I'll say it plainly - anyone questioning Big Ben is an IDIOT

[casteeler]

What? Trade Ben for Cousins? Trade a 10 year veteran with a dozen injuries and a doubtful future for a Rookie that played GREAT the first time that he was thrown in a game and led his team down the field for a win against the eventual SB champion Raven defense....... Lunacy. The Redskins wouldn't go for it

[LayingTheWoodley56]

Originally Posted by casteeler

What? Trade Ben for Cousins? Trade a 10 year veteran with a dozen injuries and a doubtful future for a Rookie that played GREAT the first time that he was thrown in a game and led his team down the field for a win against the eventual SB champion Raven defense....... Lunacy. The Redskins wouldn't go for it

Are you actually suggesting that we trade our franchise quarterback at 30 years old (who, I will say again, was having a near-MVP caliber season before his injury) for a 4th-round pick who had one decent drive? That is the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard in my entire life. Lets see what the reaction is in Pittsburgh if that happens.

[LayingTheWoodley56]

Unless your kidding, in which case I apologize.

[JeromeBetties63]

Originally Posted by Steeldude

There is nothing wrong with questioning any player on the roster.

Wrong.

[wwhickok]

Originally Posted by casteeler

What? Trade Ben for Cousins? Trade a 10 year veteran with a dozen injuries and a doubtful future for a Rookie that played GREAT the first time that he was thrown in a game and led his team down the field for a win against the eventual SB champion Raven defense....... Lunacy. The Redskins wouldn't go for it

Uh...thats not what I said, clearly you posted this without reading the other
comments.

Dave, I didnt have a single problem with your rant nothing you said was untrue and you could criticize every player at every position for SOMETHING.

Im glad we have made some changes and I do think therenis going to be a more significant turnover than there has been in previous seasons; but the Steelers find a way to win. Always have. Thays not going to change. Outside of Zac Dysert, who I highly doubt we draft, Im not very excited about this class of QBs. Hell I could be completely wrong on my belief thay Dyset is going to be a good NFL QB for that matter. I dont think the future to Ben is in this years class. But I do think we need to look at QB in 2014. Not getting rid of Ben in 2014; just getting a groomable QB.

The Steelers are one of those teams who have not changed their team based on the latest 'fad', for example, the wildcat. I don't see the Steelers doing that for the Pistol either. They say there is no way to stop it. The Steelers have proven in the past, they will be the team to prove the analysts wrong.

[LayingTheWoodley56]

Originally Posted by JeromeBetties63

Wrong.

I was just going to quote this one to. It's sad how many "fans" seem to glory in criticizing our players, rather than rooting for them. It really feels like some people root for Ike, Ben, Wallace and others to fail so they can run on here and type about what crap they are. I'm not saying that criticism is not warranted on many occasions, but it sucks to see how many people seem to revel in it.

Right down to the fans who complain about our Super Bowl victories because the championship wasn't won in the perfect way they wanted.

[wwhickok]

Originally Posted by LayingTheWoodley56

I was just going to quote this one to. It's sad how many "fans" seem to glory in criticizing our players, rather than rooting for them. It really feels like some people root for Ike, Ben, Wallace and others to fail so they can run on here and type about what crap they are. I'm not saying that criticism is not warranted on many occasions, but it sucks to see how many people seem to revel in it.

Right down to the fans who complain about our Super Bowl victories because the championship wasn't won in the perfect way they wanted.

You just described the prototype bandwagon fan.

[WokeUpWithaWoodley]

I would like to say I completly agree with layinthewood first post.

I just want to add a few things.

Yes Ben was having a MVP season in HALEY'S SYSTEM before he got hurt. After he came back things weren't so good, rather its bens fault due to injury(or not) a lack of run game or what ever else may be our offense didn't look good.

Now people may say with the talent he had at wr he should of been able to at the very least duplicate 75% of what he did before the kc game. And because he didn't do that we should either trade, re evaluate him, or what a lot of people do is criticize him. However that should not be the case. Because...

In the first year under a new oc things will be rocky from the get go. Bens ability to perform well at the start shows he is a great qb, from going to his man crush Bruce's offense to a completly new system.

Once Ben went down for 3 weeks the steelers had to play with Byron and Charlie, two guys who do not have the skills Ben does. So for those three week the offense had to gameplay for different qbs and had a different way to try and attack opposing defenses.

In the middle of the season this can be very harmful to an offense. In year one in Haley they found there grove with Ben, then he got hurt and we had a completly new offensive gameplan, then Ben comes back and they switch the gameplan again. This is why it was so rocky at the end because we never were able to hit a groove and players weren't able to get comfortable in the system they wanted deploy under Ben. Changing offensive gameplans to suit 3 different qbs will hurt a offense in the middle of the season.

Had Ben not got hurt, the offense would of cont. it's great run and we could be sitting here talking about who to draft at 32 instead of complaining about our greatest qb since Bradshaw.

[Riddle_Of_Steel]

While I think that trading Ben would be moronic at best, I don't consider him above reproach or criticism. I think that trading him is out of the question right now, but only because there are no better options available at this time. It would be nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction at this point.

His lack of success when not backed up by a top ten defense is documented and a fact. He is not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination.

I am more of a Steelers fan than a Roethlisberger fan. I see no problem with being objective about him.

Comparisons between he and Joe Flacco are fair game and valid. Flacco is our rival's franchise QB. He just took them to a SB and won SB MVP-- something Ben has never done. It deserves discussion. It should not be a taboo subject unless you are trying to hide from something.

[Riddle_Of_Steel]

Originally Posted by WokeUpWithaWoodley

I would like to say I completly agree with layinthewood first post.

I just want to add a few things.

Yes Ben was having a MVP season in HALEY'S SYSTEM before he got hurt. After he came back things weren't so good, rather its bens fault due to injury(or not) a lack of run game or what ever else may be our offense didn't look good.

Now people may say with the talent he had at wr he should of been able to at the very least duplicate 75% of what he did before the kc game. And because he didn't do that we should either trade, re evaluate him, or what a lot of people do is criticize him. However that should not be the case. Because...

In the first year under a new oc things will be rocky from the get go. Bens ability to perform well at the start shows he is a great qb, from going to his man crush Bruce's offense to a completly new system.

Once Ben went down for 3 weeks the steelers had to play with Byron and Charlie, two guys who do not have the skills Ben does. So for those three week the offense had to gameplay for different qbs and had a different way to try and attack opposing defenses.

In the middle of the season this can be very harmful to an offense. In year one in Haley they found there grove with Ben, then he got hurt and we had a completly new offensive gameplan, then Ben comes back and they switch the gameplan again. This is why it was so rocky at the end because we never were able to hit a groove and players weren't able to get comfortable in the system they wanted deploy under Ben. Changing offensive gameplans to suit 3 different qbs will hurt a offense in the middle of the season.

Had Ben not got hurt, the offense would of cont. it's great run and we could be sitting here talking about who to draft at 32 instead of complaining about our greatest qb since Bradshaw.

While I definitely hear what you are saying-- it does sound an awful lot like making excuses. You know that if a Ravens fan just told you the same thing about Joe Flacco-- you would call them out on it.

Peyton Manning just came back from major reconstructive surgery, on a completely new team after not playing for year. He was about one play away from taking his team to at least the conference championship.

Ben is NOT above reproach.

But I agree that the "trade Ben" crowd is a bit crazy. I think he will be back to form this year after he heals up, is no longer a new daddy, and has another year in Haley's system.