04/20/24
September 03, 2006
Batch in the Saddle Again: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had an emergency appendectomy and will miss Thursday's season opener against the Miami Dolphins.
Does this guy have a jinx on him or what??? (and what about me? he's qbing my fantasty team)
posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:29 PM on September 03, 2006
Cowher said they would bring in another quarterback this week. One would guess it would be Tommy Maddox, but, remember, Jeff George is available. Didn't Hines Ward have an appendectomy right before the season a few years ago? Must be delayed effects of that Latrobe water. Also, why do they call it an emergency appendectomy? Do people have them for other reasons?
posted by SummersEve at 08:00 PM on September 03, 2006
Also, why do they call it an emergency appendectomy? Do people have them for other reasons? I believe that "emergency appendectomy" means that you go right under the knife; "non-emergency appendectomy" means the thing's gotta come out, but it can wait till the next day.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:20 PM on September 03, 2006
Didn't Patrick Roy have appendicitis throughout the NHL playoffs one year?
posted by tommybiden at 10:51 PM on September 03, 2006
Didn't Patrick Roy have appendicitis throughout the NHL playoffs one year? Don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me any. Hockey players are the toughest athletes in any sport, bar none and with no other even close.
posted by commander cody at 10:54 PM on September 03, 2006
Well, maybe rugby players. Poor Ben. If it's one thing, it's another. I hope this doesn't become a he's-always-hurt-with-something issue moving forward.
posted by chicobangs at 11:52 PM on September 03, 2006
Well, maybe rugby players. Well, I might have to give you that one cb. They are pretty tough.
posted by commander cody at 11:55 PM on September 03, 2006
However tough, any hockey, rugby or NFL player would have trouble playing on with a burst appendix. And rugby isn't that tough. I played it at school and one it affected me hasn't bit.
posted by owlhouse at 12:32 AM on September 04, 2006
A burst appendix is in the category of A Very Bad Thing, but if it's caught prior to that, it's a pretty minor surgery. The Steelers are fine with Charlie for now, and Ben will most likely come through with flying colors, but I sure hope he catches a few breaks for awhile. He's really been snake bit lately.
posted by ctal1999 at 01:24 AM on September 04, 2006
And rugby isn't that tough. I played it at school and one it affected me hasn't bit. Except for that thing you seem to have going on with Castro. I think the Steelers will overcome this, compared to Ben's accident this is pretty minor. Batch isn't the greatest quarterback in the world, but the Steelers have enough talent that I think they'll manage.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 07:13 AM on September 04, 2006
I've read it's typically a two to three week recovery. So scratch him from the game against Miami and probably against Jacksonville. Then it gets interesting... The Steelers host the Bengals in week three, followed by a bye week. So do they bring him back for a key divsional game or do they sit him and let him get the bye week to make sure he's all better?
posted by SummersEve at 07:32 AM on September 04, 2006
Batch isn't the greatest quarterback in the world, but the Steelers have enough talent that I think they'll manage. Yeah, except Hines Ward hasn't played in a preseason game this year because of a hamstring injury, and is questionable for the game against the Dolphins. Believe you me, I think the Steelers are plenty talented, and deep, but this sort of thing has to effect the rest of the team too. And as tough as the Steelers' division is, the possibility of digging themselves out of a hole if they lose 1-3 of their first games will make repeating as Super Bowl winner even tougher than it already would have been. Get well soon, Ben. lil_brown_bat: appendectomy or not you should consider another QB as your starter... and I'm a Steelers fan. :)
posted by scully at 07:41 AM on September 04, 2006
lil_brown_bat: appendectomy or not you should consider another QB as your starter... and I'm a Steelers fan. :) Yeah well, I had Brett Favre as a backup...but things being things, I'm going to try to drop him and add Bledsoe. He's the best of what's left.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:58 AM on September 04, 2006
hey everyone, whats the difference between Rex Grossman and Ben Roethlisberger??? 4 inches and a super bowl ring!!!
