Ben Roethlisberger (1 Viewer)

[Kleck.]

3 games, 0 TDs, 7 INTs.

On pace for 35 INTs in 15 games. :X

The sample is small, and he has had to fight through a lot already, but his performance this year is awful. Instead of benching him, I think it's best to have him work his way through and out of it, but at what point is too much?

 

[EBF]

He seems to have lost his "mojo". He's getting sacked way too much and throwing lots of INTs. The only good news is that his yards/attempt is up.

I have a feeling it's going to be a long season for Roethlisberger. My guess is that he won't be back to his old self until next year.

 

[CrossEyed]

I think part of his problem is that the o-line is not playing as well. Even so, he definitely doesn't look like the same QB. But given what he has been through over the past few months, that's understandable.

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

I only needed him for Manning's bye week.

I cut him this week and have no backup QB.

I'll grab some heap of feces off the free agent wire. He can't be any worse than Big Ben.

I think the clock has struck midnight and Roethlisberger has turned into a big ole pumpkin.

 

[valhallan]

Certainly a bit alarming for us dynasty owners...

But really, he's probably overachieved thus far and was due for a correction.

 

[nightshift]

sorry for the :honda:

From my other post:

Another game, another loss, more bad decisions, more bad throws, & holding the ball too long. He's hesitating and he looks lost at times. Tough summer turning into a tougher fall.

Ben's poor play is affecting the whole team. Defense played with spirit the first half, but no scoring, 3 n outs, & worse, turnovers took the wind right out of their sails.

I like him as much as any other Steelers fan, but one more loss & Cowher better make the tough call & start considering Batch.

 

[fatboyj711]

ben's loss of weight and strength seem to be big factors in his performance... in the past he's always been able to get the ball off reasonably accurate during and after contact, but this year those same types of passes aren't getting to the receivers (many of his INTs are the result of throwing off balance or thwoing as he's getting hit)

 

[nightshift]

Certainly a bit alarming for us dynasty owners... But really, he's probably overachieved thus far and was due for a correction.

Not overachieving, but a lack of focus, indeciviness (sp?), and maybe even confidence. Result of a near death motorcycle crash? Lack of a pre-season to really train? Who really knows. I don't think even Ben knows.But as it has been said, NFL stands for NOT FOR LONG. Cowher might have to sac up and pull him next week.

 

[EBF]

Doubt he gets pulled. He's the franchise. You don't pull the franchise.

I've heard some speculation that he might be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. That seems unlikely, but it is possible that his brush with death has triggered some wicked anxiety. It's important for a QB to be cool and confident. Roethlisberger used to play with those qualities, but judging by his results this season, he's playing scared and panicking. That could very well be the result of a lingering psychological issue.

My guess is that he'll be fine in time. He was still awful tonight, but San Diego has a good defense, and his accuracy and yards/attempt were much better than in week 3.

That said, he's a fantasy wasteland right now. I don't think I'd even target him as a buy low guy in dynasty leagues unless he strings together 2-3 good games.

 

[Chaz McNulty]

Here's a thought. Was Big Ben really ever that good. He was in a perfect "don't do anything to lose the game" scenario as a rookie and second year QB. All he had to do was play conservative and avoid turnovers. He did a good job at that. Pittsburg won a lot of close games in building an impressive W-L record over that time.

Right now Pittsburg is on the other end of these close games which magnifies Rothlisberger's mistakes. People are starting to question him. I don't think Ben is as bad as his QB rating has been for the last 4 games or as good as people thought when Pittsburg was winning. He's probably somewhere in-between.

 

[fatboyj711]

Here's a thought. Was Big Ben really ever that good. He was in a perfect "don't do anything to lose the game" scenario as a rookie and second year QB. All he had to do was play conservative and avoid turnovers. He did a good job at that. Pittsburg won a lot of close games in building an impressive W-L record over that time. Right now Pittsburg is on the other end of these close games which magnifies Rothlisberger's mistakes. People are starting to question him. I don't think Ben is as bad as his QB rating has been for the last 4 games or as good as people thought when Pittsburg was winning. He's probably somewhere in-between.

i thought this thread was about ben roethlisberger, not kyle orton...you don't go undefeated in the regular season as a rookie, and take your team to the pinnacle of the sport the next season by being an "ok" QB... i'm assuming that the near-fatal motorcycle accident and appendectomy has something to do with his performance so far this year...... but that's just me btw, ben has been the picture of consistency his first 2 seasons leading the steelers... i tend to think this year is an aberration, not the rule

 

[Chaz McNulty]

Here's a thought. Was Big Ben really ever that good. He was in a perfect "don't do anything to lose the game" scenario as a rookie and second year QB. All he had to do was play conservative and avoid turnovers. He did a good job at that. Pittsburg won a lot of close games in building an impressive W-L record over that time.

