Before helping cap off one of the most exciting Super Bowl finishes in NFL history with the touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had spent most of the two weeks leading up to the game just hoping he wouldn’t mess things up. After all, his first trip to the big game didn’t go so well in Super Bowl XL. Yeah, the Steelers won, but it wasn’t thanks to Ben’s 9 completions in 21 attempts, 123 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Ben had been hoping that he’d be able to actually help his team win the second time around instead of slowing them down, and he followed through on it. Though Holmes made the big catch and won the game’s MVP award, it could easily be argued that Roethlisberger deserved the award more than Holmes after he completed 70% of his passes for 256 yards and orchestrating that final drive. What makes it more impressive? He did it all with a couple of broken ribs.
From Peter King’s MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK:
Roethlisberger was speared in the kidney area in the AFC Championship Game. His midsection hurt so much that he had X-rays before the Super Bowl. They were negative. But a subsequent MRI told a different story. He found out last Thursday.
“Fractured ribs,” Roethlisberger said. “Luckily, in the game, I didn’t take any big hits to make ‘em hurt. But I knew all along there was something wrong. There wouldn’t have been anything they could have done about fractured ribs anyway. It was just suck it up and play.”
Now at first this may not seem like that big of a deal. After all, football players play with injuries all the time - but broken ribs hurt like hell. It’s not like a sprained ankle that only hurts when you cut left or make a quick stop. Broken ribs hurt every time you take a breath.
I could only imagine what they feel like as your being hit by a 275-pound lineman or lunging for the end zone, or unleashing a bullet on a 15-yard out.
12:15 pm on February 9th, 2009
Roethlisberger & ribs - think I'll get that for lunch.
12:16 pm on February 9th, 2009
Does this mean Peter King's man-crush is moving from Brett to Big Ben?
12:17 pm on February 9th, 2009
Yeah, the Steelers won, but it wasn’t thanks to Ben’s 9 completions in 21 attempts, 123 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Yeah, it was thanks to the refs.
12:34 pm on February 9th, 2009
Yeah, it was thanks to the refs.
I've sent the Mayor of Pittsburgh an e-mail requesting, that instead of a tree to plant outside of the Cardinals stadium, it be some sour grape vines, so JRB and his ilk, can hang themselves in one massive group suicide in a show of support.
12:37 pm on February 9th, 2009
Big Ben's Broken Ribs - that might be a good name for a Pittsburgh-area BBQ chain.
12:38 pm on February 9th, 2009
Ben did his part, but that was one sweet TD catch by Santonio. Behind three Cardinals defenders, no less.
12:40 pm on February 9th, 2009
Jimmy Rollins Band:
Don't you have some more rioting to do over the Phillies' World Series win? Only five more rings, and you'll be just as good as the Steelers!
5:06 pm on February 9th, 2009
Jim S.:
Geez, take a chill pill. You Pittsburghers are so damn sensitive.
JoePa:
Ah, yes, the World Series championship! Something the Pirates will never see again.
12:12 am on February 10th, 2009
Yeah, the Steelers won, but it wasn’t thanks to Ben’s 9 completions in 21 attempts, 123 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.Wasn't it zero TDs and two interceptions?
8:56 am on February 10th, 2009
Ah, yes, the World Series championship!
After 125 years, the Phils win their second and you want to talk smack? Once every 62.5 years? The first franchise to lose 10,000 games. Even with their dismal management over the last 16 years, the Pirates are still 520 losses away from accomplishing that feat.