Ben's rookie year

[Stlcrtn1974]

If you go back and look, very pedestrian considering what he had around him. Rudolph and Hodges stats are almost exactly comparable to Ben except for obviously his record, which was definitely in spite of his play. I am over Tomlin and Finchter and can't wait for all the coaches to be gone. Last night's game was enjoyable to watch and I cant wait to watch the rest of the season. I know there is 0 chance of the Super Bowl, but this is the first time in years I am yelling again during a game.

[BethlehemSteel]

Yep. Yelling has come back to watching.

Mostly directed at Dumblin

[Steelafan77]

Why this team can't create a direction is baffling. Why this team continues to struggle on offense is obvious. Down starting players, conservative/underwhelming coordinating and finally just too damn predictable. Even with the elite talent that once played on it.

The Steelers don't do anything new. The staff is overly challenged it seems. Implementing any new wrinkles/splash plays seems too difficult in the mindset of 'we do what we do'. The most original thing we've seen this season [which I believe to be forced on them] is the wildcat formation. Really? That's It! This staff is complacent, unimaginative, old and stale and needs to be upgraded.

That said, I realize it's not as easy as writing it here. First Ben is still playing and wouldn't appreciate having his coaching staff gutted. That said, could be a blessing in disguise for him and inspire him to put more wins in the books. Secondly, would gutting the staff right now or even at end of the 2019 campaign really be good for this team? I think Yes! Yes it would.

To the first one I say Ben would have no choice in the matter if it were my team. Yeah He's earned a right/entitlement to voice his opinion but in the end it's my team/franchise and being that he is in the twilight of his career I look at the future coming right now. This is a young team in the middle of what some say is a rebuild. Perfect time to get new fresh staff with a more hungry mindset of proving themselves. Match that together with a young and talented team..., Wa-La; inspired, innovative, talented, motivated staff/players generating those elusive Championships we fans desire.

This tomlin led outfit is complacent/incompetent. Like old rotting grapes still leaching sustenance from the vine. Cut them loose ushering in the new crop.

[Havoc]

Unlike Rudolph, Roethlisberger Threw Down-Field Regularly In First Few Career Starts

https://steelersdepot.com/2019/10/unlik ... er-starts/

[COR-TEN]

Unlike Rudolph, Roethlisberger Threw Down-Field Regularly In First Few Career Starts

https://steelersdepot.com/2019/10/unlik ... er-starts/

BR was an arrogant dick. He probably blew off the coaches and said fuck you. I'm throwing it. Just a guess.

Probably got reamed out afterwards, but rudolph is a measured company man. What BR turned into after the second rape allegation.

[Lynch]

Remember an early Ben interview where he disclosed whiz and Cowher told him not to take the check, but make the throw. His ypa was always pretty high in those early years.

[955876]

Ben made a bunch of plays his rookie year that showed he was special.

Plays you’d have to see when they happened to recognize what made them great plays.

That type of stuff doesn’t translate to the stat sheet. Especially when looking back years later.

Game log might show a 12 yard pass. What it doesn’t show was that he was hit immediately after taking the snap, shrugged that guy off, scrambled right, made someone else miss, came back the other way, stiff armed a guy off him and then completed the 12 yard pass on 3rd and 11.

[Steelperch]

Pedestrian? The guy went 13-0

He was:
2nd in the NFL with a 9.8 YPA Mark
5th in the NFL with a 98.1 QB rating
4th in the league with a 66.4 completion %
He lead the league with 7 game winning drives
Also was the youngest starting QB in the league that year.

If you were alive and watching the games that year, Ben often threw early and built leads, then they salted the games away with Staley and Bettis in the second half. The defense was very good, and they were ultra run heavy in the play calling, especially with a lead. Ben made plays with his legs and threw downfield, made big plays to extend drives on 3rd downs.