Right now Pittsburg is on the other end of these close games which magnifies Rothlisberger's mistakes. People are starting to question him. I don't think Ben is as bad as his QB rating has been for the last 4 games or as good as people thought when Pittsburg was winning. He's probably somewhere in-between.

i thought this thread was about ben roethlisberger, not kyle orton...you don't go undefeated in the regular season as a rookie, and take your team to the pinnacle of the sport the next season by being an "ok" QB... i'm assuming that the near-fatal motorcycle accident and appendectomy has something to do with his performance so far this year...... but that's just me

btw, ben has been the picture of consistency his first 2 seasons leading the steelers... i tend to think this year is an aberration, not the rule

Jim McMahon won 23 consecutive starts between 85-87 (plus a Superbowl). I would rank him as an "OK" QB.

 

[fatboyj711]

Here's a thought. Was Big Ben really ever that good. He was in a perfect "don't do anything to lose the game" scenario as a rookie and second year QB. All he had to do was play conservative and avoid turnovers. He did a good job at that. Pittsburg won a lot of close games in building an impressive W-L record over that time.

Right now Pittsburg is on the other end of these close games which magnifies Rothlisberger's mistakes. People are starting to question him. I don't think Ben is as bad as his QB rating has been for the last 4 games or as good as people thought when Pittsburg was winning. He's probably somewhere in-between.

i thought this thread was about ben roethlisberger, not kyle orton...you don't go undefeated in the regular season as a rookie, and take your team to the pinnacle of the sport the next season by being an "ok" QB... i'm assuming that the near-fatal motorcycle accident and appendectomy has something to do with his performance so far this year...... but that's just me

btw, ben has been the picture of consistency his first 2 seasons leading the steelers... i tend to think this year is an aberration, not the rule

Jim McMahon won 23 consecutive starts between 85-87 (plus a Superbowl). I would rank him as an "OK" QB.

mcmahon also had an alltime great at RB in payton and the best defense ever assembled on his team.... but he was still better than an "ok" QB in my opinion...ben went undefeated as a rookie and won the SB his second year with willie parker and a good but not great defense... little different situation...

 

[MLBrandow]

do we blame it on the accident and forgive him the season or call for his head?

I think most steeler fans will be reserved in the latter since he did win them a super bowl just months ago.

 

[Chaz McNulty]

Here's a thought. Was Big Ben really ever that good. He was in a perfect "don't do anything to lose the game" scenario as a rookie and second year QB. All he had to do was play conservative and avoid turnovers. He did a good job at that. Pittsburg won a lot of close games in building an impressive W-L record over that time.

Right now Pittsburg is on the other end of these close games which magnifies Rothlisberger's mistakes. People are starting to question him. I don't think Ben is as bad as his QB rating has been for the last 4 games or as good as people thought when Pittsburg was winning. He's probably somewhere in-between.

i thought this thread was about ben roethlisberger, not kyle orton...you don't go undefeated in the regular season as a rookie, and take your team to the pinnacle of the sport the next season by being an "ok" QB... i'm assuming that the near-fatal motorcycle accident and appendectomy has something to do with his performance so far this year...... but that's just me

btw, ben has been the picture of consistency his first 2 seasons leading the steelers... i tend to think this year is an aberration, not the rule

Jim McMahon won 23 consecutive starts between 85-87 (plus a Superbowl). I would rank him as an "OK" QB.

mcmahon also had an alltime great at RB in payton and the best defense ever assembled on his team.... but he was still better than an "ok" QB in my opinion...ben went undefeated as a rookie and won the SB his second year with willie parker and a good but not great defense... little different situation...