posted by frankiem at 09:27 AM on September 04, 2006
Thursday is one of the few times this Pat's fan was going to root for the Steelers. Too bad about Ben. OK, people, don't scream at me, for the following is only my opinion, but I think Roethlisberger is somewhat overrated. Were he with a team with less talent, he would be only slightly better than ordinary. Having said that, he is good enough not to screw up the game for the rest of the team, so he does deserve some credit for that. Whether or not you are a Roethlisberger fan, you have to agree he doesn't deserve this.
posted by Howard_T at 12:48 PM on September 04, 2006
It's almost like the Football Gods decided that Ben will not play a complete season this year- if the accident won't keep him out of a regular season game, we'll throw this at him- poor guy.... Howard, as far as Ben being overrated, I disagree- It is entirely possible that Ben would have been a much worse QB had he been drafted by, say, the Cardinals (but then again, the Cards have a tendency to ruin draft picks); However, Ben has shown a great ability to read defenses and make the proper throw, especially for a young QB (young guys usually get confused by NFL defenses disguising their coverages and playing faster than a college defense)... To use your Pats as an example, Ben's QB rating of 98.1 and 98.6 over his first 2 seasons is much better than Tom Brady's 86.5, and 85.7 his first 2 years starting (as a matter of fact, Tom has never been over 92.6, and no one will ever question that he's a good QB)... Also, I have never seen a QB throw so accurately while running as Ben, including Steve Young. I personally believe that Ben's progress and the fact that Willie Parker is more of a speed back than a pounder was convincing Cowher to shift towards an Indianaoplis-style no huddle offense this year (I noticed them doing it a few times in preseason, and then stopping real quick before any opponents could get quality film of it to study, lol)... I guess I have to wait another week or two to see if I'm right...
posted by don-peyote at 01:21 PM on September 04, 2006
OK, people, don't scream at me, for the following is only my opinion, but I think Roethlisberger is somewhat overrated. Were he with a team with less talent, he would be only slightly better than ordinary. Roethlisberger is greatly helped by being surrounded by a talented team. But, having a second year QB with the poise to lead a team to the Super Bowl isn't ordinary.
posted by bperk at 02:06 PM on September 04, 2006
I didn't say Ben wasn't good, just tried to make the point that he isn't as good as ESPN and their ilk would have you believe he is. The same holds very true for Brady, much as I grudgingly will admit. There's no real disagreement here.
posted by Howard_T at 03:11 PM on September 04, 2006
Brady overrated??... When he filled in for Drew Bledsoe, he had no running back, and no really good recieving options. He could be the best quarterback ever when he retires.
posted by Kendall at 03:31 PM on September 04, 2006
Kendall: In 2002, Brady's first year as starter I believe, Troy Brown (890 yards & 3TDs), David Patten (824 yards & 5TDs) and Deion Branch (489 & 2TDs) combined for over 2200 yards. Christian Fauria added another 200+ yards and 7 touchdowns. Antowain Smith rushed for 982 yards and averaged 3.9 per carry. It wasn't just Brady out there. And everytime his name is mentioned on ESPN it is with "future Hall of Famer" in front of it so it isn't like he isn't getting his props from the media. The year before Ben Roethlisberger was drafted the Steelers were 6-10. When he came on as a rookie after Tommy Maddox got hurt in the second game of the season and went 13-0 as a starter that season. 1-1 in that season's playoffs, losing to eventual champion New England. As a starter in 2005 he was 9-3. The team was 2-2 without him in the line up last year. 4-0 in the post season. 22-3 as a regular season starter. 27-4 over the last two years including playoffs (and Super Bowl XL victory). He is youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl ever. Hard to say that he is over rated or that the team is so talented that any QB can be plugged into the system (a la the Bronco's running game) when the team was pretty much the same in the 6-10 year and then goes 15-1 the year he takes over. However, the article was about Ben having an emergency appendectomy people.