It’s also a massively different league now. Back then a QB rating over 90 was Pro Bowl level. Now half of the QBs in the league are over 95, about 10 are over 100. Yards and TDs are way up now too. It’s ridiculous to compare what Ben did in 2004 as a rookie who came out early to what Rudolph has done throwing check downs in his second season. Rudolph throws over 10 yards in the air maybe twice a game. Ben over his career has averaged nearly 9.37 air yards per throw. Rudolph is averaging under 3 air yards per throw. They aren’t even playing the same sport.

[benstunner]

Pedestrian? The guy went 13-0

He was:
2nd in the NFL with a 9.8 YPA Mark
5th in the NFL with a 98.1 QB rating
4th in the league with a 66.4 completion %
He lead the league with 7 game winning drives
Also was the youngest starting QB in the league that year.

If you were alive and watching the games that year, Ben often threw early and built leads, then they salted the games away with Staley and Bettis in the second half. The defense was very good, and they were ultra run heavy in the play calling, especially with a lead. Ben made plays with his legs and threw downfield, made big plays to extend drives on 3rd downs.

It’s also a massively different league now. Back then a QB rating over 90 was Pro Bowl level. Now half of the QBs in the league are over 95, about 10 are over 100. Yards and TDs are way up now too. It’s ridiculous to compare what Ben did in 2004 as a rookie who came out early to what Rudolph has done throwing check downs in his second season. Rudolph throws over 10 yards in the air maybe twice a game. Ben over his career has averaged nearly 9.37 air yards per throw. Rudolph is averaging under 3 air yards per throw. They aren’t even playing the same sport.

Yep... Best rookie season ever by a QB. There was nothing "pedestrian" about it.

[Stlcrtn1974]

Dont forget to leave out what else I wrote. Ben was on a loaded team. Hof RB in Bettis, along with Staley, Haynes, Parker, fb Krieder. Hof wr in Ward, along with Burress, Randal el. Solid oline. #1 ranked defense in points, yards. I'm sure rookie Ben would tear shit up with this team now.

[Steelperch]

Steelers were coming off a 6-10 season and were 1-1 with Maddox before Ben took over.

Bettis and Staley were fat and broken down. They had to patch each of them together to finish the season. Willie Parker was an undrafted nobody rookie that ran for under 200 yards all season. Randle El was a young punt returner with 300- some receiving yards all season. Plax missed 5 games and Jerame Truman was the damn starting TE. So to review, the only skill position player Ben had to rely on his entire rookie year was Hines Ward. Plax, Bus, Duce all missed about half the season. Randle El and Parker were way down the depth chart and they had no NFL caliber TE.

Eli Manning went 1-6 with a 55 QB rating and completed 48% of his passes. Rivers sat and watched. Losman and Schaub did nothing. Ben set records for QB rating, YPA, completion % and wins for a rookie. Rookie Ben damn sure have this offense better off than it is now. You know, he actually was trusted to throw the ball beyond the line of scrimmage.

[V DUB]

Steelers were coming off a 6-10 season and were 1-1 with Maddox before Ben took over.

Bettis and Staley were fat and broken down. They had to patch each of them together to finish the season. Willie Parker was an undrafted nobody rookie that ran for under 200 yards all season. Randle El was a young punt returner with 300- some receiving yards all season. Plax missed 5 games and Jerame Truman was the damn starting TE. So to review, the only skill position player Ben had to rely on his entire rookie year was Hines Ward. Plax, Bus, Duce all missed about half the season. Randle El and Parker were way down the depth chart and they had no NFL caliber TE.

Eli Manning went 1-6 with a 55 QB rating and completed 48% of his passes. Rivers sat and watched. Losman and Schaub did nothing. Ben set records for QB rating, YPA, completion % and wins for a rookie. Rookie Ben damn sure have this offense better off than it is now. You know, he actually was trusted to throw the ball beyond the line of scrimmage.

Perch preachin'!

[Stlcrtn1974]

My only point is the 04 team had so much more talent then this years team. Spin it how you like, but that's the facts. Ben played a part, he wasnt the only reason.

[Jobu]

My only point is the 04 team had so much more talent then this years team. Spin it how you like, but that's the facts. Ben played a part, he wasnt the only reason.

He was the main reason.

[Ice]

Steelers were coming off a 6-10 season and were 1-1 with Maddox before Ben took over.

