Roethlisberger's season for the ages
PITTSBURGH - Ben Roethlisberger is having a season that could be the greatest in team history, regardless of position.
The Steelers' quarterback has already set a career high with 20 touchdown passes and his passer rating of 111.9 is better than anyone in the NFL not named Tom Brady.
"He is tremendous," Cleveland head coach Romeo Crennel said of Roethlisberger. "He is having a really, really good year and is off to a tremendous start. It looks like he is playing with confidence."
And Roethlisberger is making things happen in a number of different ways.
In the Steelers' 38-7 victory over Baltimore Monday night, Roethlisberger threw two touchdowns while scrambling, one on a designed rollout and two from the pocket, showing he can do a little of everything. All five touchdown passes came in the first half, only the fifth time since 1970 a quarterback has thrown five TD passes in the opening two quarters of a game.
The player who was known as a caretaker of the offense in his first three seasons is gone, replaced by a quarterback who has carried the Steelers to a 6-2 record this season.
"He has all of the physical talent," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "He's big. He's strong. He's mobile. He can make any throw on the field. He is a smart guy. He looks like the 11th pick in the draft."
Roethlisberger is on pace for 40 touchdown passes this season, which would shatter Terry Bradshaw's franchise record of 28 in 1978. Roethlisberger's passer rating is well above his own franchise record of 98.6 set in 2005.
But Roethlisberger couldn't care less about those things.
"To me it's about winning football games," he said. "Whether that's by throwing no touchdown passes or throwing five, it doesn't matter to me. As long as we win the football game, that's all that matters to me."
At times this season, Roethlisberger has looked as if he's playing football in the back yard, escaping pressure and running around while still making plays downfield.
Even though many times his scrambles make things look like the offensive line isn't playing well, Roethlisberger said in reality, it's quite the opposite.
"They don't know where I'm going," Roethlisberger said. "They don't know if I've already crossed the line of scrimmage and now they can go downfield. There are so many things people overlook when I scramble. That's why I give them all the credit. They have to sustain blocks for a long time when I'm out scrambling around, making plays. They're not holding. They're doing a great job."
The receivers, who are learning on the fly how to adjust their routes when Roethlisberger is on the move, are having just as good of a season as the line.
It's not something that can be practiced.
"We definitely can't go into a game hoping these plays are going to work all the time, because they're not," said wide receiver Hines Ward. "When we're playing the elite teams in the league, we have to be crisp.
"Ben does a phenomenal job when protection does break down. He stays alive, and I think the receivers have done a great job of adjusting to that. But we don't go into a game, and say 'Y'all just go out there and run around, and Ben you just find an open guy, will you?'"
But it's hard to argue with the results.
"He makes good decisions," said Tomlin. "I think that's critical in terms of that area. He's able to evade the rush. He's a big guy who is strong. But the thing that has him playing at a high level right now is when a play breaks down and he leaves the pocket then he makes good decisions."