I think the Steelers have one of the best D's in the game over the last 3 years.I guess time will tell where we rank Big Ben among the greats. I personally think that Eli will finish off with a better career, but both will be considered "GOOD QB's" but not "GREATS". Just my opinion.

 

[Chaz McNulty]

do we blame it on the accident and forgive him the season or call for his head?I think most steeler fans will be reserved in the latter since he did win them a super bowl just months ago.

Did he win that Superbowl (what was his QB rating) or did the team win that Superbowl. I would say Pittsburg won the Superbowl in spite on Ben, not because of him.

 

[TheRingLeader$]

Doubt he gets pulled. He's the franchise. You don't pull the franchise.I've heard some speculation that he might be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. That seems unlikely, but it is possible that his brush with death has triggered some wicked anxiety. It's important for a QB to be cool and confident. Roethlisberger used to play with those qualities, but judging by his results this season, he's playing scared and panicking. That could very well be the result of a lingering psychological issue.

if you have ever been in a serious car accident (vehicle was a total lost) then you know what affect that it has on you weeks after. i would cringe everytime that i stopped at a red light and saw a car pulling up behind me. i would be wondering of the car was gonna stop, after i was hit by a drunk driver doing 60 ran into the back of me while i was stopped and about to make a turn.remember that this is the same man who said that he still felt groggy during the first monday night pre-season game.he used to stand in the pocket and take hits or make throws with players all over him or elude pressure for scrambles and completions. his mental state combined with the weight loss and two surgeries in the last few weeks is definately not a good thing.

 

[fatboyj711]

do we blame it on the accident and forgive him the season or call for his head?

I think most steeler fans will be reserved in the latter since he did win them a super bowl just months ago.

Did he win that Superbowl (what was his QB rating) or did the team win that Superbowl. I would say Pittsburg won the Superbowl in spite on Ben, not because of him.

hater in the house

 

[Chaz McNulty]

Doubt he gets pulled. He's the franchise. You don't pull the franchise.I've heard some speculation that he might be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. That seems unlikely, but it is possible that his brush with death has triggered some wicked anxiety. It's important for a QB to be cool and confident. Roethlisberger used to play with those qualities, but judging by his results this season, he's playing scared and panicking. That could very well be the result of a lingering psychological issue.

if you have ever been in a serious car accident (vehicle was a total lost) then you know what affect that it has on you weeks after. i would cringe everytime that i stopped at a red light and saw a car pulling up behind me. i would be wondering of the car was gonna stop, after i was hit by a drunk driver doing 60 ran into the back of me while i was stopped and about to make a turn.remember that this is the same man who said that he still felt groggy during the first monday night pre-season game.he used to stand in the pocket and take hits or make throws with players all over him or elude pressure for scrambles and completions. his mental state combined with the weight loss and two surgeries in the last few weeks is definately not a good thing.

So start Batch. Would you rather succeed with Batch or fail with Ben?

 

[fatboyj711]

Doubt he gets pulled. He's the franchise. You don't pull the franchise.I've heard some speculation that he might be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. That seems unlikely, but it is possible that his brush with death has triggered some wicked anxiety. It's important for a QB to be cool and confident. Roethlisberger used to play with those qualities, but judging by his results this season, he's playing scared and panicking. That could very well be the result of a lingering psychological issue.

if you have ever been in a serious car accident (vehicle was a total lost) then you know what affect that it has on you weeks after. i would cringe everytime that i stopped at a red light and saw a car pulling up behind me. i would be wondering of the car was gonna stop, after i was hit by a drunk driver doing 60 ran into the back of me while i was stopped and about to make a turn.remember that this is the same man who said that he still felt groggy during the first monday night pre-season game.he used to stand in the pocket and take hits or make throws with players all over him or elude pressure for scrambles and completions. his mental state combined with the weight loss and two surgeries in the last few weeks is definately not a good thing.

So start Batch. Would you rather succeed with Batch or fail with Ben?

i thought QBs in pittsburg were interchangeable...

 

[Mr. Black]

Here's a thought. Was Big Ben really ever that good. He was in a perfect "don't do anything to lose the game" scenario as a rookie and second year QB. All he had to do was play conservative and avoid turnovers. He did a good job at that. Pittsburg won a lot of close games in building an impressive W-L record over that time. Right now Pittsburg is on the other end of these close games which magnifies Rothlisberger's mistakes. People are starting to question him. I don't think Ben is as bad as his QB rating has been for the last 4 games or as good as people thought when Pittsburg was winning. He's probably somewhere in-between.

