And Steeler Nation rejoiced!
posted at 3:40 pm on March 3, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
Steeler fans will cheer the latest news out of Pittsburgh, while defenses in Cincinnati and Cleveland tremble. Ben Roethlisberger, the bruising star quarterback who already has a Super Bowl victory, will remain in Pittsburgh for at least the next eight years. He’ll also get a nice fat paycheck out of it:
Ben Roethlisberger signed an eight-year extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers that makes him one of the NFL’s highest-paid players.
The team did not release financial terms, but ESPN.com reported Monday the deal is worth $102 million.
“Ben has been an outstanding leader on the field for the Steelers since his rookie year and we are very happy to know that he will be our quarterback for many years to come,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement.
Big Ben had a rocky 2006, but bounced back nicely in 2007. He threw 32 touchdowns against only 11 interceptions, but the team ran out of gas at the end of the season. They lost in the playoffs against a Jacksonville team that had gone in the opposite direction in the second half.
If Ben keeps his motorcycle helmet on his head, the investment is well worth it. Roethlisberger plays Pittsburgh-style football — hard-hitting, tough, and smart. He already is a fan favorite, along with his favorite go-to receiver Hines Ward. If they can keep themselves off the injured list, Pittsburgh will enjoy a long run of playoff appearances and perhaps more rings for Big Ben’s hand.
Blowback
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He we go Steelers!
Your Brother John on March 3, 2008 at 3:44 PM
Is it really smart to re-hire a guy who still thinks that repealing motorcycle helmet laws is a good thing?
Spc Steve on March 3, 2008 at 3:46 PM
One can only imagine how much Eli’s going to get when it’s his turn to re-up.
JammieWearingFool on March 3, 2008 at 3:47 PM
lol…stole my thunder…rigga-fratta-ragga-rigga
Limerick on March 3, 2008 at 3:48 PM
If they don’t do something about that rice paddy they call Heinz Field he’s gona need a scuba tank to go with that fat contract.
trubble on March 3, 2008 at 3:49 PM
Yes, best quarterback in the league. Takes head on hits to moving automobiles and doesn’t steal defensive signals like some pretty boy quarterbacks with bastard children.
THE CHOSEN ONE on March 3, 2008 at 3:49 PM
Best QB in the league? Are you kidding me? Most over-rated.
/Stlurz.
Akzed on March 3, 2008 at 3:52 PM
You should really feel at home here now, Ed. You started an argument over football.
JammieWearingFool on March 3, 2008 at 3:55 PM
YOI AND DOUBLE YOI
benrand on March 3, 2008 at 3:55 PM
I am still not convinced that the man has fully recovered from the brain-scrambling he got in the motorcycle wreck 2 years ago. I hope Steelers mgmt knows what they are doing.
jimbo2008 on March 3, 2008 at 3:56 PM
So, we Hotair readers lose a Dallas fan and we replace him with a Steelers fan. Whatever.
Go Giants!!
kcluva on March 3, 2008 at 3:56 PM
I would say at this point that it looks like Tommy Brady is the most over-rated.
What the hell happened to him in that there Super Bowl…all the chowderheads fell flat.
benrand on March 3, 2008 at 3:57 PM
Please, don’t bring that up. It is still a sensitive subject in Seattle. BR had the lowest QB rating of any winning SB QB. Something in the range of 30. The referees in the game had an even lower rating. ::(sorry, I just can’t let it go)::
Mallard T. Drake on March 3, 2008 at 3:57 PM
Being from Cincinnati, hence a Bengals fan, I hate the fact that Roethlisberger is a Miami U (Ohio) grad. Damn traitor. Miami U is about twenty miles from where I grew up, so one of my sentimental favorites. It should be illegal for any team from PA to draft any player from OH.
Just Kidding.
sondiehl on March 3, 2008 at 3:59 PM
go jags
tlynch001 on March 3, 2008 at 3:59 PM
Brady had a bad ankle. No he didn’t win, but that’s a great deal of pressure for anyone to carry around all season….you know, living up to the fact that you got a supermodel pregnant. That’s a lotta weight to carry around.
Scoreboard44 on March 3, 2008 at 4:00 PM
Do you know how you get two Steeler women in an elevator?
