DarthFed said:
Cali is looking for attention here...at least I hope that's what this is because otherwise this is even more absurd than Nalbandian. Pitt has always had an awesome defense around Raper Ben and has mostly had an elite running game (thus why they run so much) but I'm guessing you forgot to mention that. That said I actually agree in part that Roethlisberger does get underappreciated but part of that is due to him clearly being below the top 3-4 QB's in the league.
No, I am absolutely not "looking for attention here".
Roethlisberger's receivers have been absolutely awful. He has made them look like a respectable and even Top 10 receiving corps at times during his time, which is incredible:
- Mike Wallace is an awkward, coordination-deficient ball-catcher who is good for a home run play and little else. As a friend of mine who plays football has remarked, Wallace often catches the ball with his pads, like a high school player. If football was just about sprints, then he would be outstanding. Unfortunately for him, it isn't. He doesn't make catches in traffic, he doesn't use his hands well, he is sleight of frame, he doesn't adjust well to the ball, and he never catches a fade route. He is awkward as a receiver. I expect him to be the same type of flop that Asomugha ($12 million per year) was in Philadelphia or that Holmes ($10 million per year) has largely been in New York.
- Holmes is the best receiver Roethlisberger has had besides Burress, which is sad. I will give Holmes credit for being a good improviser and looking to hit big plays when things break down. But his route-running is very sloppy and he is too small in stature and not sharp enough as a route runner to be anything close to a #1. That final drive in the Super Bowl against Arizona was more about Roethlisberger's amazing pump-fakes than Holmes doing anything special. I will give Holmes credit for the TD catch, but the rest of the drive was all Roethlisberger and Holmes was awful for the entire game up to that point. As with Wallace, Roethlisberger made Holmes's reputation what it is.
- Hines Ward was halfway decent over the middle and running what are basically tight end routes. But being short and in his last 5 or 6 years slow, he was even more average than he had been prior.
- Antonio Brown is a good route-runner but is simply too small to be anything approximating a serious #1 or #2 receiver in the NFL.
- Emmanuel Sanders isn't as polished as Brown and he is even smaller.
The Steelers have had a receiving corps that was basically one of the worst 5 in the NFL the last 10 years in terms of talent and Roethlisberger made them look respectable - which is, again, incredible. Holmes and Wallace owe their big contracts to his improvisation and his talent making plays outside the pocket.
Often it is said that "Big Ben holds the ball too long" or that "Big Ben doesn't trust his receivers". That is because they have been too small, too unskilled, too awkward, and/or too slow to get open on conventional routes. As a result, Big Ben has done the sane thing and held on to the ball in order to give them second and third chances to get open. You can't throw it right off the dropback when you know that Wallace can't adjust to a pass in traffic or that Brown, Ward, Sanders, and Miller are draped due to being too small and/or too slow.
What Big Ben has done with that collection of receivers really has to make him the best quarterback of this era. It truly is astonishing.
I mean - look at Flacco. He has had Torrey Smith, Boldin, and Pitta. If Roethlisberger had receivers of that caliber, his team would, uh, go 15-1. We know that from his rookie season - when he had a serious receiver in Burress. Unfortunately, Steelers management opted not to keep Plaxico. It is unfortunate because Big Ben and Burress were magical together. The game in the 2004 regular season when they lit up the then-undefeated Patriots (who were, I think, 7-0) was an awesome display of QB-wide receiver chemistry only rivaled by such duos as Brady and Moss.
DarthFed said:
Pitt has always had an awesome defense around Raper Ben and has mostly had an elite running game (thus why they run so much) but I'm guessing you forgot to mention that.
As someone who has watched the Steelers a ton over the past decade, I can definitely say that the defense was not "awesome". It was very good overall, and it had some great moments, but the main reason for the extent of success the Steelers have had in the past decade is Roethlisberger. He has won a HUGE number of close games with late-game drives and heroics. The defense may have kept the games close, but it was Roethlisberger who won them so many times that people began to take it for granted.
Also, the Steelers running game has been very good, but "mostly elite" is not an accurate characterization. It has never been anything unique. Simply having a guy get over 1,000 does not make you a terrific running team. And besides, the Steelers haven't had a 1,000-yard rusher in 3 seasons.
DarthFed said:
I actually agree in part that Roethlisberger does get underappreciated but part of that is due to him clearly being below the top 3-4 QB's in the league.
Oh really. Why is he "clearly below the top 3-4 QB's in the league"? Please give me one good reason.
