PSR Showdown
Big Ben: Hero or Drama Queen?
By Jerry DiPaola
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Hero

No, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is not a hero.

He falls clearly short-as all of us do-of the true heroism displayed by Pat Tillman, who gave up an NFL career to die in Afghanistan while serving his country. Now, there was a hero beyond the narrow boundaries of a 100-yard football field.

Roethlisberger is nothing more than a courageous football player, a willful leader and-yoi!-such an arm.

When he leads, his men follow. That doesn't make him a hero, but it makes him one of the greatest quarterbacks of our time.

Yes, he continually (and, apparently, annoyingly to some people) points out how tough he is, but is he wrong?

Did you watch the back of his head bounce off the cold, hard turf at Heinz Field in the final regular-season game against the Cleveland Browns? And did you see him two weeks later shake off the effects of a concussion and lead the team to a playoff victory against the San Diego Chargers?

Did you see him run all season from vicious pass rushers intent on folding him in half? He didn't always win those races, you know.

Surely, you've seen him limp to the sideline, grimace in pain and rub his own sore back for comfort.

And did you see him finish an 88-yard, game-winning touchdown drive late in Super Bowl XLIII by throwing a laser to Santonio Holmes, the latest in repeated comeback victories engineered by Roethlisberger?

He does all this after gathering his teammates around him in the huddle in the most adverse of conditions, looking them in the eyes and telling them, "Men, follow me."

If he tells us he played an AFC Championship game and a Super Bowl with broken toes and cracked ribs, it may mean that his doctors disagree with Steelers doctors. Or, that his Miami (Ohio) education falls somewhat short of a medical degree. But you can bet your paycheck that he did not play those games pain-free.

He is, simply, the best Steelers quarterback fans too young to have watched Terry Bradshaw will ever see in Pittsburgh.

Drama? Ben's all about it.