Article praising Ben - Wilbon

[aj_law]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/19/AR2009011900016.html?hpid=topnews&sub=AR&sid=ST2009011900035&s_pos

[Finnegans Wake]

Unlike PTI mate Kornheiser, whom I love for his humor but not his football acumen, Willy Buns has been singing the praises of the Steelers all year, and of Ben as well.  Korny gets sucked into the glitz and glam, the Cowboys and Romo, most notably, and Peter "Puffer" King will just slurp whoever's hot this week (which means, natch, he likes the Cards!).  But Wilbon is actually a pretty sharp guy, and I enjoy his analysis.

The first thing he did was avoid being picked off. Second, he found Santonio Holmes for a 65-yard touchdown on a broken play, the kind that would have people writing love songs about Brady.

Pretty funny, and absolutely true.

You want to know what quarterbacks in modern history (since 1950) have been better than Roethlisberger through five seasons? None. Nobody. Not Joe Willie Namath, not Joe Montana, nobody. Big Ben is the only quarterback to win 51 games his first five seasons. That's three victories better than Otto Graham, Dan Marino, Tom Brady and John Elway. If I had to win a game to save my own life I'd take Roethlisberger over everybody who played in the NFL this season, and that includes everybody named Manning. It's difficult to understand why the praise is so grudging.

*Sniff*

I love you, man!

Willy is one of us!

[jonzr]

Great article and I liked this quote in particular:

Eli Manning might miss Plaxico Burress, but Big Ben doesn't.

[Preacherman0]

After watching NFL replay last night, I'll add something to the Big Ben Greatness Theory.

We can't catch the football.

In fact, outside of Hines, Heat, and MM, I'd say that our receiving corps would struggle to catch a cold.

Nate dropped one--tough catch, but he should have had it.  Perfectly placed where only he could get it, and he couldn't pull it down.

FWP--well, need I say more?  He's going for big yardage if he just catches the ball.  They say more FWP in the SB; I say more MM.

Sweed--obviously.

SanAntonio--still think it was a catch but no excuse for letting it get away.

There were a couple more that I can't recall.  But if we just catch the ones we should, beyond even the tough ones, Ben is 20-33 for 330 yards (maybe more), and we win that game going away.

We HAVE to deliver on offense next Sunday.  Ben deserves better than what he has gotten this season.

[jonzr]

We HAVE to deliver on offense next Sunday.  Ben deserves better than what he has gotten this season.

Win it for Big Ben!

[leighclay]

We HAVE to deliver on offense next Sunday.  Ben deserves better than what he has gotten this season.

Win it for Big Ben!

No shit!
He deserves it for being called a "game manager" his entire career!!

[JackSplat]

SanAntonio--still think it was a catch but no excuse for letting it get away.

I agree it was a catch as well.  I watch a good portion of the superbowl marathon on the 212, and there were countless catches with immediate fumbles, that looked very iffy in the catch department. 

All i kept on thinking every time i saw one, was why in the heck was Santonio's ruled incomplete?  Any other time thats ruled a catch and a fumble.

[Big Virgil]

I watched the AFCC game on Saturday evening (recorded on my DVR) and it was amazing how many catchable balls were dropped.  There were a handfull of throws behind the receivers or in the dirt.

Holmes' "drop" at the goal line and FWP's doink off the shoulder pad were on the same drive, so they had more than ample opportunities for a TD there.  Sweed is Sweed.