If you've spent any time on the message boards here, you've no doubt caught a topic currently dominating discussion. According to certain uh, Stiller (wink, wink) fans, Ben Roethlisberger has officially been declared a "game manager" type QB, good for little more than handing off and making the occasional throw when needed.
And the sooner we Stiller fans accept this reality, the better.
One genius even posted stats to support this, keying on Ben's low rating when he throws for 31 times or more a game. Now, why 31 is such an important number, I'll never know. Maybe this guy hangs out at Baskin-Robbins a lot.
Anyway, it's bad enough when opposing teams' fans spew this garbage; I expect such idiocy from Browns and Bengals fans. But when supposed Stiller fans do it -- well something's got to be done.
First, though, let's define what the "game manager" concept is all about, at its core: a suggestion that
the QB in question plays a subordinate role to the linemen and skill position players around him.
According to this theory, the QB is "carried" by the players around him.
Likewise, said QB doesn't have the ability to "carry a team" when the run game is stopped; his passing skills alone aren't sufficient to win games.
As "proof" of this game-managerism, Roethlisberger's critics obsess over his low number of passing attempts in comparison with other QBs. They particularly love to crow about the supposed connection between the Steelers losing games and Big Ben having to attempt more than
(fill in your favorite number here) passes.
"20" is a particularly popular number, as is "25". Compared to these round-numbered idiots. The guy who came up with 31 is at least being original.
Before I'm through, I'm going to post a set of numbers that will bury this myth for good -- but first, let's debunk things from a different angle.
Here's what these "game manager" parrots don't get: even IF there are stats to suggest Roethlisberger's what they claim, does this reflect his abilities, or rather the SYSTEM in which he's played?
To find out, let's look at Big Ben's background in the years B.C., i.e., "Before Cowher."
HIGH SCHOOL, 1999 B.C.: Despite playing just ONE year at QB, Roethlisberger manages to set state records by throwing for 4,041 yards and 54 touchdowns.
COLLEGE, 2000-2003 B.C.: All Roethlisberger did was became just the third player in the QB-rich Mid-American Conference history to throw for more than 3,000 yards in three straight seasons, and become one of just 10 passers in conference history to throw for more than 10,000 yards.
Roethlisberger's most significant college game was the GMAC Bowl against bigger-school Louisville, where he threw for 4 TDs and 376 yards in the Red Hawks' win -- and damned if he didn't toss it more than 31 times that day! Go figure.
Yep, numbers like these have "game manager" written all over them, huh? Now THERE'S a guy who just handed off and let his running backs do the work! Nope, all indications are he can't carry the load by himself.
In fact the Miami offense was built around Roethlisberger's passing skills, which dominated the
MAC and kept the 'Hawks in games even against Big 10 competition. It was Roethlisberger's prolific passing that made him not only the key player on his team, but the entire conference.
"Record setting" passing all across the board. So what happened -- how does a QB famous for gun-slinging suddenly get labeled the second coming of Bob Griese?
For starters he gets drafted by Bill Cowher and Pittsburgh, where high-volume passers go to die. Well, at least in the second halves of games.
Imagine you're a hotshot young passer. One day a recruiter shows up and makes this sales pitch:
"Come play for us, son, and we'll support the heck out of you with our commitment to the run. You'll get all kinds of play-action opportunities -- but you'll probably find yourself throwing more on third and long than you thought humanly possible. Oh and forget throwing to the backs and tight ends. But -- there will be games when you get to come out slinging, and if you build a lead, you'll only have to throw it a couple or three times the second half. Think of all the rotator cuff problems you'll avoid! Whaddya say son, ready to commit?"
You'd no doubt come running to sign, huh? I wonder: if pro teams had to recruit instead of draft -- would Ben still be a Steeler?
Another cockeyed claim: Ben's high ratings only go to show that he can have can success passing early, with the lead, when the defense has to respect the run. Proving again how game-managerific a QB he is!
Which leads us into the stat I promised you: ready?
Roethlisberger's QB rating when TRAILING was a staggering 113.3 in 2004 and 115.3 in 2005. His completion percentage with the Stillers behind during that time: an incredible 73.5%!
