When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger, there were some definite features they knew they would get. He was tall, 6'5", with big strong legs and a powerful arm. He had above-average football intelligence and was able to read defenses quickly. He didn't get flustered in the pocket and was nearly impossible to take down.
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Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger from Miami of Ohio in 2004.
They also knew there were some downsides to Roethlisberger. He was mobile, but he wasn't a "runner" and sometimes he tried a bit too hard to force plays. While the NFL scouting reports picked up on many of the attributes about Roethlisberger that would turn out to be true, there was one feature about him that they grossly miscalculated - his heart.
Pittsburgh and its fans were fortunate enough to keep Roethlisberger for his entire NFL career, all 18 seasons. For the most part, they grew to love him as he continued to improve over time, getting us to three Super Bowls and winning us two.
Now former teammate, Ramon Foster, a man who was tasked with protecting Roethlisberger while he was on the field, shares some of the heart that he saw in his quarterback. Foster played guard during his career and spent every one of his 11 seasons with Roethlisberger.
Steelers' Ramon Foster Shares An Unusual Story Of How Ben Roethlisberger Would Motivate The Line
Foster retired in 2019, three seasons before his quarterback did, and now co-hosts a successful podcast called The Ramon Foster Show with Dejan Kovacevic. It airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports and has a feature called "Hey 'Mon" where fans can send in questions.
On a recent episode, someone wrote in and asked if there were any moments with Roethlisberger, like the one with Joe Montana and John Candy. Neither show host quite got the reference, which was to Super Bowl XXII. The gunslinging legend Montana pointed out the famous actor to his line while in the huddle right before they made their game-winning drive over the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Joe Montana from the San Francisco 49ers is widely considered one of the greatest QBs of all time.
Foster might not have remembered that incident, but he did say he had one favorite Roethlisberger-in-the-huddle moment. It came during a wild and crazy game in Cincinnati in January of 2016.
It was pouring rain and the first part of the game was slow and rather unremarkable, except for offensive line coach Mike Munchak jerking Reggie Nelson up by his hair. That seemed crazy enough, but then the third quarter started and Ryan Shazier knocked out Bengals running back Giovani Bernard. The Bengals fans were so angry, they threw trash down onto Roethlisberger as he was being carted off the field with an injury (keep it classy Cincy).
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Steelers OL coach Mike Munchak was initially fined for grabbing the hair of Cincinnati safety Reggie Nelson. The fine was later revoked.
The ridiculousness did not stop there. Martavis Bryant made an incredible between-the-legs catch and William Gay broke out an elaborate dance routine for a touchdown that wasn't. But wait, there's more...
We are nearing the end of the game, the final two minutes, and the Bengals are up 16-15 and seem poised to win. The Steelers took the field and Landry Jones, Roethlisberger's backup, unleashes a terrible throw that is immediately intercepted. All the Bengals had to do was run out the clock, that was it. But the Bengals are the Bengals and they fumble the ball and turn it back over to Pittsburgh. The whole world lost its collective mind.
Now, like a hero emerging from the mist, Roethlisberger makes his way back onto the field, his arm is clearly hurting him. Despite the pain, he led the Steelers back down the field to the Bengals' 47-yard line with only :22 seconds left. But the Bengals weren't done helping the good guys out. Vontaze Burfict hit receiver Antonio Brown with a direct head-hunting hit. It should have cost him his job, but instead, it cost the team 15 yards. Then cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones commits a personal foul to give the Steelers another 15 years. Now Pittsburgh is at the 17-yard line and Chris Boswell makes the go-ahead kick to win the game.
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Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Antonio Brown (#84) braces for what would be a vicious hit from Cincinnati Bengals linebacker, Vontaze Burfict
But let's rewind to our hero, Roethlisberger, walking back out onto the field to his linemen. They can see their leader is in pain. And now that the story is set up, let's turn it back over to Foster to tell us what Roethlisberger said to his line to get them back in the game. Foster said this is his favorite Roethlisberger story of all time.
"Let's go to the Cincinnati one. He left the field and Landry came in that game. Ben walks in, hobbling, shoulder hurt a bit and he'd have his play slip right here (indicates his hand). He'd be like, 'All right fellas' and he's not actually reading the play, he's just looking down and trying not to make eye contact with us so that he can say what he needs to say. 'I just need for y'all to give me just a little bit more time, I promise you if you give me time, we're gonna go down and beat these guys.' It would just be subtle, but would make you get chills."
Foster said in his book, it's moments like that that "separates a great guy from a guy I want to see greatness out of." He says it is the confidence they have to be so calm in even the most adverse situations.
When did you first realize how tough Roethlisberger was? Do you remember that 2016 game? Click to comment below.
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