The Good

T.J. Watt has become one of the best outside linebackers in the NFL today. Watt had a monster season in 2021 where he racked up 22 sacks for the Steelers. Injuries somewhat limited his 2022 campaign as he was only able to play in a total of 10 games. Watt will look to get back to his 2021 form this season and continue to build his impressive resume. One stat that is incredible when you look at Watt is his sack rate. Watt has averaged 0.9 sacks per game which is the best in NFL history. Expect double-digit sacks again this year for Watt.

The Bad

When looking more at the Steelers roster the biggest weakness is the offensive line. This line is somewhat unproven and will best tested right from the start in their week 1 battle against San Francisco. The major question mark is at the LT position. As of now, it looks like Dan Moore Jr. will hold down that spot but if he struggles the Steelers could turn to rookie Broderick Jones. Kenny Pickett and the Steelers offense will need this line to improve in order to take the next step.

The Prediction

The AFC North will be one of the best divisions in football this season. I have the Steelers finishing 3rd but making the playoffs as a wild card. Pickett will impress and the emergence of George Pickens will make this a dynamic offense.

2023 Record: (10-7 3rd in the Division)

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Hall of Fame Statistics

Over his 18-year career, he has thrown for 64,088 yards, with 418 touchdown passes and a passer rating of 93.5. He is the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 500 yards in three separate games. He has also led the Steelers to two Super Bowl titles and earned six Pro Bowl selections.

These numbers are no doubt impressive and put Ben Roethlisberger in the conversation for the Hall of Fame. However, Roethlisberger’s career was marked by periods of excellence followed by inconsistency. In some seasons, he was one of the most dominant quarterbacks in the league, while in others, he struggled to find his rhythm.

For example, during the 2018 season, Roethlisberger had one of the best years of his career. He threw for 5,129 yards, with 34 touchdown passes and played in all 16 games. However, the following year was a different story. In 2019, Roethlisberger was sidelined after 2 games with an elbow injury that required surgery and ended his season.

Roethlisberger’s inconsistency is one factor that could hurt his chances of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. We also can’t ignore the off the field drama that caused him to serve a 4 game suspension in 2010.

Steelers Legend

That said, we cannot ignore Roethlisberger’s impact on football. He led the Steelers for over a decade, shaping their identity as a team. Big Ben is known for making clutch plays in critical situations, and his toughness and resilience earned him respect from his peers. He was often described as a defensive player playing quarterback. Roethlisberger would often push aside would be tacklers and extend the play like none other could.

There were plenty of highlights during Roethlisberger’s career. One of his signature moments came during Super Bowl XLIII vs the Arizona Cardinals. Down three with 43 seconds to go Roethlisberger fired a dart into the corner of the end zone and Santonio Holmes made an amazing toe tap grab. It propelled the Steelers to the Super Bowl victory and was one of the greatest catches of all time.

Overall, Ben Roethlisberger’s case for the Hall of Fame is strong. His career statistics are impressive, and he has led the Steelers to multiple Super Bowl victories. He has also shown resilience and toughness, playing through injuries and overcoming adversity. However, his off-field controversies and inconsistency could hurt his chances of being inducted as a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Regardless of when Roethlisberger makes it to the Hall of Fame (and he will), there is no denying the impact he has had on the NFL and the Steelers franchise. He will be remembered as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in league history and a true warrior on the field.

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By: Jeremy Trottier

The NFL fandom consists of a few things, but primarily it ends up just becoming a debate because everyone has differing opinions.  One of the players who gets debated the most is Ben Roethlisberger, one of the most statistically great QBs of all time.  In this article I will be speaking on my opinion of Big Ben, and whether or not he is overrated. 

Statistical Success & Achievements

Big Ben ranks among the all-time legends of the sport statistically, #5 all-time in passing yards (64,088), #8 all-time in passing touchdowns (418), #5 all-time in games started (247), and only is 18^th in interceptions all time with 211.  His statistical success is pretty much undoubted, as he tops many of the best players this sport has ever seen in passing stats. 

