Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger	QUARTERBACK
Photo by Steel City Hobbies	Age: 29 College: Miami (Ohio) Height: 6’5″ Weight: 241 Experience: 8 years

Strengths:
When rookies hold the ball too long, you coach it out of them. When Ben holds the ball too long, he’s probably about to find Heath Miller for a 22-yard gain on 3rd & 17. He can shed tacklers in the pocket like an elite RB. He isn’t the quickest player but he can take off and run. Never slides when running; there are more yards to be gained headfirst. Has a knack for late-game heroics.

Weaknesses:
Questionable accuracy; Ben has been known to struggle with turnovers through the air. His tendency to hold the ball as long as he does can lead to too many sacks. If the receivers aren’t keeping up with his scrambling, it can be extremely aggravating to watch him. Due to his reputation as a tough quarterback, late hits on Ben are never ever called ever. As such, he sustains more injuries than you’d like for your franchise QB.

Off The Field:
Ben’s offseason troubles are well documented. We will all go on record as saying Ben Roethlisberger has been an immature frat boy during his career. We will also be homers and say that many allegations against him have probably been exaggerated. Troubles aside, Ben is an unquestioned leader on a team that is certainly not lacking in veteran leadership to begin with. Ben connects with rookies every year, he isn’t afraid to stand up in front of his team and deliver a speech at halftime, and his refusal to give up on a play, sometimes sacrificing his own body to get a chance at a big play, is the kind of thing that teammates and coaches notice and respect.

Overall: 
“I’m not a pretty boy in this game; I’m a Steeler.” -Ben Roethlisberger
What more can you say beyond that quote? Ben is the perfect franchise QB for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He isn’t pretty like Tom Brady. He isn’t the pocket passer Peyton Manning is. But he’s a winner. And in Pittsburgh, we’ll take that over style points.

Updated 6/8/11
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