Grease up their hips and toss in a Twinkie!
Congrats on the signing – that QB is great!
Dr. Gecko on March 3, 2008 at 4:00 PM
I still think Brady is the best quarterback in the league….if not PEYTON Manning. Eli got a gift that day.
Scoreboard44 on March 3, 2008 at 4:01 PM
We all remember the last ‘golden child’, Kurt Warner. He won a super bore also. Roethlisberger is just another one hit wonder.
Limerick on March 3, 2008 at 4:01 PM
No offense to Bryan, but, I’ve got no problem with that.
MarkABinVA on March 3, 2008 at 4:02 PM
Yeah. Just remember, fire CAN melt Steel.
Limerick on March 3, 2008 at 4:03 PM
So, Warner and Roethlisberger would then rank higher than Marino, career wise?
MarkABinVA on March 3, 2008 at 4:05 PM
Does Rosie have a new post on metalurgy today? :)
MarkABinVA on March 3, 2008 at 4:05 PM
LOL….just pulling the skippers chain. I’ll go back to the corner. (Disclaimer…..Cowboy fan here)
Limerick on March 3, 2008 at 4:07 PM
Wasn’t Marino another slow moving QB from Pittsburg?
Mallard T. Drake on March 3, 2008 at 4:07 PM
Pittsburgh will finish third in the division this year. The way the Browns are beginning to stack, I’d say they’re in position to take the division. Makes us Bengals fans a lot more worried about the Battle for Ohio than any lineman-sized QB-wannabe in Pennsylvania.
WolkingsWorld.com on March 3, 2008 at 4:07 PM
Fitting picture considering what the Steelers did to Carson Palmer on accident.
Theworldisnotenough on March 3, 2008 at 4:07 PM
Is it really smart to re-hire a guy who still thinks that repealing motorcycle helmet laws is a good thing?
Spc Steve on March 3, 2008 at 3:46 PM
and the FREEDOM to do what you want even if it isn’t the safest thing to do is bad again how?
unseen on March 3, 2008 at 4:08 PM
Thanks to their upset win in Super Bowl XLII, the Giants get to open the 2008 season first, with the NBC Thursday night game. Looking at the schedule, if they aren’t playing the Cowboys, odds are NBC will show Giants-Steelers as their opener.
(The down side, of course, is unless NBC changes its pre-game show staffing, that means we get Keith Olbermann as the warm-up for Giants-Steelers, which in the middle of the 2008 election season, ought to be even more unwatchable than this past season.)
jon1979 on March 3, 2008 at 4:08 PM
Exactly why they invented the previous channel and mute buttons.
Limerick on March 3, 2008 at 4:11 PM
Maybe…But my Jetties did good signing Alan Faneca…Are Steeler’s fans cheering THAT loudly?
Five-time All-Pro and seven consecutive Pro Bowls.
JetBoy on March 3, 2008 at 4:11 PM
Hillary will have to give him back his uniform.
jgapinoy on March 3, 2008 at 4:17 PM
Hahahaha! Only a delusional Steelers fan would be pleased by this.
SouthernDem on March 3, 2008 at 4:18 PM
In case anyone missed it, the NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS are the champions of the world! 1956, 1986, 1990 and now 2007. I don’t mean to rub it in but only one QB has a win over Belichik this year and his name ain’t Ben. It’s ELI!
Larraby on March 3, 2008 at 4:20 PM
Oh, nothing bad about it. Just not smart. If I were in the business of hiring, intelligence matters, even for athletes. If I’m making a hundred million dollar investment, I wouldn’t think about doing it in a man who hasn’t got the common flipping sense to wear a helmet when motorcycling.
Spc Steve on March 3, 2008 at 4:25 PM
Roth is wanting a new, “taller” receiver, Couldnt pay Faneca the money he is worth, but give the whole tub to Roth……..
yeah makes sense
GO BIG BLUE
JVelez on March 3, 2008 at 4:25 PM
Sounds like management is the one that took a head shot. Way too much money for a way overrated QB.
Engrpat on March 3, 2008 at 4:26 PM
Betcha its gonna be Packers @ Giants…
JVelez on March 3, 2008 at 4:27 PM
Another cheater gets zillions and glamour.
What’s news?
