is making them win................moron

That's the same thing that I thought. I guess Brady didn't throw that interception against the Jets.

I guess that Ben didn't throw two TD passes and didn't make that throw on 3rd-and-19 for 58 yards to set up Mendy's other TD.

I guess Cutler didn't throw for two and run for two TD's against the Seahawks.

I guess Rodgers wasn't having himself a helluva game against the Falcons.

And I wonder who then threw three TD passes against the Patriots to help the Jets win that game.

In the end, football is a team sport. A WR can't catch a ball if it's a bad throw, and a QB can't force a player to catch a ball that's dropped. If a line doesn't get their blocks, a RB normally can't get very far past the LOS. An offense can't force a defense to hold a team to FG's and punts, just as a defense can't force an offense to score on every possession.

However, especially in today's NFL, how the QB plays is a big part in a team winning or losing a game. If the QB commits a few turnovers or doesn't make plays in the big spots (3rd-and-19 AHEM), then they will likely lose the game.

[ALLD]

Rooney still thinks about trading Johnny Unitas before he was a superstar too.

[tube517]

Look at his OL. If Brady gets 6 sacks, he's automatically done, he'd rather pick flowers if he eats dirt every Sunday. If Ben is sacked 6 times, it's a challenge to him and he wins.