Bettis and Staley were fat and broken down. They had to patch each of them together to finish the season. Willie Parker was an undrafted nobody rookie that ran for under 200 yards all season. Randle El was a young punt returner with 300- some receiving yards all season. Plax missed 5 games and Jerame Truman was the damn starting TE. So to review, the only skill position player Ben had to rely on his entire rookie year was Hines Ward. Plax, Bus, Duce all missed about half the season. Randle El and Parker were way down the depth chart and they had no NFL caliber TE.

Eli Manning went 1-6 with a 55 QB rating and completed 48% of his passes. Rivers sat and watched. Losman and Schaub did nothing. Ben set records for QB rating, YPA, completion % and wins for a rookie. Rookie Ben damn sure have this offense better off than it is now. You know, he actually was trusted to throw the ball beyond the line of scrimmage.

Folks really don't have a clear memory of that group. Was one of the more magical rides I can remember as a non-70s eligible Steelers fan.

You can forgive forgetting, because national sports media NEVER brings it up when discussing rookie or young QBs. Never. Shame, because it was a sight to see.

[Ice]

My only point is the 04 team had so much more talent then this years team. Spin it how you like, but that's the facts. Ben played a part, he wasnt the only reason.

Now I'm assuming you're talking about the defense. Before the injury bug (which for the Steelers at this point is like something out of a 1950s B movie) hit the defensive side, this group was at least equal in talent and depth to 2004, and was coming on.

[Havoc]

Perch is killing it in this thread. (8.9 Y/A for Ben in 2004)

Comparisons to our current young QBs are laughable sans the poor man's Ben imitation play by Rudolph when he got knocked out. I repeat, poor man's Ben imitation.

Rookie Ben, a bigger badder man, bigger arm, who could simply do more on the football field. That 6'5" lumberjack was highly gifted, noone had really seen anything like him at the position before at that size with that kind of scrambling ability + the big arm.

I remember listening to a local sports guy on the radio here in DFW after we lost the RS game to the Cowboys in 2012. His exact words... "How can a man that size move like that?" as he spoke in amazement of Ben. And that was middle aged Ben, not young Ben who could move better than in that game.

[COR-TEN]

So, is the current steeler defense on par with BR's rookie season defense? The game has changed as well, so it's hard to compare.

[955876]

My only point is the 04 team had so much more talent then this years team. Spin it how you like, but that's the facts. Ben played a part, he wasnt the only reason.

They did have talent. However, all that talent produced a 6-10 record in 03

[SteelPro]

Perch is killing it in this thread. (8.9 Y/A for Ben in 2004)

Comparisons to our current young QBs are laughable sans the poor man's Ben imitation play by Rudolph when he got knocked out. I repeat, poor man's Ben imitation.

Rookie Ben, a bigger badder man, bigger arm, who could simply do more on the football field. That 6'5" lumberjack was highly gifted, noone had really seen anything like him at the position before at that size with that kind of scrambling ability + the big arm.

I remember listening to a local sports guy on the radio here in DFW after we lost the RS game to the Cowboys in 2012. His exact words... "How can a man that size move like that?" as he spoke in amazement of Ben. And that was middle aged Ben, not young Ben who could move better than in that game.

Ben in those early years was freakish. The way he would shed defensive linemen and then make huge plays downfield was so much fun to watch. But he didn't really read defenses much early on. In that regard Duck and Mason are ahead of Ben. Ben would hold the ball forever, take the pounding, and then the offense made hay on broken plays. But these two young QBs will never be close to the playmaker that Ben was.

[Ice]

My only point is the 04 team had so much more talent then this years team. Spin it how you like, but that's the facts. Ben played a part, he wasnt the only reason.

They did have talent. However, all that talent produced a 6-10 record in 03

I honestly think the overall talent level on the two teams, discounting the biblical plague of injury we're going through outside of the quarterback position, was relatively similar.

