Thoughts on Ben

208 yds 3 Tds 0 int V. Cincy
197 yds 2 tds 1 int V. Indy
275 yd 2 tds 1 rushing td 0 int V. Denver

Where wast the 2nd mediocre game other than the super bowl?

They came out guns blazing in the first half ben was slinging it all over the place then they took the air out of the ball in the 2nd half up 21-3 sorry indy was one of his better games..stats dont always tell the story

 

Oh I forgot!

 

And thats the problem with just reading stat lines.

You need to go back and re-watch the game and refresh your memory. The Steelers game plan was to come out throwing, get the lead, then run the ball and kill the clock.

Ben's first half stats:
12-20 (60%) for 172 yards 2 TDs 1 INT for a QB rating of 100.7. He was on pace for a 4 TD and 350 yard passing game before they gave the ball to Bettis.

He did his job by throwing Pittsburgh to 14-3 first half lead.

They then took the ball out his hands in order to slow the game down and keep Peyton on the sidelines. I guess this is somehow a knock on Ben?

 

True. That's why I don't think Bradshaw gets a fair shake. His stats weren't gaudy, but he was a winner. In big games at big moments, he never seemed to disappoint!

 

fixed it for you

 

PAY DA MAN!

 

Absolutely, Bradshaw only had seven 300 yard passing games. In today's climate, he wouldn't even be a starter. Why are 300 yard games important? Because when your team is down, you abandon the running game and start slinging it. The opposing defense is soft, allowing you to do so. Throwing for 300 yards is not a winning statistic. And while Bradshaw rarely did that feat, he won games. Ben carried this team to those three wins in 2005, and his team carried him during the Superbowl. All qb's need a winning team around them in order to win. Take away Terrell Davis and you can take away Elway's two rings.

 

Welcome to the days of fantasy football fans, (html code alert-FFF), that live and breath every game w/ a stat full of debate. Problem is, one can use the same stats for the counter debate.

Yet, in the end the only stat that matters is if it's a W or L?

Ben will be a Steeler come his next contract, the roller of big cigars will make the #s work so at least that piece is in place. No puzzle at all.

It's the contract after this one, if there is to be one, that will be the talk!

 

Ben needs to take less than some of the other quarterbacks that recently signed big contracts, Tom Brady took less. Ben has said he wants to stay with the Steelers we will see when it's time to negotiate a new contract.

 

I hope he works a deal out but I don't know if I would say he needs to take less.

 

why? He is one of the best in the league! He has been playing at a discount for years

 

how is that? didn't he just become a guy that has gotten the highest percentage of his contract that at the time was the largest?

 

Let me simplify it shall we: Ben, 3 Super Bowls. No Ben, no Super Bowls. There, see how easy that was.

Oh, and yes, Mendenhall's fumble was the dagger. Can't leave out the D getting shredded though.

And the wonderful Paty Manning, the regular season wonder. So elite.
Keeping his arm fresh throwing pizza dough for another playoff choke

 

yeah because cowher was so good with qb's.lol

 

I think some of us need to take of our rose colored glasses when we defend Ben. I mean blaming Mendenhall for a fumble that really wasn't his fault Legs missed the block and Matthews was literally in his grill as soon as Mendy got the ball and then not blaming Ben some for his two picks seems a bit biased - the first pick was not so bad, but the pick 6 was absolutely atrocious.

Now my defense of Ben. Way way way too much is placed on the "Big Game" the SB in judging a QB. By that measure Dan Marino and John Elway are schmucks. Take a look at Marino's line in his only game. Elway actually never had a good SB game until the last one that Denver won...even in the game they won they largely rode Terrell Davis' throughout the game.

Not that my judgment counts for anything, but the way I think you can judge an elite QB is through 3 things. (1) Are you a winner, do you consistently win - I think Ben gets a check there (2) Can he put up good stats...i.e. he is also a big contributor to those wins....it is here that Ben often gets shafted, we forget the guy has a career QB rating over 92 which considering the length of his career over a 10 year period is only surpassed by Brady, Manning, Brees, and Rivers. He has also put up those stats w/at best mid to below average offensive lines and in many of those years the running game was basically average. So he gets a check there as well...though maybe his weakest check ... Finally (3) are you clutch...by clutch can you perform when the game is on the line and in the playoffs Ben gets a huge check there considering the numerous come from behind wins and he is 10-4 in the playoffs. Also for all the knock on him in the big game and other games he has a career 83.5 playoff rating which is mediocre...but guess what Peyton Manning's is 88, St. Brady's is 87. I can see the argument maybe that Ben isn't elite anymore, but at a minimum I think he was elite and is still a franchise QB.

Franchise QB's don't grow on trees, think twice before you think it will be so easy to replace him.

 

I've always blamed that first pick on the ridiculously stupid play calling. We're backed up in our own end zone and BA decides to call for a bomb and Ben has a guy hanging off of him and has to get rid of it and winds up throwing it up. It was just indefensibly dumb to call THAT play in THAT situation. I really think if we'd ran the ball more in that game we would have won it actually.

 

You don't run the ball being down 21-3 and i think Mendy on most runs were for minus yardage from what I remember.

 

As far as stats go isn't there some numbers out there that show that some of Ben's best games are when he does have average numbers. Where his yardage is around 245 yards with less than 35 pass attempts? I seem to remember that case being made a time or two but the bulk of that could have been when they did have a killer run game to close out the game.

 

Lets not lay all the blame on mendy. Ben did throw a pick 6 in that game too
I do think we gotta keep him though

 

TTF he is also Ban**ng that hot vickies secret girl