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Why Ben Roethlisberger is so good

By James Pete | July 5th, 2008

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I was listening to a discussion on sports talk radio the other day about the top NFL quarterbacks. When they got to Ben, with whom they ranked third behind Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, they talked about his continued “development as an NFL quarterback.” It’s a topic that always crops up when talking about Ben, and this year especially, due to the added weapons to his arsenal.

Once Heath Miller was drafted, then Bruce Arians became the offensive coordinator, then Matt Spaeth was drafted, the topic of the passing game seemed to center around Roethlisberger utilizing the two-tight-end set. Arians promised it, and Roethlisberger looked forward to it, but at the end of the year, it wasn’t something that was regularly utilized by Roeth and the Steelers’ offense. Heath Miller, however, did have 47 catches for a 12-yard per catch average. He also accounted for seven TD’s.

Ben started utilizing his best tight end.

This season, the topic of the offense seems to be the upheaval of the running back position with Rashard Mendenhall and Mewelde Moore being added to the offense. Both backs excel at catching the football, and naturally, the topic of the passing game has turned to dumping the ball off to running backs.

Now before I go further, let’s get back to Roethlisberger. What’s made Roethlisberger a top three quarterback in this league isn’t a gun for an arm (Carson Palmer), the cerebral quality of his play-making (Peyton Manning), or his pinpoint passing (Tom Brady). What’s made him one of the best quarterbacks in the league is his ability to buy time, wait for an open receiver, and make the play downfield when the play appears over. Roethlisberger isn’t the guy that backs up into the pocket, check down to the fifth option, and dump the ball off. Roethlisberger also seems to have Daryl Lamonica syndrome at times. If you don’t know who Lamonica was, he was called the ‘Mad Bomber’ during his heydey with the Raiders, and for obvious reasons. Roeth certainly has that mentality, and IT’S A GOOD THING. It’s the one real connection he has to Bradshaw. He breaks off plays, and immediately looks deep, where open receivers often are when corners break in on broken plays. This improves exponentially when the quality of player around him improves. He is the epitome of the player that will make something out of nothing, and it has served him, and the Steelers well.

Roethlisberger has the critics that say he makes the offensive line bad by running around instead of just throwing the ball away, or dumping it off. The three flaws in this thinking are simple. 1. Roeth often has to run out of the pocket because the line got beat off the ball most of the last two seasons. 2. Who has been had to dump the ball off to? 3. Many of the plays that propelled this team to wins, were the ones that saw him break out of the pocket, and make a big play on the run. The bottom line is that there isn’t a quarterback in the game that can make those types of plays better than he can.

When Roeth received a consistent safety valve (Miller), he slowly began to use him. He didn’t at first. The offens evolved behind Arians and Roethlisberger, who was brought into the equation for the first time. Last year, Miller became, arguably, his most valuable target. It wasn’t always in a dump off, but it often was, with Miller boxing out defenders in the middle of the field. This year, he has the added offensive firepower in Mendenhall and Moore. Will the M&M boys provide even more insurance in the passing game?

Roethlisberger may need to feel out the offense out with his new receiving threats, but it’s hard to believe that it won’t happen in good time. Arians may have to force the issue with specific play calling to the backs, but Roeth may be just as apt to break off a play he’s not comfortable with. Roethlisberger will look downfield first. Some call it a flaw. Some call it rogue, but it’s what makes him good. Imagine, if you will, Roeth in a basic two receiver set with Ward and Holmes, Heath Miller at the tight end, and Mewelde Moore and Mendenhall in the same backfield together. Imagine Roeth breaking off a play under a heavy pass rush. I’ll take my chances with Roeth in that situation.

It’s not Brady, or Manning, and that’s a good thing.

So in 2008, be patient when the Steelers don’t appear to be utilizing their safety valves early in the season, it’s just a matter of time. Once Roethlisberger incorporates M&M into his thinking and his play, the Steelers offense will be very, very good.

We don’t want Roethlisberger developing out of what makes him good, do we?

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 5th, 2008 at 9:51 am and is filed under Hines Ward, James Pete, Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Daryl Lominica, Steel Tradition, Santonio Holmes, Mewelde Moore, Tom Brady, Carson Palmer, Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Arians, Rashard Mendenhall, Peyton Manning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

17 Responses to “Why Ben Roethlisberger is so good”

slashsteel says:

July 5th, 2008 at 10:40 am

It will take time for him to get adjusted to his new weapons. I am hoping training camp helps with that. So that it comes sooner than later.

