Big Ben
Big Ben
Interesting topic over at Bernie's Insiders on whether ROethlisberger is the real deal or not. The majority think he'll be pretty good, but there are lots of differing opinions.
I _do_ think he'll be pretty good, but probably no better than a solid starter in the NFL, and he'll struggle to live up to his early season heroics of 2004. He's not going to be confused with the best NFL starters. While he's got some valuable natural abilities (particularly his ability to throw downfield on the run), he tends to float balls and didn't seem to react well in the rare cases he was under pressure last season. I expect his 2005 season to be reminicent of his mid-season performances for the Steelers -- he'll struggle often, he'll win most games, and he won't be good enough to carry the team in the playoffs for more than a series or two.
This probably would not be a popular assessment to Steelers fans, but I'd describe Roethlisberger as a bigger version of Tim Couch. Maybe he's smarter too, but that's still a bit of an open question. But essentially they play the same sort of game. Neither have particularly strong arms, but each can look good with enough time in the pocket. And both can make something big happen out of busted plays. Ben, however, is a bigger guy and has more presence in the pocket. I still do think Couch could have had a decent NFL career, but he was a victim of his own bad tendencies and his team's failures. Roethlisberger is in a much better situation and seems to have an edge in his skillset. But he's still going to have to develop. His goal should be to become the best "system qb" in the league. Which, you can probably guess if you read the stuff I write here, is pretty good praise. But he'll have to do it.
Interesting topic over at Bernie's Insiders on whether ROethlisberger is the real deal or not. The majority think he'll be pretty good, but there are lots of differing opinions.
I _do_ think he'll be pretty good, but probably no better than a solid starter in the NFL, and he'll struggle to live up to his early season heroics of 2004. He's not going to be confused with the best NFL starters. While he's got some valuable natural abilities (particularly his ability to throw downfield on the run), he tends to float balls and didn't seem to react well in the rare cases he was under pressure last season. I expect his 2005 season to be reminicent of his mid-season performances for the Steelers -- he'll struggle often, he'll win most games, and he won't be good enough to carry the team in the playoffs for more than a series or two.
This probably would not be a popular assessment to Steelers fans, but I'd describe Roethlisberger as a bigger version of Tim Couch. Maybe he's smarter too, but that's still a bit of an open question. But essentially they play the same sort of game. Neither have particularly strong arms, but each can look good with enough time in the pocket. And both can make something big happen out of busted plays. Ben, however, is a bigger guy and has more presence in the pocket. I still do think Couch could have had a decent NFL career, but he was a victim of his own bad tendencies and his team's failures. Roethlisberger is in a much better situation and seems to have an edge in his skillset. But he's still going to have to develop. His goal should be to become the best "system qb" in the league. Which, you can probably guess if you read the stuff I write here, is pretty good praise. But he'll have to do it.
posted by Michael @ 2:59 PM
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