Big Ben

[ikestops85]

In today's NFL Bradshaw would not win any Super Bowls. Why? Because he would have been cut before he got good. Bradshaw was mostly horrible his first 5 or 6 years. Hell, the Steeler fans cheered, at home, one time when he got hurt. They wanted Terry Hanratty. Then they wanted Jefferson Street Joe. Only in his later years did Terry become a great QB. That's why I laugh when I see some of you guys post how bad Rudolph or Dobbs is. Even Brees wasn't very good his first few years. Sometimes you just have to let QBs marinate before they become good.

The only thing I know is they all make mistakes.

[Northern_Blitz]

I don't think it is wrong to think that in the modern NFL players will first do what is best for themselves, then consider the team second. Free agency, guaranteed contracts have a way of making this behavior acceptable.

This.

It's reasonable for teams to make decisions based on what's best for the team.

It's also reasonable for players to make decisions based on what's best for themselves.

[Oh wow]

In today's NFL Bradshaw would not win any Super Bowls. Why? Because he would have been cut before he got good. Bradshaw was mostly horrible his first 5 or 6 years. Hell, the Steeler fans cheered, at home, one time when he got hurt. They wanted Terry Hanratty. Then they wanted Jefferson Street Joe. Only in his later years did Terry become a great QB. That's why I laugh when I see some of you guys post how bad Rudolph or Dobbs is. Even Brees wasn't very good his first few years. Sometimes you just have to let QBs marinate before they become good.

The only thing I know is they all make mistakes.

It was a different time.

Now you can’t let a QB marinate for too long because another team may come knocking.

[RuthlessBurgher]

No. What’s the difference?

How much money does Ben’s wife need to make for him to take a discount?

It’s the silliest argument I have ever heard.

Tom Brady adds late-night TV vandalism to his offseason schedule

Posted by Darin Gantt on May 3, 2019, 6:38 AM EDT

Tom Brady‘s still accurate — whether describing his own financial situation or joining in a late-night television feud.

The Patriots quarterback was a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Thursday night, answering questions from a non-football interviewer.

As many non-football interviewers are mystified by, Kimmel asked Brady about being relatively low-paid (17th in annual value) despite having so many Super Bowl rings.

“That’s a good question. That’s usually, when I don’t want to answer a question, I always say, ‘That’s a good question,'” Brady said. “I think the thing I’ve always felt for me in my life, winning has been a priority. And my wife makes a lot of money.

“I’m a little smarter than you think. Actually, it’s a salary cap. You can only spend so much and the more that one guy gets is less for others. And for a competitive advantage standpoint, I like to get a lot of good players around me.”

Having model Gisele Bundchen able to pay the mortgage has certainly helped the Patriots remain competitive over the years, along with Brady being good at playing football.

He’s been working out on his own at UCLA during his offseason, and showed that he can still hit a particular spot during a skit with Kimmel and his arch-enemy Matt Damon.

I really didn’t want to get in the middle of this.. #KIMMEL #TONIGHT @jimmykimmel @IAMGUILLERMO pic.twitter.com/kbo64exBUa

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 2, 2019

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/05/03/tom-brady-adds-late-night-tv-vandalism-to-his-offseason-schedule/

[Steel Maniac]

Ben now working with full time trainer; Wants to stay fit for the remainder of his playing days


Outside of the draft and free agency—perhaps not even outside of that—the Pittsburgh Steelers’ top priority this offseason was to get their franchise piece, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, under contract beyond the 2019 season. They were able to accomplish that a few weeks ago, signing him to a two-year extension that ties him up through the 2021 season, which will be the last football that he plays before the big four-zero.

Are the Steelers concerned about his physical ability to play through that? Reportedly, they required assurances that he was mentally committed to playing during that duration, but there are no indications that they ever questioned his capability of performing the tasks necessary to compete at the highest level.

And it helps that he has taken steps to assure that as he ages, he is able to retain that physical capacity to play, perhaps inspired by the similar feats of Tom Brady and Drew Brees in playing into their 40s, rewriting the rulebook on what a quarterback is capable of doing in terms of longevity.

Albert Breer wrote yesterday that “Roethlisberger’s desire to continue playing strengthened”, adding that “he hired a full-time trainer and changed the way he readies for a season”. The quarterback himself last year already talked about the fact that he was spending more time working out last season, and it was even a topic of conversation during training camp about the work he put in in the weight room.

There was certainly evidence of that improved fitness as well. His 31 rushing attempts were the most in any season since 2011, his 98 yards the most since 2013. He also scored three times with his legs, the first time he did that since 2005, which is the only time he had that many rushing touchdowns.

Aside from the statistical indications, it was also visibly apparent that Roethlisberger was slimmed down and more mobile than he had been in recent seasons. Will we see a continued development in this area in other avenues? Perhaps an increased usage of play-action, which generally requires the quarterback to turn his back to the play, something he prefers not to do at this point in his career?

That remains to be seen, but the truth is that his physical conditioning is primarily only relevant as it concerns his arm, and he did talk last offseason about feeling as though his throwing arm was livelier than it had been in years, and that even his wide receivers were telling him the same thing.

This increased consciousness about his conditioning would seem to indicate a commitment beyond the year-to-year. Whereas you can just ‘get by’ with however you are for one season, if you’re thinking about two and three years down the road, then you’re going to be more concerned about your body being in a shape that can endure for years on end.

[RuthlessBurgher]

It's great that you are attempting to add to the site by posting articles you found online, but remember that it's always a good idea to give the author credit (the person's name at the very least and preferably also a link to the website where you found it). Writers tend to not like it very much when their works are cut-and-pasted elsewhere on the web while giving no credit to where it originally came from.