Quick: when a team is behind, is a defense more likely to stack the box or play the pass? Sorry, stat drones, you lose. If anything, Big Ben gets BETTER as the game calls for less of a "game manager" and more of a pure passer!
You can break his ratings down by quarter all you want, but this stat has no variable: it applies only
in pressure situations (unlike even the 4th quarters of some games). The result? Exactly the opposite of the play-from-ahead game manager profile.
But really -- do we need stats to tell us what our own eyes can? Anybody who saw a lick of MAC football knew what Roethlisberger was all about. It was only when he came to the Stillers that things changed.
No, Roethlisberger's never been the "game manager" type -- he's simply been forced to play like one at times.
Again, trust your eyes -- how many games can you remember where Ben put it up 15 times to take the lead, then got to throw it all of 4 times afterwards? Is that more an indication of Roethlisberger's
game-managerism, or something else entirely -- like Coach Turtleball's system in action?
In reality, Roethlisberger's been the proverbial square peg pounded into a round hole. "Game manager" my ass! He's the racehorse who's been bought by the farmer to drag along the plow in the mud fields.
And you wonder why he and Bill weren't seen more often slamming beers together in the back room at Jack's?
Quite frankly, Roethlisberger's spent the first three year of his career playing in a retarded offense. I
say "retarded" because it applies in every sense of the word: backwards, slow, behind the times.
How bad was it? Recently it came out that the Steelers' playbook had no such thing as a 4-wide set on first downs with the QB under center. There are freakin' junior-high teams in the Pittsburgh area who run that set! But apparently not the Steelers.
Let's hope this all changes with the new coach -- that Big Ben "A.D." (After Doofus) will be given a shot to show more of his God-given skill set. Already there are some encouraging signs of this happening.
With the exception of one freaky five-wide season, the Steeler offense under Cowher has been a passer's worst nightmare. Whatever team success this has entailed is besides the point -- the fact is, Peyton Manning would have been lucky to throw for 2,500 yards a season had he played for Ball-Control Billy.
Yet nobody factors in this obvious fact when comparing QBs?
No doubt even after reading this the fools will carry on with the passes-attempted obsession. They'll keep on judging QBs not by what they achieve, but how many times they throw the ball.
But history has shown there's hope, even for the under-throwingest of the underachievers.
Like say, Joe Montana and his 22 attempts in Super Bowl XVI -- or John Elway, who equaled that total in XXXII. Now THERE'S a couple of game managers who went on to do OK, right?
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GAME MANAGER OR GAME CARRIER? YOU DECIDE
Here's a summary of both Roethlisberger's and theStiller running backs' performances from the '05-'06 AFC playoffs (excerpt from an article in the Tribune-Review).
Stiller fans know how good Ben was during the run -- what they may not realize is how POORLY the Steeler run game performed. Willie Parker couldn't even break a stinking three yards a carry! Never before has a playoff QB been so UN-supported by the run game. Could a "game manager" still have excelled under these conditions?
Quarterback: Roethlisberger (2385 passing yards, 17TD, 9 INT) had an outstanding regular season, posting a 98.6 passer rating and generally displaying the presence that led him to be named 2004 NFL Rookie of the Year, but reserved his best play for the post-season. "Big Ben" is 49-of-72 passing (68.1 percent) for 680 yards with seven touchdowns and just one interception through three 2005 playoff games, for a lusty passer rating of 124.8.
Running Backs: The Steelers running game has struggled somewhat during the playoffs, with both Willie Parker (1202 rushing yards, 18 receptions, 5 TD), and Jerome Bettis (368 rushing yards, 9 TD) averaging well under four yards per carry. Parker has just 132 yards on 47 carries (2.8 avg.) on the ground...
Just who carried whom here? And can running backs be called "game managers" too?
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I caught some shit on the boards for my "I Come Not to Bury Cowher..." piece, and my claim that Bill's "spend more time at home" excuse for leaving was the most laughable load of bull since the Alberto Gonzales hearings.
I wonder, then, what these people thought when they read this little nugget in the P-G:
"Barely two months off the Steelers' job, this 15-year head coach and soon-to-be CBS studio analyst went out last week and filmed seven made-for-reality-TV episodes."
No doubt the wife and kids were there for every one.