With the two TE sets I read stats where Ben was highly successful in them last year compared to a one TE set. I think BO should go with Ben’s strengths and slowly throw in different schemes/looks.
James Pete says:

July 5th, 2008 at 10:49 am

Don’t forget…Ben has a say in the playbook as well…
SMF says:

July 5th, 2008 at 2:11 pm

I wouldn’t underestimate just how bad the Steelers line was (is). Go look at replays of last years games. Especially when the Steelers were trailing. The pass blocking at the tackles (Smith, Starks, Colon) and up the middle (Mahan, Simmons) really stunk. The backs stunk. They were consistently beaten like dish rags, with a hand on Ben right after the snap count. Until that is fixed he is looking a another 50 sacks this year. The problem wasn’t Ben holding on too long. The line play was substandard. Maybe it was coaching or chemistry or whatever…it was terrible and must be fixed. Sorry, fast Willie, you missed 30 blocks. I just hope Mendenhall and Moore can block.
Dave B. says:

July 5th, 2008 at 2:14 pm

James, good article..

I would agree that Ben is the 3rd best QB because of his play making ability out of the pocket.

I think he does need to improve on getting rid of the ball a little faster, i.e. dumping it to a running back when no one is open. The Steelers certainly have the weapons to do that..

I do think he is the best QB for the Steelers. Peyton Manning would struggle with Pitts offensive schemes because he would not have enough time, and well Tom Brady is just to much of a woosey to be a Steeler QB.
Dottie says:

July 5th, 2008 at 4:55 pm

I believe that we have THE NUMBER ONE QUARTERBACK in the nfl, being as he has already won a superbowl basically in his 2nd season, although technically speaking it was more like HIS first season to play. And face it Brady is so afraid that hes going to get sacked he either throws the ball away, or he just gets to anyone, as long as hes not hit. And, if Peyton was the second best then why wasnt he playing in the last years super bowl instead of his little brother, Eli. He acts like hes afraid to get hit too. Where Bens willing to take the hits like a real man should. Take it from me, a female, I like to see a good game too. But I wish that all fans could face it that BIG BENS awesome. And I’m sure that hes going to let his presence be known again this year. Go STEELERS.
Jay Sabo says:

July 5th, 2008 at 5:29 pm

I like what Dottie says. In being slightly more objective about Brady, however, I’ll simply say he’s SOFT. Woosie is too partial (tongue in cheek). I agree that Manning is as well. I AM NOT SAYING THESE THINGS BECAUSE I’M A STEELERS FAN! I’m saying them because I feel that they’re true. Remember the days of tough quarterbacks when Bert Jones would get hit and it would look like a helicopter propellor started spinning or something? Or even someone as slight as Staubach wold get punished game in and out? Of course we can’t forget Bradshaw. I realize this is a different era and all but for the love of everything testosterone and man, what is with these fudgenucking quarterbacks sliding and evading punishment?!? As for SMF, I do agree about the line with what you said but your remark is all inclusive. The (PASS) blocking is what got me. The (RUN) blocking was fine. Yes, even in the redzone. We didn’t score often in the redzone because we used to not have a big back. Now (hopefully) we do. I can remember about five games off the top of my head where Parker took a dive left or right right up the middle and there were gaping holes between the tackles and guards or between the tight ends and tackles that he totally missed (conversely, I realize his speed does get yards that most backs can’t get). Our line, if it were so bad, would’ve had a guy with arguably about fifteen to sixteen hundred yards when he went down in lieu of the thirteen hundred that he actually had! Yes we need help with our pass blocking but that area revolves around more synergy than run blocking does. (i.e., good linemen, good skill players, qb making appropriate reads, getting rid of the ball quicker, proper play calling).
Mike Brown says:

July 5th, 2008 at 6:40 pm

Look for the Ravens new addition at quarterback, Joe Flacco to produce even better numbers then Roethlisberger when he finally gets his chance to start. The kid has better accuracy, a stronger arm, and for a 6′4″ QB the unexpected quickness to scramble out of trouble.

He’s going to make the Ravens offense come to life like it never has before. I’m looking forward to the match ups between these two teams when that time comes.
Dawn says:

July 5th, 2008 at 6:53 pm

Dottie says: And face it Brady is so afraid that hes going to get sacked he either throws the ball away, or he just gets to anyone, as long as hes not hit.

Of course he doesn’t want to get hit. As you said, it’s called a sack and a sack is a loss of yardage. Brady and Manning have gotten hit many times, have taken them and gotten right back up again. And by the way, the SuperBowl win wasn’t due to Roeth, it was due to the Steelers’ defense.
DaveM says:

July 5th, 2008 at 11:32 pm

I agree, great article. But (there’s always a but) Ben can’t throw the ball from his back and you know defenses will pressure the pocket to get to him so he can’t get the ball to any of his weapons. Expect Ben to have a huge target on his back this year. The Giant’s showed that by crushing and hindering Brady they could beat an undefeated (and highly experienced) Super Bowl team. If I’m a defensive coordinator I’m crashing the line from up the gut, chipping the TE and bumping the WR’s.

Here’s a question for you guys: Why is that Ben throws more ducks than spirals when a WR is streaking open? It seems like WR’s always have to come back to the ball. Is he rushing the throw?