[hawaiiansteel]

Garth Brooks: ‘I’m in love with Ben Roethlisberger’

The country music superstar's Pittsburgh sports fandom was on full display a day before his Heinz Field show

JASON MACKEY
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
MAY 17, 2019

While Garth Brooks was taking swings at Pirates spring training, a couple of Ben Roethlisberger’s former teammates were busy taking shots at the Steelers quarterback.

Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and much of the national media spent ample time assaulting Roethlisberger’s character and questioning his ability as a leader.

At Heinz Field on Friday to promote (discuss?) his sold-out show here Saturday that’s expected to draw upwards of 75,000, Brooks did something nobody else has seemingly done around here in months: He said nice things about Ben.

“I’m in love with Ben Roethlisberger,” Brooks said in front of a backdrop advertising his Legacy tour, sporting a Pirates hat, a Life is Good sweatshirt, jeans and bright-tan Nike boots. “He’s my guy. Any time I get down, I look in the mirror and say, ‘I am Ben Roethlisberger.’ ”

Given his higher-than-high status, Brooks need not use these types of events to promote his brand. Yet he had no problem doing so anyway, taking questions for more than 37 minutes in a group setting then flitting through a series of one-on-ones.

Peppered throughout the hourlong event was a trail of breadcrumbs that led us all to one conclusion: Brooks, a 57-year-old native of Tulsa, Okla., really and kind of strangely loves Pittsburgh sports.

“Where I’m from, everybody was a Dallas Cowboys fan,” Brooks explained. “If I’m going to go against the grain, the two teams that went against Dallas at that point were the Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Redskins had Sonny Jurgenson, kind of an older crew, and Pittsburgh had [Jack] Lambert. Oh my God. If you’re a little kid and you see those guys, that’s who you want to be.”

But it wasn’t just football, Brooks explained. His first love with Pittsburgh sports teams has always been the Pirates after he was drawn in by Roberto Clemente.

“I collected all of his cards from my older brothers,” Brooks said. “He became a God to me.”

That’s one of many reasons Brooks was like a little kid in a candy store in spring training, which was a promotional event for his charity — Teammates for Kids — that seeks to improve child welfare.

What made this experience different from spring training stints with the San Diego Padres (1999), New York Mets (2000) and Kansas City Royals (2004), however, was how emotionally attached Brooks has always been to Pittsburgh sports teams.

That feeling is something Brooks has developed through multiple conversations with Roethlisberger.

“Ben always told me the difference between this city and others is that they expect you to get up here,” Brooks said. “If you get knocked on your [ass], you’re in the game, which means you’re living. You’re getting to tour at 100 years old, you’re getting to come back after raising your babies, you thought your career was over and these people show up like this, you get up. You get out and you get in the game.

“I think that’s why I like Ben. I like the people here. They’re the people I want to be.”

If Brooks ever put out his Pittsburgh sports rankings — don’t laugh, he might — expect Clint Hurdle and Brett Keisel to challenge Roethlisberger for the top spot.

One of the most memorable spring training stories for Brooks occurred the day of the first full-squad workout. Hurdle had everyone gathered around and delivered a speech that resonated with Brooks, who knows a thing or two about how to captivate an audience.

“The first thing out of his mouth was, ‘You’re going to be a former player longer than you are a player and the kind of man you are here means something.’ ” Brooks said. “I’m sitting there going, ‘[Shoot], I love this guy.’

“Here I am, 100 years old, on the other side of these young guys, and that’s the one thing I would tell them.”

Among the topics Brooks discussed:

• He thinks we’ll soon have an NBA team. “I’m thinking that last piece is going to fall into place,” he said. “You’re going to be the city that has all the same colors.”

• Brett Keisel is cuddly … or something like that. “Brett Keisel might be one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met. At the same time, he’s one of the most feared guys I’ve ever seen. You put him around children, he just becomes this Teddy Bear. That’s the kind of guy I want to be around. It’s pretty cool.”

• This weird, wild offseason for the Steelers — specifically Roethlisberger — won’t be any big thing, Brooks said, so long as they and he enjoy a strong start.

“In our industry, a hit cures everything,” Brooks said. “In the football world, if they rack up some wins, that’s how it is. I’m pulling for him. Hard.”

• Brooks and Roethlisberger apparently text regularly, and No. 7 is actually Brooks’ favorite number, too. “To see a Steelers player wearing No. 7, and it turned out to be Big Ben, it just makes me love him more.”

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...er_PGSportsNow

[Shawn]

I don't/wouldn't. What's the alternative? Rudolph? Ben had statistically the best year of his career last year.

Exactly. Ben could ask for 30 million a year. What choice do the Steelers have considering they haven’t really been serious about finding and grooming his replacement? It’s nearly impossible to win SBs without a franchise QB.

[Captain Lemming]

I’m not a Seattle fan so why would I chide RW? Who cares what he does, I’m not invested in that team.

I already stated even the best QB’s throw INT’s so
pointing out other QB’s making mistakes doesn’t make Ben’s any better.

I also believe RW won’t win jack and hasn’t been anywhere as successful since he has signed his mega deals.

Yup, like Ben he won his when the defense was stellar and the offense was middling.
That is why ESPECIALLY if you are paying franchice QB dough (and it IS the most important position) you cant afford to pay elite coin to skill players.

Invest heavily in positions that are most important to winning championships.

[Captain Lemming]

“I’m in love with Ben Roethlisberger,” Brooks said.....
Among the topics Brooks discussed:
• Brett Keisel is cuddly … or something like that. “Brett Keisel might be one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met.

Just when I'm about fed up with this place......a post that reminds me of the knowledgeable expert analysis I'll never get if if I dont come here.