The Pittsburgh Steelers have been going through a quarterback controversy early in the 2024 season, as Head Coach Mike Tomlin made the difficult decision to sit Justin Fields and allow Russell Wilson to start in Week 7. Wilson was meant to be the starting quarterback, but an offseason injury sidelined him and opened the door for Fields to take the team to 4-2.
Tomlin is being applauded for his decision. The reality is that he hasn't had to make many quarterback decisions during his over 17 years in the black and gold. When he was hired following Bill Cowher's retirement, Tomlin was handed a franchise quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. He'd had been with the team for three seasons and had helped them win their fifth Super Bowl title.
By the time he retired after the 2021 campaign, Roethlisberger had spent 18 seasons in the Steel City and almost certainly guaranteed himself a spot in Canton. He won two out of three Super Bowls, was a six-time Pro Bowler, and twice the NFL passing yards leader.
Former Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats, who spent four seasons in Pittsburgh playing with Roethlisberger, recently interviewed a former teammate, wide receiver Mike Wallace. The interview was conducted before the Sunday Night Football game against the New York Jets. He asked Wallace what it was like to play for Roethlisberger.
"That's a first-ballot Hall of Famer," said Wallace. "Like that's the best quarterback I've ever played with. Ever. Like it's not even close. He's a goat. That's Big Ben. I loved it. I wouldn't trade it for the world."
Wallace was a third-round pick in 2009, and his single Pro Bowl season came when he played with Roethlisberger in 2011. He told Moats that learning from a legend like Hines Ward and being a part of the "Young Money" crew with Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders, set him up for success when he moved on to other teams.
Moats pointed out that Wallace had big catches during his time in Pittsburgh. In his four years in Pittsburgh, he regularly caught long passes of over 50 yards from Roethlisberger, including ones for 95 and 82 yards. He told Moats that Roethlisberger made his receivers confident and set them up for success. No other quarterback influenced him the way Roethlisberger did, said Wallace.
"Best by far, the best quarterback," remarked Wallace. "None of them was like Ben. I can tell you that right now. It was great. You're going to a game with Ben, you never feel like you're going to lose. You could be down 14-21 or 28, but with Seven, you always feel like we have a chance to come back. And we had some great comebacks, like in the playoffs. I think we might have been down to Baltimore 21 - nothing, came back, and that's all because of him. Everybody goes into it, but it starts with the quarterback, and the confidence he instills in the guys is second to none."
Roethlisberger had more comeback wins against the Baltimore Ravens, a team Wallace would later play for, than any other team in the league. When he retired, Roethlisberger had led the Black and Gold to 41 fourth quarter comebacks and made 53 game-winning drives.
Former Steelers Players All Singing Ben Roethlisberger's Praises
Several retired players have recently acknowledged how much Roethlisberger meant to the franchise and their careers. Former Steelers safety Mike Logan also spoke to Moats about playing with Roethlisberger. He said the veterans were wary of him when he went in for Tommy Maddox. However, he quickly earned their respect.
Fellow Young Money receiver Brown also recently praised Roethlisberger. The two have had their differences, and Brown hasn't always been complimentary. He said in a speech that Roethlisberger was his "favorite quarterback." This was meaningful because Brown won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady later in his career. Brown also said he looks forward to going down in history with Roethlisberger in Canton in 2027.
