Is it just me or is Ben Roethlisberger the most overrated QB ever? nt.

[k_jerome]

[BOSSHOG]

1. Hard to disagree

and thanks for the post. Outside of western PA I think we all now know last year's super bowl champs were a farce. I would like to offer Michael Vick and his "leadership" skills as an honorable mention in the overrated category.

[Captain Hilts]

13. Western PA has given the NFL some of its greatest quarterbacks.

It's too early for any real analysis of BenR. He's a good one. A great one? We'll see.

YES, on Michael Vick. He hasn't really shown me all that much. You mentioned the 'leadership' issue. Do his troops like to play for him? I don't know.

[rep the dems]

2. All's I know is the Ravens defense is getting me A LOT of fantasy

points today B-)

[Ekirh]

3. This has been one hot crowd this game N/T

[Auggie]

4. How about Jeff George (early in his career)?

[erpowers]

5. Overrated

It seems that Roethlisberger is overrated. It seemed like he had a good year last year, but it is possible that the sportscasters did last year what they are doing this year. As far as this year it seems that the sportscasters may be in a state of denial. It seems that they just cannot accept that Roethlisberger is having a terrible year. No matter how bad he plays they want to claim that he just needs a little more time.

[Bill McBlueState]

6. some things to consider

His first year as a pro, his team went 15-1.
His second year, his team won the Super Bowl.
His third year, his team's 4-7.

Somehow you have to decide which is more representative -- winning over two dozen games in his first two years as an NFL starting quarterback, or throwing a lot of interceptions in his third year.

You also have to account for how a nearly-fatal motorcycle accident may have affected his skills in the short term and the long term.

Tough question to answer.

[Awsi Dooger]

7. Lifetime 8.4 yards per attempt

Wow, this may seem harsh but I wish members of this forum made the betting lines. Simultaneously we've got a thread elevating a 5.5 yards per attempt QB to Jordan status, and an 8.4 guy described as the most overrated ever.

Does not compute.

For reference purposes, the guideline number is 7. That's where you need to be for postseason success. It's by far the most relevant stat to forecast postseason success, along with yards per pass attempt differential, the ratio of offensive YPA and defensive YPA.

Ben Roethlisberger, even in a down year, is at 7.6 yards per attempt this season. He's had to throw the ball much more often this year, already a higher number of attempts than either of his first two seasons. Plus he's obviously had health issues and the loss of key personnel.

Here's another reference. I'm a Dolphin fan. Lately there have been positives toward Joey Harrington. He's a lifetime 5.7 yards per attempt guy who is at 5.9 this year. Elevating him while denouncing Roethlisberger is world class lunacy. Roethlisberger was 8.9 in each of his first two seasons. Try to find anything compartable. Big hint: you won't. Marino hit 8.9 in his legendary second season but never approached that level again. Peyton was 9.2 in '04 when her broke Marino's record of 48 TD passes.

For Big Ben to achieve 8.9 twice leading off a career is phenomenal, almost the equivalent of Secretariat's Belmont. I'm a stat guy and wouldn't exaggerate something like that. Ben is above any QB in history at this stage.

This year he's at 62% completion level and 7.6 yards per attempt. Yeah, a horrible QB. Too many throws and too many interceptions but I think the Steelers will suffer with him down the road.

[trumad]

8. I'm a big stat guy myself... 9 out of 10 times they don't lie

but I'm thinking there is some validity to the overrated tag for Big Ben.

I'm also a guy who has a pretty decent track record at picking out a player or coach that just might not be all that. There's something about Big Ben that's bothered me since he's come into the league. I honestly can't put a finger on it but when Pundits were calling him the next Johnny U., I didn't see it.

The dude already has 347 attempts this season and he even missed one game. In 2005 he had 268 attempts, in 2004 he had 298 attempts. He's got 5 more games left which will put him right around the 500 mark if he averages 30 attempts per game. That's 200 more attempts than he's ever thrown in one season.

It's obvious why he's passing more---in 2005, Pitt ended up 5th in the league in rushing---this year they're around 17th in the league.

So--- they put more on Big Bens shoulders and with a 12 td, 19 int ratio, it sure looks like he aint gettin it done. Now I'm not saying that he's a bust or he won't be able to turn around his woes.... but again, I think there's a pretty good chance that he aint the next Johnny U.

[k_jerome]

9. good analysis, i have always been a little skeptical as well...

I see him as a flash in the pan, and not a very bright one at that. Ask Joe Gibbs about putting a QB in that has a great season, wins a Super Bowl and fades quickly.

And, the Steelers won the SB despite Bens performance, not because of it.

[Awsi Dooger]

12. I agree with that but 8.9s don't come along very often

Let alone two of them back to back for the same guy. At that point I'm paying attention. In nearly 20 years I think I've seen 4 numbers of 8.9 or higher, and Roethlisberger has two of them.

As often as Pittsburgh is throwing it, and with that record always playing from behind, Ben should be in the 6s. To still be 7.3 is excellent. I wrote 7.6 in my previous post but I hadn't updated my Excel spreadsheet with the game against the Ravens. He took a big fall to 7.3.

And I'm admittedly biased since Big Ben was my favorite player in the '04 draft. I preferred him over Eli and Rivers. Miami, as you remember, had already surrendered the #2 for Feeley so when Roethlisberger started sliding in the draft I was sick, because it wouldn't have taken much more than a 1 and a 2 and the 4 (up one spot for Carey) to move up and grab Big Ben ahead of the Steelers. If you look at that draft order, it was obvious the 3 or 4 teams immediately ahead of Pittsburgh had no interest in a QB.

[Auggie]

10. Isn't it a bit early in his career to ask that question? It's only been 2 1/2 years.

Technically, he's still learning.

[HughBeaumont]

11. That overrated quarterback has already won more Super Bowls than the Browns have.

Of course, this is Cleveland we're talking about.

And Ben also had this thing called an offensive line, something the Browns have been void of for the past 7 years. And good receivers who catch his passes. And running backs. And good coaches. And executives who don't botch draft picks and trades.