BTW, couldn’t they let the hot & glamorous Diana Irey be a running back for the Stealers (sp?)?
HotAirJosef on March 3, 2008 at 4:28 PM
Hate the Pats and Hate Brady more, but the O-Line couldnt do anything vs that rush… Big Blue needs to get some secondary help but I like where they are at
JVelez on March 3, 2008 at 4:29 PM
Yeah, well we Seahawks still got Matt Hasselbeck. We’ll be fine.
The problem’s you.
(With apologies to Sen. Clinton for potential copyright infringement.)
HotAirJosef on March 3, 2008 at 4:31 PM
That’s a good pick-up. The Seahawks were chasing him for awhile but they signed Wahle instead. Probably decided to save a few bucks for a few other spots on the roster.
Mallard T. Drake on March 3, 2008 at 4:34 PM
Is it really smart to re-hire a guy who still thinks that repealing motorcycle helmet laws is a good thing?
Spc Steve on March 3, 2008 at 3:46 PM
That depends. A lot of sports teams want someone that takes risks. a quarterback that isn’t afraid of getting hit, etc. In this “safe” world we live in the risk takers in the coming years will be rewarded. I wish our political leaders would take some risks instead of playing with the PC helmet always on.
unseen on March 3, 2008 at 4:34 PM
i knew i loved this website. now with breaking Steeler news added, I may never leave.
thanks for the info Ed, though I was thinking from the headline that we had resigned Alan.
Alas, poor Faneca, we knew him well.
DrW on March 3, 2008 at 4:34 PM
What?? You don’t mean sneaking the ball over the goal line after being stopped and down at the end of the half in the Super Bowl do you?
Nice to have another Hawks fan here.
Mallard T. Drake on March 3, 2008 at 4:37 PM
Precisely and same to you.
Oh and my turn to dig Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh, the land of the Stealers and Murtha, has one and only one redeeming characteristic: The land of Diana Irey, R(ed Rose Republican), who stood up to Murtha when nobody else would.
HotAirJosef on March 3, 2008 at 4:41 PM
I now realize that I haven’t properly welcomed the good Captain.
Welcome, Ed.
Go Steelers!
MikeZero on March 3, 2008 at 4:44 PM
Ditto, BURGH fan here sucks to loose Fanaca
gberez on March 3, 2008 at 4:46 PM
Go Refs! Bwahahaa!!
Chakra Hammer on March 3, 2008 at 4:46 PM
Yeah, I wonder if John Murtha gave them money in a briefcase. He’d fit right in with the similar corruption in Detroit.
We, in Washington State, however go to the matresses for open government.
HotAirJosef on March 3, 2008 at 4:48 PM
But we also wear down cheaters and frauds and eventually expunge them from our ranks like Dean Logan.
HotAirJosef on March 3, 2008 at 4:57 PM
It’s a struggle to put Ben Roethlisberger in the TOP 10 of NFL quarterbacks. No, seriously. Top of my head, in no particular order, I’d put Manning, Manning, Brady, Brees, Palmer, McNabb, Rivers, and Romo ahead of him. Maybe Garcia, Schaub, and Delhomme as well. Yes, they won a Super Bowl and he did make a great tackle when an Indy player made an idiotic cut back when he could have simply jogged the field for a TD. But he had the worse game of any winning QB in the Super Bowl, so he came up pretty short in the biggest game. Hey, not hating, just reporting. The Steelers were an inspiration that year, but it wasn’t Ben that was the driving reason.
I’m glad Steeler Nation is happy. Good luck with that.
Sugar Land on March 3, 2008 at 5:01 PM
Here we go Steelers. Here we go!
Wildcatter1980 on March 3, 2008 at 5:13 PM
:ahem: Hasselbeck :ahem:
:cough: Favre :cough:
Mallard T. Drake on March 3, 2008 at 5:14 PM
Al Gore and David Boies commenting at HotAir?
jaime on March 3, 2008 at 5:16 PM
Oh NO! I’m going to have to type slower now if Ed is going to read my comments.
kirkill on March 3, 2008 at 5:22 PM
Mallard T. Drake on March 3, 2008 at 5:14 PM
Dude. You’re right. If Favre returns, he and Hasselbeck are ahead of Ben. Okay… he doesn’t make the top 10 at all.