Big was never that good, he had a great team around him and all he had to do was not mess up too bad. Take a look at his super bowl performance it was terrible the worst in history I beleive but his team still won and all you hear is BIG BEN BIG BEN BIG BEN. I'm here to say BIG BEN sucks and always has the best thing about him was his ability to keep plays alive but his accuracy has always been below average.

 

[gocats]

I think part of his problem is that the o-line is not playing as well. Even so, he definitely doesn't look like the same QB. But given what he has been through over the past few months, that's understandable.

The bottum line is Ben isnt playing well, you steeler fans make nothing but excuses for Ben but the fact is he isnt a very good qb

 

[EBF]

I think part of his problem is that the o-line is not playing as well. Even so, he definitely doesn't look like the same QB. But given what he has been through over the past few months, that's understandable.

The bottum line is Ben isnt playing well, you steeler fans make nothing but excuses for Ben but the fact is he isnt a very good qb

He's having a bad season. That doesn't mean he's a bad QB. Luck doesn't account for the numbers he posted in his first two years.

 

[gocats]

I think part of his problem is that the o-line is not playing as well. Even so, he definitely doesn't look like the same QB. But given what he has been through over the past few months, that's understandable.

The bottum line is Ben isnt playing well, you steeler fans make nothing but excuses for Ben but the fact is he isnt a very good qb

He's having a bad season. That doesn't mean he's a bad QB. Luck doesn't account for the numbers he posted in his first two years.

He had a bunch of handoffs the last two seasons. He threw among the fewest passes in the league.The good news is, is that I hear Favre is looking for a new team Steeler fans

 

[Peyton Marino]

He seems to have lost his "mojo". He's getting sacked way too much and throwing lots of INTs. The only good news is that his yards/attempt is up. I have a feeling it's going to be a long season for Roethlisberger. My guess is that he won't be back to his old self until next year.

Honestly I think this is his real self. I don't even see him returning to that guy who could hand the ball to his RB 25 times a game and get the neccessary passing yardage when they asked him. Basically, he's not even good as a game manager anymore.

Doubt he gets pulled. He's the franchise. You don't pull the franchise.

The franchise is FWP and maybe that defense. I don't think anybody will dispute that with me.

 

[TD32]

Here's a thought. Was Big Ben really ever that good. He was in a perfect "don't do anything to lose the game" scenario as a rookie and second year QB. All he had to do was play conservative and avoid turnovers. He did a good job at that. Pittsburg won a lot of close games in building an impressive W-L record over that time. Right now Pittsburg is on the other end of these close games which magnifies Rothlisberger's mistakes. People are starting to question him. I don't think Ben is as bad as his QB rating has been for the last 4 games or as good as people thought when Pittsburg was winning. He's probably somewhere in-between.

Big was never that good, he had a great team around him and all he had to do was not mess up too bad. Take a look at his super bowl performance it was terrible the worst in history I beleive but his team still won and all you hear is BIG BEN BIG BEN BIG BEN. I'm here to say BIG BEN sucks and always has the best thing about him was his ability to keep plays alive but his accuracy has always been below average.

 

[ren hoek]

Honestly I think this is his real self. I don't even see him returning to that guy who could hand the ball to his RB 25 times a game and get the neccessary passing yardage when they asked him. Basically, he's not even good as a game manager anymore.

Well, I'd disagree that this is his "real self," because he wasn't THIS atrocious until he played in the Super Bowl. You know, the biggest game of his life.But yeah, for some reason Roethlisberger has been insanely over-rated the past couple years. I've honestly always felt that he's an above-average quarterback. Like, I could have watched Philip Rivers tonight and thought to myself, "man, he's making some nice throws" when I watched him make plays, and that's just never happened for me with Roethlisberger. Most of the completions I've seen him make are on comeback routes, slants, or curls, basically routes where he either has plenty of time to throw or doesn't really have to read the defense. I know a couple of serious Steelers homers from another forum that I've argued with quite a bit in the past, but thankfully they've never deluded themselves into thinking that Roethlisberger is some sort of great quarterback.