[benstunner]

Dont forget to leave out what else I wrote. Ben was on a loaded team. Hof RB in Bettis, along with Staley, Haynes, Parker, fb Krieder. Hof wr in Ward, along with Burress, Randal el. Solid oline. #1 ranked defense in points, yards. I'm sure rookie Ben would tear shit up with this team now.

This is literally one of the dumbest threads I've ever seen. You're acting like Duce Staley was a Godsend. The "Duce was loose" for about 7 or 8 games. He was very solid (but not phenomenal) until he got injured and then only played a handful of games again. The Bus was 3.8 yards and a cloud of dust. He played solid as well (specifically in the fourth quarter to close out games when needed) but this was not prime Jerome Bettis. Burress missed a bunch of games. Randle El was a solid slot WR and Ward was great.

The D was awesome but Ben was the main reason this team went 13-0 when he started. He doesn't get enough credit for how well he played that season and this thread is quite frankly ridiculously stupid.

[Stlcrtn1974]

C. At. Yds. Td. Int
12-22 163 1 1
17-25 174 1 0
16-21 231 1 1
21-25 193 2 0
18-24 196 2 0
11-18 183 2 1

Nice start for a rookie. These numbers are good enough to win especially since he is carrying this team.

C. At. Yds. Td. Int
10-16 134 0 1
15-21 138 1 0
9-20 131 0 0
14-17 221 2 0
9-19 144 0 2
18-28 316 1 2
14-19. 221 2 1
Last 7 games, 6 td with 6 int. Pedestrian if you ask me and not only for 2004 but 1974 as well. So Ben is carrying this team all by himself. Bettis and Staley sucked even though they combined for ALMOST 2000 yds.
In my opinion, Ben stats for 2004 were pedestrian.
He finished 20th in td's, just behind Billy Volek and finished 22nd in yards.

I'm not saying what he accomplished that year wasnt amazing because it was, I gave my opinion. So I guess his stats were great that year and I am wrong.

[Ice]

So was it "amazing" or "very pedestrian?" I'm not sure it's possible to be both.

[SteelerDayTrader]

Pedestrian? The guy went 13-0

He was:
2nd in the NFL with a 9.8 YPA Mark
5th in the NFL with a 98.1 QB rating
4th in the league with a 66.4 completion %
He lead the league with 7 game winning drives
Also was the youngest starting QB in the league that year.

If you were alive and watching the games that year, Ben often threw early and built leads, then they salted the games away with Staley and Bettis in the second half. The defense was very good, and they were ultra run heavy in the play calling, especially with a lead. Ben made plays with his legs and threw downfield, made big plays to extend drives on 3rd downs.

It’s also a massively different league now. Back then a QB rating over 90 was Pro Bowl level. Now half of the QBs in the league are over 95, about 10 are over 100. Yards and TDs are way up now too. It’s ridiculous to compare what Ben did in 2004 as a rookie who came out early to what Rudolph has done throwing check downs in his second season. Rudolph throws over 10 yards in the air maybe twice a game. Ben over his career has averaged nearly 9.37 air yards per throw. Rudolph is averaging under 3 air yards per throw. They aren’t even playing the same sport.

Yep... Best rookie season ever by a QB. There was nothing "pedestrian" about it.

truth

[Stlcrtn1974]

So his stats were amazing, cool. So if mason or Hodges or any other QB fail to throw for more then 2 TDs in a game for a year, we have to be amazed. I guess I should of used dull instead of pedestrian even though they mean the same thing.

[Ice]

Not a lot of dull moments in Ben's rookie year. Are the 7 4th quarter comebacks dull? Cause that's pretty much half of a 16 game season. Playoff run to the AFC Championship Game at home? Dull or pedestrian? Those aren't stats. Wins and losses.

[El Kabong]

So his stats were amazing, cool. So if mason or Hodges or any other QB fail to throw for more then 2 TDs in a game for a year, we have to be amazed. I guess I should of used dull instead of pedestrian even though they mean the same thing.

Ben was anything but dull his rookie year.

[El Kabong]

I do think the 04 defense was better and more talented than the current version too.

[Stlcrtn1974]

17 td dull.
6 td in last 7 games dull.
Everything else was fucking amazing