Sugar Land on March 3, 2008 at 5:24 PM
Nah. The difference is we have the proof via instant replay and the consensus of the rest of the country outside the western Penn area that the refs were watching some other game. Let’s talk about the phantom holding call on Sean Locklear that negated the goal line catch of Jeremy Stevens.
Mallard T. Drake on March 3, 2008 at 5:26 PM
Agreed!
Mallard T. Drake on March 3, 2008 at 5:27 PM
I’m not saying the Seahawks are crybabies or anything, but they had a chance to prove their point last season. How’d that go?
jaime on March 3, 2008 at 5:35 PM
I’ll say it.
MikeZero on March 3, 2008 at 5:44 PM
The Seac*ckos are crybabies, jsut look at the Truther Homgren.
Waaaah, penalties, no push off…waaaa.
Haggans was held all day, was NOT offsides, the Stilelrs almost got jobbed out of a trip tot he SB and the Seac*cks cry and cry.
How’s that big Alexander payout working?
benrand on March 3, 2008 at 5:49 PM
Oh, that’s too far – calling Mike Holmgren a “Truther”.
Frankly, we could use a new running back at this point. The rest of it is horse.
HotAirJosef on March 3, 2008 at 6:12 PM
Not sure what the team’s record in the season’s following the Super Bowl is supposed to prove. In 2006 they were hit with injuries in key positions all year, yet they still made it to the play offs. This past year they again made it to the playoffs without a “real” running back all year.
In 2005, the Hawks were arguably the best team in the NFL. Then they lost Hutchinson and have suffered through two years of diminish carries and performance from Shaun Alexander and their O-line. But, they are still one of the best teams in the league. Just shows the fine line between being very good and being elite. And to see a team reach that elite level and have the game “stolen” away from them by incompetence doesn’t sit well at all, even two years later.
But don’t listen to me. Ask football fans outside of western Penn. if they thought the Seahawks got “jobbed,” and 8 or 9 out of 10 will say yes.
To the Steeler fans, enjoy the trophy. See if you can find something to help get that tarnish off it.
Mallard T. Drake on March 3, 2008 at 6:12 PM
I don’t believe the world needs more global warming heresy or lawyers.
That said, I’m more like John McCain – I like a clean, efficient good fight.
HotAirJosef on March 3, 2008 at 6:14 PM
Since tomorrow is National Grammar Day, I can’t let my typo stand.
That should be …in the seasons following the…
Mallard T. Drake on March 3, 2008 at 6:14 PM
Thanks, dude.
I just hope we get a good kicker. I might call up a 6-foot angel I know…
HotAirJosef on March 3, 2008 at 6:15 PM
I think I’ll pop the DVD of that game in tonight, how about a nice glass of whine? Here we go Steelers Here we go!
Zorro on March 3, 2008 at 6:17 PM
Good point. But the Seahawks played the Steelers last season. They could have made their statement on the field. Instead they lost 0 – 21.
Also, replay of the Rothlisberger touchdown was and is inconclusive. You want to think he didn’t make it. That’s an opinion particular to Seahawks fans (and Steelers detractors).
jaime on March 3, 2008 at 6:26 PM
While you are watching, you’ll have plenty of time to
shine up that trophy.
Tell me, as you watch, if you can find the phantom holding call on Sean Locklear. I have yet to see it. Of all the crap calls, that was the one that was the most damaging.
I’ll give Cowher credit on one call. Near the end of the half, Seattle is in their hurry-up offense. The Hawks were at mid-field and Hasselbeck brought them to the line and then stood there for 10 or 15 seconds looking over the defense. He then saw what he wanted and called the audible. Before the ball could be snapped, Cowher quickly called time out because he knew Hasselbeck had something. Who knows if that stopped the Hawks from a big play, but it was enough of a threat that Cowher wasn’t going to find out. A good call on his part and a sign of respect for Hasselbeck and the offense.
Mallard T. Drake on March 3, 2008 at 6:32 PM
Yeah that Steelers game will not make any highlight films in Seattle any time soon. It was the only game all year I didn’t see or attend. I didn’t even bother watching the replay on the DVR. Pretty bad.