 

[-OZ-]

He seems to have lost his "mojo". He's getting sacked way too much and throwing lots of INTs. The only good news is that his yards/attempt is up. I have a feeling it's going to be a long season for Roethlisberger. My guess is that he won't be back to his old self until next year.

Honestly I think this is his real self. I don't even see him returning to that guy who could hand the ball to his RB 25 times a game and get the neccessary passing yardage when they asked him. Basically, he's not even good as a game manager anymore.

Doubt he gets pulled. He's the franchise. You don't pull the franchise.

The franchise is FWP and maybe that defense. I don't think anybody will dispute that with me.

There's no denying he's lost his touch for now, and EBF is probably right, this could last the season. But, consider he's played against 2 of the best defenses outside of Chicago and the Bengals aren't bad either. Hopefully he gets back on track next week, but Herm will have the defense applying all out pressure. Aside from Oakland, he's got a tough road ahead.FWP is a damn good back, but the franchise is the defense, if we're to pick one guy, it's Polamalu.

 

[Godsbrother]

It looked to me like there were two different QBs last night. In the first half I thought Ben looked really good. I'm not sure of the stats but he was somewhere around 180 yards with 0 picks.

In the second half I think someone kidnapped Ben and instead trotted out Kent Graham. The first pick was off the flea-flicker which is a fairly low percentage pass but the other one he was trying to make something out of nothing and should have just eaten it.

So what was the difference between the first half and second half? The defense just couldn't get off the field which cooled the offense down quite a bit. And when the offense was on the field the o-line was just horrendous.

I think you have to give a lot of credit last night to San Diego. They did a great job bringing pressure with only 4 or 5, allowing them to keep 6 and 7 in coverage.

 

[Traders2001]

Doubt he gets pulled. He's the franchise. You don't pull the franchise.I've heard some speculation that he might be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. That seems unlikely, but it is possible that his brush with death has triggered some wicked anxiety. It's important for a QB to be cool and confident. Roethlisberger used to play with those qualities, but judging by his results this season, he's playing scared and panicking. That could very well be the result of a lingering psychological issue. My guess is that he'll be fine in time. He was still awful tonight, but San Diego has a good defense, and his accuracy and yards/attempt were much better than in week 3. That said, he's a fantasy wasteland right now. I don't think I'd even target him as a buy low guy in dynasty leagues unless he strings together 2-3 good games.

He is nt the franchise at all. So far in his career he only proved he could manage the games not win the games now he is starting to lose the games for the Steelers.He just is nt as good as many of you tought , can we say Dilfer .

 

[nightshift]

It looked to me like there were two different QBs last night. In the first half I thought Ben looked really good. I'm not sure of the stats but he was somewhere around 180 yards with 0 picks.In the second half I think someone kidnapped Ben and instead trotted out Kent Graham. The first pick was off the flea-flicker which is a fairly low percentage pass but the other one he was trying to make something out of nothing and should have just eaten it.So what was the difference between the first half and second half? The defense just couldn't get off the field which cooled the offense down quite a bit. And when the offense was on the field the o-line was just horrendous.I think you have to give a lot of credit last night to San Diego. They did a great job bringing pressure with only 4 or 5, allowing them to keep 6 and 7 in coverage.

I'll give you that GB. But the INTs were all Ben. Poorly thrown or should not have been thrown at all. Sacks not because the D but because Ben was holding the ball too long.I don't know what the problem is, but if he can't sort it out this week, I think he needs some time off 'til he does.

 

[Godsbrother]

He is nt the franchise at all. So far in his career he only proved he could manage the games not win the games now he is starting to lose the games for the Steelers.He just is nt as good as many of you tought , can we say Dilfer .

Roethlisberger is not playing very good right now but don't try to rewrite history. Without Roethlisberger the Steelers don't make the playoffs, let alone go to the Super Bowl last season. Now maybe he just had an incredible run of luck his first two seasons and he really isn't that good. Time will tell -- I am just not ready to pronounce him a flop.

 

[Texican]

He is about to find his way to the waiver wire

 

[Godsbrother]

He is about to find his way to the waiver wire

I don't blame ya. Ben was never a very good fantasy QB and this season he has been pathetic.

