Ben and Brady

"If that were Ben, it would not have been 15 yards."

If Joseph Arthur Smeltzer watches a New England Patriots game in public, it's a slam dunk that his ears will hear that phrase at least once during those few hours. Living in Pittsburgh, I've gotten the impression from the way most fans act that the Steelers and Patriots have a heated rivalry. I've never seen it that way. Yes, these two franchises are consistently among the AFC's elite. But they play in different divisions, they don't go head to head every year, and since 2001, they've only met in the playoffs twice. Part of the reason for this notion that Pittsburgh and New England are heated rivals is the night-and-day differences between the respective quarterbacks.

On one side, you have #12. The "pretty boy." The "face of the NFL." The "cheater." On the other hand, you have #7. "Tough as nails." "Warrior." "Criminal." One QB came from a big university (Michigan) but was a low draft pick (6th round.) The other from a smaller Division I school (Miami of Ohio) but a high draft pick (1st round.) One of these men is 6'4, 225lb, pretty average for a NFL quarterback, while the other is known for his size, hence the nickname "Big." One is known for throwing short passes that eventually lead to touchdowns, the other for throwing the deep ball. But the biggest thing that Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger have in common is; they are both winners. Now, I will look into the history of these winners. 

It all started on October 31st, 2004. At this time, the New England Patriots were the most dominant franchise in american sports, having won two Super Bowls in three years, with a 21 game win-streak to boot. The Steelers, on the other hand, were just beginning their rise, as they were 5-1, with four of those wins courtesy of a hot shot rookie QB named Ben Roethlisberger. In their first meeting, the Steelers ended the Patriots winning streak; in fact, they kicked the 
hell of them, winning 34-20 in a game that wasn't even as close as that score would indicate. For me, this was the day that Big Ben officially arrived and cemented himself as the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Fast forward three months. Pittsburgh, at 15-1, hosts 14-2 New England in the AFC title game. This time, the established took down the upstarts, as New England rolled to a 41-27 win, and would go on to defeat Philidelphia and repeat as Super Bowl Champions. This would be the first case of Brady getting the best of Ben, and the only time he'd have the chance in the postseason

A bitter end to the only Steelers-Pats game I ever attended. (Photo creds to Lawerence-Journal World)

September 25th, 2005. Joe Smeltzer was a young lad, at just seven years of age, and he was ecstatic about going to Heinz Field to watch his beloved take on the mighty Brady. It was a great game; probably the best of the Ben-Brady series. The Steelers would come out on the short end, as an Adam Vinatieri field goal gave the Pats a 23-20 W. Pittsburgh would get the last laugh, however, as while New England bowed out to Jake Plummer and the Denver Broncos in the divisional round, Big Ben got his first ring, with a 21-10 triumph over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. 

Fast forward to December 9th, 2007. New England is in the midst of the greatest regular season in NFL history, and they easily dispatched of Mike Tomlin's first Pittsburgh team by a score of 34-13. The Steelers were not yet back at Super Bowl level, but their time would come soon.

2008. Brady blows out his knee in Week 1; New England misses the playoffs for the frist time since 2002 (they have not missed since), and later that season, Pittsburgh dispatches of Matt Cassell and the boys and goes on to win their sixth Super Bowl and second with Big Ben, who led a game-winning drive that none of us will ever forget. The two teams did not meet in 2009, and neither franchise accomplished anything particularly notable that season. However, the next two years would tell opposite stories. 

November 14th, 2010. Heinz Field, Sunday Night Football. New England pounds the seemingly
outmatched Steelers by a score of 39-26 (it wasn't that close.) However, it was Pittsburgh who got the last laugh, as they would appear in Super Bowl XLV, while New England would fall to Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets in the divisional round. Interestingly enough, an opposite scenario would play out in 2011. 

October 30th, 2011. For the first time since 2004, Ben gets the best of Brady, as the Steelers play an almost flawless game on route to a 25-17 victory. However, this time,  it was New England who'd end up getting more out of their season, as they would end up playing in the Super Bowl, while Pittsburgh would get clowned by Timmy Tebow on Wildcard weekend. That was the last time anything of note has happened in this series.

Since 2011, the Pats have gone 3-0 against the men of steel, and 2-0 against Ben Roethlisberger. That concludes my recap of the Ben and Brady saga. As I brainstormed this article, I realized how watching these quarterbacks go head-to-head is excellent, yet bland at the same time. It's wonderful, sure, as these are two future Hall of Famers who are champions. But it's also bland because, if you break down the history, the series hasn't produced many memorable affairs. In eight meetings, Roethlisberger is a piss poor 2-6 against Tom Terrific, so the series hasn't been too competitive. Also in those eight meetings, only two of them have been decided by less than two touchdowns, so the quality of the games haven't been too hot, either. 

At the same time, isn't Sunday's AFC Title contest so much better because of these two legends? Wouldn't a victory over New England do a lot for Ben Roethlisberger's already polished legacy, as a lot of people doubt he has what it takes to beat the king in his castle? Wouldn't it do wonders for the Coach-QB tandem of Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin if they could beat Brady-Belichick in Foxborough for the first time, especially considering that outside of Pittsburgh not one person looks at Tomlin as being in Belichicks class? Yes, yes, and yes. 

So, regardless of who moves on to the mecca of North American sports, I think it would be nice if tomorrow's contest finally gives us that classic Ben-Brady contest that, when you think about it, we've never experienced. One that is nailbiting. One that is tight till the last whistle. One that we will one day tell our grandkids about. We have yet to see that, and I think on Sunday, that will change. 

Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady. These two quarterbacks are different in size, style, and image. But both are winners. Both are champions. Both will be immortalized one day. Enjoy watching them clash tomorrow. Because, with Brady at 39, and Ben at 34, who knows when it will happen again, especially with the stakes this high?