10 greatest Pittsburgh Steelers of all time

Pittsburgh head coach Chuck Noll with wide receiver coach Lionel Taylor, Hall of Fame defensive tackle Joe Greene and defensive tackle Ernie Holmes, during the closing seconds of the Steelers 16-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX on January 12, 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sylvia Allen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

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TAMPA, FL – FEBRUARY 01: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steeler passes against the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

8. Ben Roethlisberger, QB

He was pressed into duty sooner than expected. In the second week of the 2004 season, Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback Tommy Maddox was injured in Baltimore. Enter rookie Ben Roethlisberger, the No. 11 overall selection in the draft that year. He would take his lumps in that game but became head coach Bill Cowher’s new starting signal-caller and he’s been the main man behind center (when available) ever since.

A total of 218 regular-season outings later, the former Miami of Ohio product ranks eighth in NFL annals in passing yards (56,545) and ninth in NFL history with 363 aerial scores. There have been three Super Bowl appearances and the club won titles in 2005 (XL) and 2008 (XLIII).

This past season, Roethlisberger was shelved after one game and one half with an elbow injury that would require surgery but he’s looking quite healthy these days. So what about Pittsburgh’s chances of getting to Super Bowl LV? ESPN’s Ryan Clark (via Allison Koehler of USA Today) isn’t optimistic. Nonetheless, “Big Ben” has made quite a mark on this franchise and it will be interesting to not only see how much longer he plays but how he and the Steelers’ offense performs this fall.

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