 

[nightshift]

He is nt the franchise at all. So far in his career he only proved he could manage the games not win the games now he is starting to lose the games for the Steelers.He just is nt as good as many of you tought , can we say Dilfer .

Roethlisberger is not playing very good right now but don't try to rewrite history. Without Roethlisberger the Steelers don't make the playoffs, let alone go to the Super Bowl last season. Now maybe he just had an incredible run of luck his first two seasons and he really isn't that good. Time will tell -- I am just not ready to pronounce him a flop.

Flop is a little harsh and very premature. Having some serious difficulties? yep.Might be time for Batch to step up 'til Ben gets it together.

 

[Tau837]

I think it is fairly clear that entering this season one of these was true:

1. Roethlisberger was overrated, from both NFL and fantasy perspectives.

2. His offseason accident is having a serious effect on his play, contrary to what most Steeler fans around here seemed to be expecting.

Given the choice, I assume most Steeler fans will select options 2, and possibly augment that with his appendicitis, since the alternative is to face that he just isn't a great QB. We'll see. But his play so far this year is horrible. His QB rating, cited often as evidence of what a great QB he is despite his lack of accumulated totals, is 41.7. He has led the Steelers to 33 points in 3 games. And his remaining schedule doesn't appear to get much easier:

KC

@ATL

@OAK

DEN

NO

@CLE

@BAL

TB

CLE

@CAR

BAL

@CIN

I guess the Oakland and Cleveland games offer a glimmer of hope.

 

[Foosball God]

Here's a thought. Was Big Ben really ever that good. He was in a perfect "don't do anything to lose the game" scenario as a rookie and second year QB. All he had to do was play conservative and avoid turnovers. He did a good job at that. Pittsburg won a lot of close games in building an impressive W-L record over that time. Right now Pittsburg is on the other end of these close games which magnifies Rothlisberger's mistakes. People are starting to question him. I don't think Ben is as bad as his QB rating has been for the last 4 games or as good as people thought when Pittsburg was winning. He's probably somewhere in-between.

 

[PsychoMan]

Here's a thought. Was Big Ben really ever that good. He was in a perfect "don't do anything to lose the game" scenario as a rookie and second year QB. All he had to do was play conservative and avoid turnovers. He did a good job at that. Pittsburg won a lot of close games in building an impressive W-L record over that time. Right now Pittsburg is on the other end of these close games which magnifies Rothlisberger's mistakes. People are starting to question him. I don't think Ben is as bad as his QB rating has been for the last 4 games or as good as people thought when Pittsburg was winning. He's probably somewhere in-between.

 

[stbugs]

Here's a thought. Was Big Ben really ever that good. He was in a perfect "don't do anything to lose the game" scenario as a rookie and second year QB. All he had to do was play conservative and avoid turnovers. He did a good job at that. Pittsburg won a lot of close games in building an impressive W-L record over that time.

Right now Pittsburg is on the other end of these close games which magnifies Rothlisberger's mistakes. People are starting to question him. I don't think Ben is as bad as his QB rating has been for the last 4 games or as good as people thought when Pittsburg was winning. He's probably somewhere in-between.

Big was never that good, he had a great team around him and all he had to do was not mess up too bad. Take a look at his super bowl performance it was terrible the worst in history I beleive but his team still won and all you hear is BIG BEN BIG BEN BIG BEN. I'm here to say BIG BEN sucks and always has the best thing about him was his ability to keep plays alive but his accuracy has always been below average.

Sorry, but bringing up his dismal Super Bowl performance does not prove anything and the above is not a at all.Look Big Ben has been hailed in Pittsburgh as a hero, and while not Dan Marino like #s, his 1st two years in the league with a 98.1 and 98.6 rating are very impressive no matter how you slice it. Maybe he wasn't asked to do a lot, but believe me, most QBs struggle, so he has had 2 very good years as a starting QB compared to most every other rookie/2nd year QB.

Also, bringing up the ####ty SB gets silly, when no one wants to bring up the:

208 yards 3 TDs and 0 INTs @ Cincy

197 yards 2 TDs and 1 INT @ Indy (the folks who were supposed to win)

275 yards 2 TDs and 0 INTs and 1 rushing TD @ Denver

Those are 3 on the road playoff games where Roethlisberger had a very big hand and in some cases the biggest hand in winning those very tough games against very good teams.