This year’s schedule is a doozy. I can’t remember the last time a team had to face such a statistically challenging schedule. Tomlin has his hand full and yet, they didn’t address the line on either side of the ball.
Chuck Lyons,Jr. says:

July 6th, 2008 at 2:06 am

Flacco has the intangibles to be as good as Ben,but we won’t know if he has the “IT” Ben possesss until he plays for awhile.It’s not as easy as having size and scrambling ability,you need that sense and the attitude of winning football,not just getting stats.You gotta want it more,and Ben does.Flacco’s D will help him like Ben’s does,so if someone has the chance to succeed,it’s him.
Jim McCarley says:

July 6th, 2008 at 8:38 am

I agree as well. I wish the Steelers would roll Ben out more often. I also wish he had more quick throws in the playbook, like quick slants to keep the defense honest. There are too many straight dropback plays that tend to get Ben hit too often. Ben is big and tough, but if he goes down, the Steelers go down as well.

i think that the offense will do fine this year and the offensive line will be much better. the added weapons for ben will take pressure off him and off Hines ward and Holmes. All three of these guys will have monster years this season. Look for Ward to be CRAZY and Holmes to be the deep threat that we all know he can be. I am excited about the swing pass to Moore and Mendenhall. get them outside the tackle with an open field ahead, wow!!

This should be a break out year for the offense. let’s just hope the defense comes back just as strong. if they do, we could be in for ring number six.

We must get that sixth ring before Dallas does, we MUST!!!!! I’m not worried too much about SF, but Jerry Jones will do anything and hire anyone to get him that sixth ring before the Steelers get it.

Go STEELERS!!!
Mark B. says:

July 6th, 2008 at 8:44 am

Nice article. Like Chuck said, Ben has “IT” much like Elway or Farve. Although I cringe when I think of it, Ben sold me in that Baltimore loss when Bart Scott knocked the crap out of Ben. Even in losing that and other games I feel like we can win because Ben is there, ie Jax in the playoffs last year. I cannot wait to see this offense gel and watch Ben ram it down the cheaters’ and dolts’ throats. GO BEN!
MBlaster says:

July 6th, 2008 at 9:21 am

Mike brown says: “Look for the Ravens new addition at quarterback, Joe Flacco to produce even better numbers then Roethlisberger when he finally gets his chance to start. The kid has better accuracy, a stronger arm, and for a 6′4″ QB the unexpected quickness to scramble out of trouble.”

Stop the nonsense. Flacco hasn’t even played one NFL game yet and you’re proclaiming him better than Ben? Let me remind you that no quarterback in the history of the NFL has had a better rookie season than Ben did. He’s the youngest quarterback to have won the Super Bowl. As for his having better accuracy, a stronger arm and scrambling ability, again that’s nonsense. I suppose you were one of those rat bird fans that thought Kyle Boller was the second coming of Johnny Unitas because he could throw a football through the uprights on his knees from the fifty yard line. News Flash! Flacco has the “potential” for greatness, but until he proves it he’s Kyle Boller #2.
Kinsmen Fin says:

July 6th, 2008 at 10:25 am

Dawn Amen

Its always the defence.
Woody says:

July 7th, 2008 at 5:58 am

Wow, that Dottie is really downing the Black and Gold Kool-Aid…

Ben is no doubt one of the best in the business and I believe he’s appropriately ranked at 3rd in the league. I’m sure we all hate Tom Brady here, but the man has been pretty damn good in the playoffs and has made a name for himself almost exclusively based on his playoff exploits. They’re about on the same plane for their playoff performances, but Peyton Manning gets a slight edge over Ben because he’s a record setting QB in the regular season.

Having said that, I believe Ben will catch if not surpass these two in ranking because he’s the younger player. I doubt Ben will post Manning’s regular season numbers (unless of course hell freezes over and the Rooneys put a dome in Pittsburgh), but I think he’ll add a couple more Super Bowls to his resume and cement his status as one of the best ever.
macnab says:

July 8th, 2008 at 9:19 am

hey mikebrown - Flacco couldn’t cut it with the pittsburgh panthers let alone the pittsburgh steelers! If you can tell all of those thing by watching a guy play against lesser or no talent 1-aa college squads then you should be a scout. I bet you said the kyle boller was better than peyton manning a few years ago grow up.
mike b says:

July 9th, 2008 at 11:49 am

Ben many times has 3 to 4 yards ahead of him to run and he seems to never take it. I don’t want a vick but he continues to keep waiting for his slow recievers to get open and than gets sacked. As a former d lineman there is no more frustrating thing than a QB getting yards when he could have been sacked. Countless times itr could be 2nd and 7, 3rd and 4 but he doesn’t take the positive yards and it ends up 3rd and 14. Otherwise I could not be happier who we have a QB and wish Bruce would come up with better screen passes. By far the worst in the league.