All eyes on Ben, Brady showdown
66 passes and completed 44 — both Steelers records — for 506 yards in a 39-38 win against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday night without throwing an interception. He brought his team back from 31-20 and 38-29 deficits in the fourth quarter.
Those two games — one by Brady, the other by Roethlisberger — prompted Pro Football Talk to do a segment Tuesday suggesting that Roethlisberger should be in the conversation with Brady for NFL MVP.
Roethlisberger made it clear he has no interest in beating Brady in that voting, only in beating him on the field Sunday and then again in the playoffs, should their teams meet on the way to Super Bowl LII.
“I don’t actually go against him, but I’m leading an offense and he’s leading an offense so, yeah, of course, I want my offense to outperform his offense,” Roethlisberger said on his 93.7 The Fan radio show. “But it’s just all about winning. I’m sure he’ll say the same thing. If I have the worst game ever and horrible stats and we win the game, you know me well enough, that’s all that really matters.”
No quarterback has won more Super Bowls than Brady. That’s why Roethlisberger doesn’t hesitate to call him the best of all time.
“I think he’s supremely talented. His preparation is second to none. His ability to see a football field is second to none. I think it also helps to have stability. Having just one coach” — the incomparable Bill Belichick — “that stability really goes a long way. When you understand a system as long as he has and I have, you’re able to really kind of make it yours. I just think having all those things combined are just a few of the reasons that make him the greatest.”
Brady, who is 40, has said he wants to play until he’s 45. Roethlisberger called that goal “spectacular.” He thinks Brady has a chance to do it because of his “diet and regimen” and his “incredible focus.” No one at Steelers headquarters is foolish enough to think the loss at Miami means the beginning of the end for Brady. Mike Tomlin made that clear Tuesday in his weekly news conference.
“New England was without Gronk. It’s a different ballgame when you’re talking about one of the most dynamic players — forget tight ends — of this generation.”
Brady has owned the Steelers, going 10-2 against them, including the postseason. In the Patriots’ 36-17 win in the AFC championship last season, he threw for 384 yards and three touchdowns with a 127.5 passer rating. In his past seven games against the Steelers, he has thrown for 22 touchdowns with no interceptions.
But Brady is human. Really. He actually has lost at Heinz Field. Twice. The Steelers beat him, 3420, in 2004 — Roethlisberger’s rookie year — when they sacked him four times and intercepted two passes. They also beat him in 2011, 25-17, when they had three sacks. Roethlisberger played well in both wins, throwing for four touchdowns with just one interception. He’s going to have to play well again Sunday for the Steelers to have a chance. Their defense isn’t what it was in 2011 and 2004. It’s weakened badly without Ryan Shazier. It might be without Joe Haden for a fifth consecutive game, although Haden was due to return to practice this week after his fibula was fractured Nov. 12 in Indianapolis.
The Steelers also are going to have to deal with a motivated Brady. He was embarrassed by his and the Patriots performance Monday night. He does not like to be embarrassed.
“I think you can always learn more from losses than wins,” Brady said Tuesday on his WEEI radio show in Boston. “I think everybody took it very hard. The locker room was not in good spirits, and the plane ride home was very quiet. But there’s always the ability to learn from it. I think we’ve always felt that one loss shouldn’t become two.”
This much we know for certain about Sunday:
Brady and Roethlisberger will meet before the game for a handshake and a quick hug and then after the game with the winner congratulating the loser. The two had a memorable exchange at Heinz Field last season before the Patriots beat the Steelers, 27-16, with Landry Jones subbing for injured Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger, somewhat sheepishly, asked Brady for a game jersey. Brady gladly obliged. He and Roethlisberger are in the very small fraternity of quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl wins and will be in the Hall of Fame together. Roethlisberger won his two Super Bowls after the 2005 and 2008 seasons.
“Yeah, I got [the jersey],” Roethlisberger said. “He personalized it and signed it. I can’t remember exactly what it said, but it was something like, ‘To Ben, a great friend and a great competitor. With a lot of respect … ‘
“That’s really cool. Coming from a guy like that, it means a lot.”
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com and Twitter@RonCookPG. Ron Cook can be heard on the “Cook and Poni” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.