......

Anyway as a non-Pittsburgh fan, but a Willie Parker owner, it makes me sick to see the lack of confidence and horrible decision making that last night killed what should have been a 20+ carry game from Parker to maintain the lead. That one interception where he just tossed the ball up in the air was atrocious, pure and simple. Just a plain old stupid mistake, which as a young QB, you expect sometimes, but this year has just been so bad for him that it makes me think that something squishy in his head really did get a bit scrambled.

 

[stbugs]

He is nt the franchise at all. So far in his career he only proved he could manage the games not win the games now he is starting to lose the games for the Steelers.

He just is nt as good as many of you tought , can we say Dilfer .

Roethlisberger is not playing very good right now but don't try to rewrite history. Without Roethlisberger the Steelers don't make the playoffs, let alone go to the Super Bowl last season. Now maybe he just had an incredible run of luck his first two seasons and he really isn't that good. Time will tell -- I am just not ready to pronounce him a flop.

People seem to forget that there is no way, no way at all that Pittsburgh wins in Cincy, in Indy and in Denver without Roethlisberger. Period, end of story. Doesn't matter that he played awful in the SB, he did, but he probably was the single biggest contributor to the 3 on the road playoff wins getting to the SB.

That said, nightshift is right, I own Parker, so I have watched a few Pitt games this year and the one thing I said to myself last night is that he is holding the ball too long. He took a couple sacks where he wouldn't have last year and that lob of an INT was just plain atrocious. He made Parker invisible in the second half when they should have been trying to wear down the defense with the lead instead of invigorating them by giving them sacks and INTs.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

1. Tommy Maddox was never the same QB after nearly getting killed in a game. BR looks like the same thing.

2. Willie Parker is not the RB everyone thinks.

3. Hines Ward isn't playing at the level he was a couple years ago.

4. There's no #2 WR.

Nice defense though.

 

[perry147]

sorry for the :honda:

From my other post:

Another game, another loss, more bad decisions, more bad throws, & holding the ball too long. He's hesitating and he looks lost at times. Tough summer turning into a tougher fall.

Ben's poor play is affecting the whole team. Defense played with spirit the first half, but no scoring, 3 n outs, & worse, turnovers took the wind right out of their sails.

I like him as much as any other Steelers fan, but one more loss & Cowher better make the tough call & start considering Batch.

I have been seeing the same things you have; Big Ben has look very bad and I do not know what it is that has him performing so bad. BUT do you really think Cowher would bench him? Cowher stuck with slash for years and I think he will stick with Ben.

 

[Texican]

1. Tommy Maddox was never the same QB after nearly getting killed in a game. BR looks like the same thing. Agreed

2. Willie Parker is not the RB everyone thinks. I believe he has looked pretty good. But when the defense is selling out on the run, it's going to be tough for him to put up any yards.

3. Hines Ward isn't playing at the level he was a couple years ago.

His fault, or Ben's?

4. There's no #2 WR. There is a #2 RB though (bada-bing)

Nice defense though.

 

[Da Guru]

Big Ben has to take off and run more, he is just sitting in the pocket taking sacks.

 

[thecatch]

Here's a thought. Was Big Ben really ever that good. He was in a perfect "don't do anything to lose the game" scenario as a rookie and second year QB. All he had to do was play conservative and avoid turnovers. He did a good job at that. Pittsburg won a lot of close games in building an impressive W-L record over that time. Right now Pittsburg is on the other end of these close games which magnifies Rothlisberger's mistakes. People are starting to question him. I don't think Ben is as bad as his QB rating has been for the last 4 games or as good as people thought when Pittsburg was winning. He's probably somewhere in-between.

I agree, outside of his Dilfer-esque ability not to single handedly lose games, I've never been impressed with him.

 

[nightshift]

1. Tommy Maddox was never the same QB after nearly getting killed in a game. BR looks like the same thing.2. Willie Parker is not the RB everyone thinks.3. Hines Ward isn't playing at the level he was a couple years ago.4. There's no #2 WR.Nice defense though.