His accolades are where things get even more interesting, as he has one of the best resumes of all time.  2 Super Bowls, NFL OROY, 6x pro-bowler, 2x passing yards leader, most career 500-yard passing games, tied for the most perfect passer rating games, and the most completions in a game ever.  It is hard to be a name on top of one of the most storied franchises of all time, but Ben has done that, being one of if not the best QB in franchise history, and potentially the best player. 

So…is he overrated?

Overrated or underrated is difficult to quantify, as they are the view of the people and fans, so there is no one way to show it.  From what I can tell, he is generally considered to be lower than what he was, as many people take away from him with the fact that he always had top-tier talents, which granted, he did.  The issue with that notion is you could also say he made a lot of people successful, as he was able to push the ball downfield at an exceptional rate.  So overall, I would say he is generally properly or even underrated at times by the general NFL fan, as he should be considered likely a top 10 QB of all-time. 

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By: Jeremy Trottier

The AFC North has a pretty phenomenal quarterback grouping, including Ben Roethlisberger, Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson.  Each of these players has its own strengths and weaknesses, as well as vastly different players on their respective teams.  In this article, I will be ranking these quarterbacks based on how they performed last year, as well as how I believe they will perform in 2021, and their team around them for production.  This is a combination of those three factors, as well as any recent history that needs to be considered.

The quarterbacks will be ranked from four (worst in the division) to one (best in the division) based on those prior aspects of the game.

Ben Roethlisberger ”“ Pittsburgh Steelers – #4

In no way is this meant to disrespect the legacy of Big Ben first off, but at this point, he is the oldest of the QBs in this division by a large margin.  One of the first things to note is that the Steelers offensive line is relatively lackluster to say the least, which is going to force Ben to throw a significant portion of his passes under pressure.  Having Najee Harris may help take some pressure off him, but for the same reason, he may also be ineffective due to lack of o-line.  

Roethlisberger did perform relatively well in 2020, at least during the stretch of 11-0 games for Pittsburgh.  However his end of season/postseason performance was lackluster at best.  Overall, he is nearing the end of his career more than likely, and the protection he has been given is worse than last years.

Joe Burrow ”“ Cincinatti Bengals – #3

First off, Joe Burrow is a very good quarterback from the sample size we saw last year, that much is true.  The Bengals did draft Ja’Marr Chase, who will most definitely be a great asset for Burrow to throw the ball to.  The issue here lies with his protection, as well as his mobility now.

Granted, the Bengals did sign Riley Reiff and draft Jackson Carman, which is both relatively respectable moves.  However will those two moves really just fix the line of 2020 that collapsed under most pressures?  With some of the best pass rushers in the league in your division (Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, Calais Campbell, etc.), protection needs to be a huge point of emphasis.  With Burrow coming back off major knee surgery, his mobility will be limited, and I do not believe this line is enough yet to justify moving Burrow higher.

Baker Mayfield ”“ Cleveland Browns – #2

Coming off one of the better years of his career, Baker Mayfield should be considered at the very least a very good quarterback right now.  After only throwing eight interceptions last year to 26 touchdowns and 3,563 yards, he definitely had an impressive campaign.  With Odell Beckham Jr. returning, a very good draft class to add to the defense, and an extremely stout offensive line, Baker is primed to have another high-level season in 2021. 

One other note to look at here is the coaching.  With the Kevin Stefanski addition last year, and the Browns making the playoffs for the first time in 18 years, this should also be a factor in Baker’s success.

Lamar Jackson ”“ Baltimore Ravens – #1

The removal of Orlando Brown Jr. normally would make me lower a QB on this type of list, but this is Lamar Jackson, his mobility will prevent issues.  The 2019 NFL MVP had a very slight decline from his MVP season, but still led the Ravens to a 11-4 record and to his first playoff win.

The addition of Rashod Bateman and Sammy Watkins will definitely help Lamar in making the decision to throw much more often.  They also brought in Alejandro Villanueva to fill in the other tackle spot alongside Ronnie Stanley.  Overall, Lamar should have a field day in 2021 due to his new weapons, and the development of J.K. Dobbins should also most definitely take some pressure off of Lamar.  

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