Ben Roethlisberger has played in more big games in his short NFL career than most quarterbacks play their entire lives, and somehow, he always comes up huge when it matters most. This past Sunday Big Ben made two huge completions that iced the AFC Championship and sealed another trip to the Super Bowl for the Steel City. The thing that has really boggled my mind the last few days though is that Ben played an absolutely terrible game right up until that last drive. I mean, it was a stinker. And yet, somehow, the media hasn't made one mention of it. If you listen to Sportscenter or NFL Live you would think that Roethlisberger carried that team the entire game, when in actuality the defense dominated the Jets in the first half and did enough to stay atop down the stretch. That is how the Steelers win; they rely on defense and a running game to just keep them in the game despite mistakes by their quarterback, and then in the last two minutes Big Ben comes alive and makes a play to win the game.
I've been thinking about this since Sunday. Has their ever been a player, in any sport, who consistently puts up below average numbers but is still considered one of the best to play the game at his position because of that "clutch factor". I can't even think of one; not on the level of Big Ben. To give you an idea of how bad he played Sunday, take a look at his stat line.
Its crazy that two clutch completions at the end of the game can mask a stat line like that. What if the teams had been reversed. What if the Jets had won the game, what if Mark Sanchez had put up those stats but made a few plays when it mattered most? I'd bet my bottom dollar that ESPN analysts would have been saying "The Jets won in spite of Mark Sanchez, he is their glaring weakness going into the Super Bowl."
Now, let me clarify something before I get harassed with comments for a week. Winning in the NFL is everything. Super Bowl rings have been and will always be the true test of a great quarterback. Stats don't get you anywhere if you can't come up big in big situations. I know this, and in fact I agree with it. I think Big Ben is a top 5 quarterback in the NFL. What boggles my mind is that fact that I know how bad he usually plays and I still think that.
Again, has there ever been another player that can hoodwink so many people with a few clutch plays? I say no.
