There had been plenty of speculation leading up to April 24, 2004, but what if? Anyone think Roethlisberger in his youth would have survived the New York media? Maybe, just maybe, things would have been different had San Diego taken Manning, New York taken Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh taken Rivers. Only four QBs have won three or more times, a list that includes Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Tom Brady and Troy Aikman. Each has orchestrated signature moments in Super Bowl play: Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes and Manning to David Tyree. That’s as in two Super Bowl rings each, just two of a dozen quarterbacks to win multiple times. But in Roethlisberger’s case, you get the sense it truly does.Īnd right now the 2004 draft score is tied: Roethlisberger 2, Manning 2. When most pro athletes talk about stats or individual awards not mattering, it’s usually bunk. Winning is what has defined Roethlisberger - Manning too - and is what drives the Steelers QB still. Hey, if it fuels his fire to win, the Steelers aren’t complaining. Every sleight, real and perceived, has been catalogued in his head. Roethlisberger’s memory is as long as his career highlight tape. Think Roethlisberger doesn’t try to stick it to Cleveland? Even the Browns aren’t 2-21 bad. Just like for the past 13 seasons he’s made a mockery of the Cleveland Browns, the team that infamously passed on the Ohio native with the sixth overall pick in ’04 for Kellen Winslow Jr. Reading between the lines, of course Roetlhisberger wants to beat Manning today. “Anytime you have a chance to play against one of the best, which I think he is, and then also a draft peer, it is always fun,” he said. “I have the utmost respect for him,” Roethlisberger said of Manning. No, this week Roethlisberger has said all the predictable, and correct, things. “I don’t think he’ll ever say it publicly,” said running back Le’Veon Bell. Think, Roethlisberger’s totally forgotten about that a dozen years later? Doesn’t use that snub as motivation? That was seven spot after Philip Rivers went fourth overall. That was 11 selections before Roethlisberger of Miami of Ohio – not that Miami, not “The U” - was taken. Manning - of the blue-blood Mannings - was the first overall pick in the 2004 draft. Think Roethlisberger doesn’t want to compete today game against personal rival Eli Manning of the New York Giants? Doesn’t mean a little something extra to Roethlisberger? “He’s one of those guys who going to compete with anybody.” “Doesn’t matter whether it’s a backyard game or just pick up basketball,” says guard David DeCastro. His competitive edge is something to be seen.” ![]() You can see why he’s won two Super Bowls and everything that comes with him. “His competitive edge takes over and it’s something to watch. “The thing I admire, one of many things I admire,” says left guard Ramon Foster, “the guy is a pure winner. ![]() The quarterback with the NFL’s third-best active and eighth-best all-time winning percentage doesn’t care for losing. You should see him in that makeshift basketball game in the locker room, the one which a trash can is placed in the center of the room where players - who have been known to wager a dollar or two - take shots at the “net.” Steelers teammates say you should see the quarterback, who has made his livelihood absorbing punishment from 300-pound defensive linemen, on a golf course. PITTSBURGH – Think Ben Roethlisberger is competitive on a football field?
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