Roethlisberger puts 2005 performance behind him
TAMPA — All Super Bowl week, everybody kept asking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger about 2005, when the then-23-year-old seemed ill-prepared and almost a hindrance in the Steelers' Super Bowl XL win against the Seattle Seahawks.
But Roethlisberger wasn't worried. Unruffled, each time he answered that this year would be different -- that this year he was not nervous.
It certainly appeared that way on Sunday night at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium, when Roethlisberger captained the Steelers for 256 passing yards, topped by one last-minute touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes on an 88-yard drive that gave Pittsburgh a 27-23 win against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
"I felt a lot better," the 6-foot-5, 241-pound quarterback said. "I didn't have the jitters. I actually didn't feel really nervous, but then when the planes flew over, that's when I was the most nervous ... They talk a lot about this offense, and you know what, I'm so proud of the way we responded that last drive. I hope we silenced some critics."
Roethlisberger, whose grandparents have a residence in Fort Myers Beach, is just the 10th quarterback to win multiple Super Bowls, and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is the only other quarterback to do it by the age of 26. Of the 10 quarterbacks, seven are in the Hall of Fame. Roethlisberger also reached 50 career victories faster than any quarterback in NFL history.
That's quite a rebound after going 9-of-21 for 123 yards and two interceptions in Super Bowl XL as a second-year pro.
"Under no circumstances did I think he'd be the player who was in that game three years ago," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Roethlisberger on Monday morning.
SUPER SIX: With Sunday night's win, the Pittsburgh Steelers became the first NFL franchise to win six Super Bowls. The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys have five apiece.
Pittsburgh is 6-1 in Super Bowl action, winning in 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005 and 2008 -- which sort of helps explain the large majority of fans in black and gold at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
Tomlin said he has gained a big appreciation of Steeler Nation during his time in in Pittsburgh.
"It's incredible. It's like passed down from father to son," Tomlin said on Monday. "They inspire me every day and make me want to win for them."