There was a lot of talk last week about placing Ben among the best QB's in history, that he would be one of the greatest winners at the position, if he won on Sunday.Well, he didn't and I don't want that to look as if now is the best opportunity to criticize him, but rather this is an opportunity to realistically evaluate Big Ben's career and determine whether or not he belongs with the elite quarterback's of today and if he should go down as one of the best winners in Super Bowl history.
Roethlisberger had a shaky game last night, there's no if, and or buts about it and the part of last night that hurt the most was the inability for Ben to make the tough throws that he was able to make against the New York Jets.
Howie Long made an excellent point right before kickoff last night and that was the Steelers would not be able to win the Super Bowl by playing a fast paced style like Green Bay because it didn't suit them, and it was true. Pittsburgh couldn't keep up with the Packers and in the second half, the Packers looked like the more comfortable team.
But Ben should have been able to put the team on his shoulders and carry them to victory like winners do in those situations. That's not to say that if given the opportunity is given to him again he would play the same type of game, but the facts right now is that Ben couldn't finish last night the way winners do.
Ben is 10-3 in the playoffs and has two rings, which is mighty impressive, but as I've written before when you look at the situations behind those victories and the picture gets a little clearer.
Last night, he had a great opportunity to make a defining statement in the last two minutes. He was playing a top-notch defense, not the Arizona Cardinals who couldn't get out their own way on the final drive of the Super Bowl a couple years ago, Ben had a chance to prove all the people that doubted his wins wrong, but in the end, he couldn't do it.Not winning last night doesn't make Big Ben terrible, but on the flip side it doesn't make him elite either. He's a good quarterback who plays with a great organization, nothing more and nothing less.
Photos Courtesy of the Associated Press
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