posted by scully at 06:11 PM on September 04, 2006
Troy Brown (890 yards & 3TDs), David Patten (824 yards & 5TDs) and Deion Branch (489 & 2TDs) Antowain Smith rushed for 982 yards and averaged 3.9 per carry. 1-1 in that season's playoffs, losing to eventual champion New England. You just proved my point. No big name thousand yard rusher, no huge recievers (1,000+ yards). He was a rookie who filled in for the starter mid year, and has since won 3 super bowls. His lifetime QB rating is 88.5, with a 2 to 1 TD to Interception rating. To say that Brady is overrated, without anything to substantiate it, is crazy. I f Brady keeps compliling these sorts of numbers, and keeps earning those rings, he is a First Ballot Hall Of Famer, who surely isnt overrated. "Big Ben" on the other hand, is overrated by many- especially with the llevel of talent surrounding him. (Ward, Bettis, Parker, Randle El, the huge O- Line). He had lots of things that Brady didnt have for a long time, and never won a ring. If you think Big Ben is overrated thats one thing, but don't drag Brady down too- he's in a level of his own.
posted by Kendall at 06:42 PM on September 04, 2006
No, I didn't prove your point. Just because someone isn't named T.O or Jerry Rice doesn't mean they aren't good. Four receivers with a combination of over 2600 yards means he had good people catching the ball. Personally, I don't agree that Tom Brady is over-rated, nor was I the one who said he was. I think he is a fine quarterback who does a great job of spreading the ball around. Like Big Ben, he controls the game by not making mistakes. But to say he didn't have anyone to throw to and that a running back that gains 3.9 per carry over a season is "no running back" is flat-out wrong. Most of the guys Brady was throwing to in 2002 were still on the team in 2005, so I am not sure where the "he had no one to throw to his first year" stuff comes from. (Besides all of the New England Super Bowls were won by Adam Vinatieri ;) ) But your dilusional if you think that Ben is over-rated. and that the players you named above are any better than the one's Brady had around him in 2001. Jerome Bettis gained all of 368 in 2005. Hines Ward didn't gain 1,000 yards (975) and Randal El only had 558--and only 1 freakin' receiving TD in the regular season (boy did the Washington professional football team overpay for him!). Sure Parker gained 1202, and the OL was good, but only 2 (Alan Faneca, Jeff Hartings) went to the Pro Bowl, and the OL had injury issues all year. So get your facts straight. You can love the Patriots if you want, but don't be hatin' on the Super Bowl Champs. Ben is a damn good quarterback because he listens to his coaches, follows the game plan (RUN, RUN RUN!) and limits his mistakes. Ben has played all of 2 seasons, and has shown again and again that he has talent. Brady has a great set of coaches too, and is smart enough to follow the game plan. Oh, and by the way, 88.5 is an not a quarterback rating to brag about. Jeff Garcia is ranked higher all-time in that dubious statistic. Anyway, I wish Ben a speedy recovery and hope the 11 days off between Thursday's opener and the Steelers' next game on Monday night against the Jags is enough time for him to heal. He's a competator and he hates missing games. That's it for me in this thread. Have fun.
posted by scully at 07:17 PM on September 04, 2006
I'm just glad I don't have to refer to my team's qb as "Big Ben"
posted by tselson at 10:11 PM on September 04, 2006
OK, OK, I'll restate what I said previously, both Brady and Roethlisberger are not just good, they are damned good. Both are potentially HOFers. I say potentially, because injuries and accidents (heaven forbid) can take their toll. The only point I try to make is that ESPN, Fox, and anyone else that has anything to do with the NFL tries to promote the individual player far more than his team. Play a little game in your head. Trade quarterbacks from team to team, and think about what they might do there. Would Ben Roethlisberger have the same degree of success with, say, Arizona as with Pittsburgh? Steve McNair was always very good with Tennessee, but never seemed to have the superhuman status with the media that Brady or Roethlisberger do. IMHO, the team makes the individual greater than he might otherwise be, and by the same token, the individual makes the team better. I never expected to throw that much gasoline onto what wasn't even a fire, but it sure was fun watching (reading?) the flames grow higher. Above all things, GET WELL SOON, BEN.
posted by Howard_T at 08:05 AM on September 05, 2006
No word on whether Big Ben was wearing a helmet at the time. More from NFL.com