Roethlisberger will rebound from 2006 season
Why are so many discounting what Ben Roethlisberger did in his first two NFL seasons?
That's the way it seems as NFL prognosticators have all but given up on the Steelers' fourth-year quarterback, pointing to his sub-par 2006 campaign as proof.
So why does the 2006 season hold more weight than the spectacular 2004 and 2005 seasons Roethlisberger put together?
Spare me the argument about Roethlisberger being a caretaker in his first two years in the league. It just doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
Yes, Roethlisberger had many games in those first two seasons when he threw 20 or fewer passes - 14, counting the playoffs, to be exact. The Steelers didn't lose any of those games.
The biggest reasons for that were Roethlisberger was so effective early in games that the Steelers built big leads, and their defense was so good they ran the ball more often in the second half.
The Steelers won those games because of Roethlisberger, not in spite of him.
The same could be said of his 2006 season. Roethlisberger's 23 interceptions were a big reason why the Steelers opened the season 2-6, including 1-6 in his starts.
Roethlisberger's struggles could be linked to his motorcycle accident and appendectomy that cost him the first week of the season. He probably came back too quickly from a concussion sustained in Atlanta Oct. 22.
After throwing seven touchdown passes and 14 interceptions in his first seven games, Roethlisberger turned those numbers around, throwing 11 TDs and nine interceptions over the final eight games.
Those numbers were more like his first two seasons, when he threw 32 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in his first 25 starts, during which he led the Steelers to a 22-3 regular-season record.
Roethlisberger will rebound in 2007 and show his 2006 season was an anomaly.