Here’s my case about the Rothlisberger TD. It was inconclusive at best, but it didn’t look like the ball crossed the line during his thrust forward. Once he was on the ground he pushed it forward over the line. Meanwhile the line judge, from the same side of the field, came running in 4 or 5 strides with his arm raised signalling 4th down, and then changed the call to TD. He knew BR didn’t break the plane, but called the TD on the late shove of the ball while BR was on the ground.
Unfortunately for Seahawk fans the rule of the replay booth reviewing plays in the last two minutes of each half didn’t exist at the time. Hmmmm, I wonder why we have the rule now?
Mallard T. Drake on March 3, 2008 at 6:39 PM
Maybe he made it, maybe not. I don’t know. But then, neither does anyone else, except maybe Rothlisberger.
It’s likely the Seahawks will win the West again this year, so maybe they’ll get another shot to prove they’re as good as they think they are. Another Seattle/Pittsburgh Superbowl would be fine with me.
jaime on March 3, 2008 at 6:51 PM
Me too. Bring your Irey, not your Murtha.
HotAirJosef on March 3, 2008 at 6:52 PM
Well, they’re not mine. Sorry. I’m from Pittsburgh originally, but I haven’t lived there for many years. I wish Murtha belonged to me, I’d trade him in on a sleek new Republican like Irey.
jaime on March 3, 2008 at 7:03 PM
Ed, how come you didn’t start a thread last week when the Bears re-signed Rex Grossman?
radjah shelduck on March 3, 2008 at 7:58 PM
Good on ya and I understand :-).
HotAirJosef on March 3, 2008 at 8:21 PM
Giants play the Steelers in Pittsburgh this year, so I doubt they’ll show something away in Giants Stadium.
Yeah…great prediction JVelez…except the Giants don’t play the Packers in 2008!
MAYBE both peerless prognosticators need to check out a schedule of teams the Giants are playing…it’s not that difficult…just go to http://www.NFL.com
The dates aren’t ready yet, but who they play, and whether it’s home or away is all there for peerless prognosticators like jon1979 and the brilliant JVelez.
asc85 on March 3, 2008 at 8:26 PM
Uh…who gives a rat’s a$$?
Jaibones on March 3, 2008 at 8:30 PM
And the Dawg Pound rejoiced right along with you. The Brownies spent their money on the D-line and the squeelers spent their money on next years tackling dummy.
HERE WE GO BROWNIES, HERE WE GO. WOOF! WOOF!
brainy435 on March 3, 2008 at 8:47 PM
Can we open the HA comment registration…for NY Jets fans only..for a while? So ronery…
JetBoy on March 3, 2008 at 8:51 PM
Yea, go Steelers!
4shoes on March 3, 2008 at 9:47 PM
Politics and Steeler news all in one place. Thank you God.
Bodhi on March 3, 2008 at 10:25 PM
Lance Briggs too.
Chakra Hammer on March 3, 2008 at 11:22 PM
Goooo PACK!
Woulda. Coulda. Shoulda.
Ken McCracken on March 4, 2008 at 2:40 AM
When I got up this morning, seven copies of this press release were the first things in my email queue, all from state mailing lists. So yeah.
In Indiana, by the way, somebody about ten years ago slipped a helmet law clause into a bill that passed. As soon as the state legislature realized they’d passed a helmet law, they repealed it. Here in Pennsylvania, if you have a little snow on your car and drive, they can pull you over and give you a ticket. Seriously.
rightwingprof on March 4, 2008 at 8:29 AM
Why does Herman Edwards have to be in Kansas City?
srhoades on March 4, 2008 at 9:28 AM
The Seahawks fans need to ask themselves about their blind support of Holmgren, who with all his flourishes, can’t bother to learn how to manage the clock inside of 2min.
He’s as bad as Herm Edwards.
I thought it was telling that Belechick decided to bolt early from the SB when ALL SEASON he had been bragging about how he needed to score every point that he could in every blowout.
Couldn’t be bothered to hang around but he had no problem running the score up to the last second.
Classless piece of garbage organization.
benrand on March 4, 2008 at 9:56 AM
Yeah, the “Patriots” have no class.
In other news, Brett Favre has retired :-(. The Thomas P.M. Barnett of Green Bay Packers Football will be missed.
HotAirJosef on March 4, 2008 at 10:44 AM