1. Comparing apples to oranges. Ben's problem seems to be a result of off the field problems. I really think the lack of a ture preseason is to blame here.2. BS. FWP is a true stud RB.3. Ward is playing injured. He is not 100%.4. Wilson? Washington? Holmes? How about Heath Miller? FWP? Haynes? Lots of options, if the QB is vocused on the GAME.Still early in the season, but we do need to get on track. NOW.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

1. Tommy Maddox was never the same QB after nearly getting killed in a game. BR looks like the same thing.

2. Willie Parker is not the RB everyone thinks.

3. Hines Ward isn't playing at the level he was a couple years ago.

4. There's no #2 WR.

Nice defense though.

1. Comparing apples to oranges. Ben's problem seems to be a result of off the field problems. I really think the lack of a ture preseason is to blame here.2. BS. FWP is a true stud RB.

3. Ward is playing injured. He is not 100%.

4. Wilson? Washington? Holmes? How about Heath Miller? FWP? Haynes? Lots of options, if the QB is vocused on the GAME.

Still early in the season, but we do need to get on track. NOW.

Like I said. There's no #2.

 

[nightshift]

sorry for the :honda:

From my other post:

Another game, another loss, more bad decisions, more bad throws, & holding the ball too long. He's hesitating and he looks lost at times. Tough summer turning into a tougher fall.

Ben's poor play is affecting the whole team. Defense played with spirit the first half, but no scoring, 3 n outs, & worse, turnovers took the wind right out of their sails.

I like him as much as any other Steelers fan, but one more loss & Cowher better make the tough call & start considering Batch.

I have been seeing the same things you have; Big Ben has look very bad and I do not know what it is that has him performing so bad. BUT do you really think Cowher would bench him? Cowher stuck with slash for years and I think he will stick with Ben.

He'll stick with him, but I think the offensive playcalling needs to adjust more to Ben's needs now. Less long bombs and more quick short passes. More end runs. More passes to the backs. Bring back the reverses. More no huddles and shotgun starts. They've got slash type players - set-up a couple of trick plays around them.

They could bring in Batch for a series or two, just to change it up a bit.

Cowher needs to get more creative, more aggressive, and yet high percentage. RIGHT NOW.

 

[skidboot]

He's not playing well whatsoever. He has to get out of the pocket and do some running in order to keep the Defense honest. His decision making HAS to improve. He is not playing with confidence right now. The OL is not playing well right now either.

Actually the whole team IMO is not playing well right now. Defense can't stop anyone on 3rd down. Offense has no rhythm.....

ST's aren't doing anything.

The Steelers are finding out what its like to be the "hunted" instead of the "hunter".

 

[GregR_2]

Thoughts on the debate so far... one would think a QB whose opponents focus on stopping the run would have a better completion % than other QBs. So I thought I'd like at some Ben stats, from 2004-2005 and see what the data shows. If he doesn't at least have average completion %, then I would question his effectiveness. If he has a somewhat above average efficiency, that's expected. More than just above average would reflect well on him. Does not include this year or playoffs.

Pass efficiency

3 games over 80%.

5 games over 70%.

7 games at 65% or higher

6 games at 60% or higher

1 game at 54%

4 games below 50%.

Pass efficiency as a function of # of pass attempts:

2 games with 30 passes or more, at 70% and 60% efficiency.

6 games with 25-30 passes. 1 game at 80%, 4 games at 60%-70%. 1 game at 43%.

9 games from 20-24 passes. 3 games over 70%. 4 games from 60-70%. 1 at 54%, 1 at 45%.

7 games from 15-19 passes. 1 game at 82%, 1 game at 74%, 3 games from 60-70%, 2 games in the 40s.

2 games with 11-14 passes. 82% and 64% efficiency.

Yards per attempt:

1 game with 20 y/a.

7 games with 10-13 y/a

2 games with 9-10 y/a

6 games with 8-9 y/a

4 games with 7-8 y/a

4 games with 6-7.

2 games with 5-6.

Notes on that when taking into account pass attempts... the anomalous 20 y/a was in his game with 11 attempts, his fewest. His 2 worst games were in games with high # of attempts, but he also did well in other high attempt games. His 6 games with highest attempts his average was: 9.4, 5.9, 11.2, 7.7, 8.6, and 5.11

Make of that all what you will.