Big Ben, Steelers always a threat
Quarterback proves he plays best when it matters the most
With the exception of Tom Brady, there is no quarterback in the NFL more productive in pressure situations than Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger.
One of the hallmarks of Roethlisberger’s extraordinary 14-year career has been his ability to bring the Steelers from behind to win close games.
With quarterbacks like Brady and Roethlisberger, the Patriots and Steelers are seldom out of games because their quarterbacks believe they can win and have proved it time and again.
Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel played with Brady and won three Super Bowls. Last week, he prepared a game plan for Roethlisberger after watching hours of tape on the Steelers’ quarterback. A play-making mentality
Vrabel, who played outside linebacker for 14 seasons, thinks one reason players like Brady and Roethlisberger are great is because they’re “wired differently.” They thrive on pressure.
“He wants to make plays, and he’s going to make plays,” Vrabel said about Roethlisberger. “He’s going to throw the ball. He may throw an interception or two, but he’s going to trust his arm. He’s going to trust his talent and what he sees.
“He’s worried about making the play as opposed to worried about not making it. That’s the mentality of great players. They don’t worry about, ‘Well, what if this happens? Or what if I throw a pick?’ It’s like, ‘What happens if I throw a touchdown? We’re going to win the game.’ ”
This season, the Steelers are 7-1 in games decided by six or fewer points. They are 5-1 in games decided by three or fewer points.
Going into Monday’s game against the Texans, Pittsburgh’s last four games have been decided by three, three, one and three points. The only loss was last weekend’s 27-24 defeat to New England.
The Steelers thought they had won on Roethlisberger’s late touchdown pass to tight end Jesse James, but replay overturned it in a controversial ruling. Roethlisberger was intercepted in the end zone in the final seconds.
“He’s led that team back in the fourth quarter plenty of times because of the poise he has, the control he has of the game,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s a great player. He doesn’t feel like any play is ever over.
“He’s also got great players around him and a real good offensive line.”
O’Brien and Vrabel believe Texans rookie Deshaun Watson has some of those same characteristics that make Roethlisberger and Brady so remarkable and seemingly immune to pressure.
“He’s a leader (and) a winner,” O’Brien said. “He’s a very instinctive player. He can throw. He can run. And he’s very, very smart.”
In two of his six starts before suffering a season-ending knee injury, Watson led the Texans to late leads of 33-28 at New England and 38-34 lead at Seattle. But the defense allowed game-winning touchdown drives to Brady and Russell Wilson.
“From the plays I’ve seen Deshaun make, the play’s never over,” Vrabel said. “He believes he’s going to score.
“You see the scramble ability, the play extension. That’s tough to defend.”
Vrabel played with Brady and watched him pull out some amazing victories. Vrabel was asked if quarterbacks like Brady and Roethlisberger are born with something that allows them to handle pressure so consistently.
“I think there’s got to be some of that in you,” he said. “I also think there comes a time in your career, probably early on, where you make a play, where you gain some confidence (and) you’re like, ‘Man, I can’t believe I just did that,’ and your confidence level grows.
“To have faith in a system or have faith in a person, you have to do it.”
O’Brien has coached Brady and coached against Roethlisberger.
“I think there’s certain things they’re born with,” O’Brien said. “Their intelligence, their ability to think quickly, poise, drive. They want to be the best and their willingness to sacrifice everything to be the best.
“Then there’s other things that help them along the way. Obviously, coaching’s a big part of it, pointing them in the right direction relative to how to play that position at this level.” ‘A big-time competitor’
There’s a cliché in the NFL about quarterbacks who excel under pressure: Everything slows down for them.
“I think the more experience you have, that’s definitely the case,” O’Brien said. “I think the more you see things and you get used to the speed of the game and the different things you’re seeing at this level, I do think that it does slow down.”
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has been the beneficiary of Roethlisberger’s late-game heroics for 11 seasons. That includes one of the most incredible plays in Super Bowl history.
Roethlisberger’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds remaining gave the Steelers a 27-24 victory over Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII.
“I just think he relishes the opportunity to compete,” Tomlin said. “Obviously, he’s a lot of things for us. But more than anything, he’s a big-time competitor.”
Roethlisberger’s success at the end of games gives him confidence he can overcome almost any predicament, of course, but it also gives his teammates confidence in him. They make plays for him.
“I think the more you’re in those circumstances, the more you maintain clarity of thought,” Tomlin said. “You have good, clean communication, and you allow your talents to show.
“We’ve been in these situations some, and I think we’ve grown from them. Our preference is to grow with wins as opposed to losses, and, thankfully, we’ve won a heck of a lot more of them than we’ve lost.”