The 2004 NFL Draft class featured some unreal QB talents in Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger. Of course, Manning and Rivers headlined the class, as the number one and number four picks were eventually traded for each other. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers stayed out of the spotlight and quietly snagged Roethlisberger at eleventh.
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This pick for Steel City ended up being the perfect long-term fit for the club. Roethlisberger led the Steelers to two Super Bowl wins in his first five seasons. He continued to play at a high level throughout the 2010s, becoming their all-time passing yards leader and the team’s all-time leader in added value.
That said, who better to talk to about the origin of Roethlisberger than the guy who masterminded his draft? Bill Cowher recently sat down with modern-day Steelers legend Cam Heyward to talk about the day he rolled the dice on Big Ben. And according to Cowher, the QB actually fell to them because he wasn’t as polished as the other two signal callers, and didn’t play for a big college.
“When you looked at Eli [Manning], and you looked at Phillip [Rivers], they played at major colleges, and they come from a DNA of their families. Obviously, Eli with Peyton, and Phillip’s father was a high school coach… Ben was kind of the raw one with all of the ability,” Cowher shared on Not Just Football.
Roethlisberger attended the University of Miami for his college career. And no, not the Miami you’re thinking of. We’re talking about Miami, Ohio. There, Big Ben threw for 84 career TDs in just three seasons, including 37 in his final junior campaign. He also led the school to a 13-1 record.
Nevertheless, Cowher didn’t really plan on starting Roethlisberger right away. He wanted him to sit behind the team’s other two QBs at the time.
“But he would probably have to sit and wait a while. So, he gets to us, and I’m thinking, ‘Okay, we still have Tommy Maddox and Charlie Batch.’ So, we get into camp, and all of a sudden, Ben is going to be number 3. Which is fine, I said, ‘He’ll take some of the one-minute and stuff,’” Cowher continued.
It was the perfect situation for Roethlisberger at the time. But as luck would have it, both QBs ahead of him got injured, thrusting him into the QB1 role. Suddenly, he had to handle more than just a one-minute drill.
After that, Roethlisberger seized the opportunity, and the rest, as they say, is history.
“All of a sudden, third preseason game, Charlie Batch gets hurt… Well, in the second game, we go and play the Ravens, and Bart Scott knocks out Tommy Maddox. I mean, he’s out. Now, all we’ve got is Ben, and Ben only knows the one minute. And so, all of a sudden, Ben comes in, and he just starts going up and down the field,” Cowher recalled.
Roethlisberger would sling two fourth-quarter TDs to Antwaan Randle El and Hines Ward to make it 23-13. The Ravens eventually pulled away and won, but it showcased the potential of Big Ben’s offensive output. That’s why Cowher named him QB1 even when Maddox and Batch were both healthy.
It ended up being the right call too. The Steelers won 14 straight games en route to a 15-1 record with Roethlisberger starting. He threw for 17 TDs to 11 INTs, but he had a knack for the big moment and led the team on a league-leading five game-winning drives. They eventually lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship, just one win away from the Super Bowl.
All in all, it’s a great story of an unexpected rise to superstardom. Roethlisberger immediately led the Steelers to another strong season in 2005, where he took down the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Three years later, he led the team to another Super Bowl win over the Arizona Cardinals.
