Focused Roethlisberger Transforms Deficit Into Comeback Win For Steelers, 37-27

The next in the Transformers movie franchise won't be out until 2014, but for one Sunday in Pittsburgh in 2013, one thing was made clear: Bumblebee was greater than Megatron.

After a week of controversy regarding the franchise quarterback being unhappy with the team and that he'll demand a trade, which he vehemently denied, Ben Roethlisberger came out focused and lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to just their fourth win of the season.

"False and false," Big Ben said regarding whether money and multiple losses will cause him to want out sooner rather than later. "I don't want to go anywhere for any reason."

Thank you, Ian Rapoport. If It Ain't Steel wrote about the trade talk nearly two weeks ago when this first started surfacing. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/11/addressing-trade-ben-roethlisberger.html

Big Ben used the rumors as motivation to focus him. His ability to pick apart the Detroit Lions secondary was evident right away as he went 5-for-5 with a 34-yard touchdown to his No. 1 wide receiver Antonio Brown, and was 2-for-2 on third downs on the first offensive possession - the first time all season they scored a touchdown on their opening drive. He then finished the first quarter going 7-for-8 for 121 yards and two touchdowns. That's a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

The determined quarterback was sharp all day completing 29 of 45 passes for 367 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions, finishing with a 119.4 QB rating. The Steelers are 49-4 when he surpasses 100.0 in passer rating.

The two-touchdown lead quickly dissipated, though, as Lions' QB Matthew Stafford threw for 327 and two touchdowns, mostly in the second quarter. His first-half 114.2 QB rating was mainly because of Megatron.

The Lions' All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson, nicknamed "Megatron", had 163 of his 179 receiving yards and five of his six receptions in a resurgent second quarter. Johnson also saw six of his 10 targets in that quarter, with the Lions looking as if they were going to run away with the game.

Amazingly, the Lions never even threw a pass to Megatron in the third quarter and only two more targets the rest of the game. Stafford also threw for only 35 yards in the second half, finishing with a QB rating of 74.7.

The Steelers players, offensively and defensively, praised Big Ben for his play, with wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery saying pointedly that he "came here to play with (Ben), he has a lot of respect from the league and is a top-flight quarterback." - http://tinyurl.com/kuhxqhm

Also worthy of praise was Brown who finished with 147 receiving yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions, and was the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.

Brown, probably hearing about Megatron all week, wanted it known that he's the NFL leader in receptions for a reason. Brown now has 74 catches for 952 yards through 10 weeks, both numbers are 2nd best all time in Steelers history (Hines Ward - '02 76 catches; Buddy Dial - '63 961 yards).

The defense also deserved a lot of credit. After surrendering 27 points in the second quarter and 379 yards in the first half, the Steelers stiffened allowing a total of only 72 yards the rest of the game, thanks in part to changing from a majority of Cover-3 defense to a Cover-2 with a man under.

Ike Taylor deserves much of this praise as he had a better second-half than any other cornerback has had against Megatron, completely shutting him out. - http://tinyurl.com/l5uefye

But the main praise goes to the franchise QB who never faltered. But if Johnson is Megatron, then Big Ben was Optimus Prime this day. Even faced with a fourth-quarter deficit and 97 yards, after a questionable fake field goal failure, Optimus led them the length of the field for the go-ahead touchdown. The Steelers never looked back. 

The win pulled the Steelers within one game of the final Wild Card playoff spot. Not that we're looking that far ahead because too much needs to be done. It's one game at a time for sure. 

But if this team can be more consistent and put together more games like they did on Sunday, there could be more than meets the eye. 

UPDATE: The aforementioned performance and 97-yard drive earned Big Ben a Fed Ex Air Player of the Week nomination. Vote for him here! - http://www.nfl.com/voting/players-air-and-ground/2013/REG/11

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TIDBITS: After already playing without Ramon Foster, LaMarr Woodley and Brett Keisel, the Steelers faced injuries in the game. Most notably, Emmanuel Sanders left the game with a right foot injury. It will be evaluated Monday. Also, Stevenson Sylvester sustained a hamstring injury. The rest, as coach Tomlin said, were "normal bumps and bruises." - http://tinyurl.com/lp7gasp

Update: Manny didn't need an MRI and should be fine for Sunday, as should Foster, Woodley and Keisel.

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Big Ben improved to 17-2 against the NFC at home. In those 17 wins he has thrown just 4 Interceptions versus 8 in the two losses.

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It has been a rough two weeks for us, but we should be regular again now. Thanks for sticking by us. 

If It Ain't Steel's 2013 Top 12 NFL Quarterbacks

by Jason and Jayden

It's that time of year again where we at If It Ain't Steel rank the NFL's golden boys. Since the quarterback is generally the most important position on the field, we annually put together a list of the top signal callers. And this year's crop does not disappoint.

The top seven alone has 11 Super Bowl winners, along with another participant who almost got his first instead of his opponent who is higher in the list. Also included is one who proved all the doubters wrong - all except one blog that told you to remember his name.

There are many "Top..." whatever lists out there. Why is ours different, and why twelve? Good question. Though we mentioned SB wins previously, we don't allow that to weigh too heavily in our evaluation, either, because of all that's involved in achieving one. That said, there are your elite QBs and then your QBs knocking on the door - all of whom could direct their teams to the big show. That never goes more than about a third deep.

How do we compile our list, you may ask? As we've said in the two previous editions of our list, we don't care about fantasy points or other networks' rankings. We look at the quarterbacks as they are now and project as to what will be - basically, those who simply get the job done. And the criteria is as follows:

‎1) Overall Ability
2) Leadership/Elevating Players
3) Wins
4) Mental Toughness/Comeback Ability
5) Accuracy
6) Pocket Presence
7) Toughness and Escapability.

Without further ado...

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN:
1. Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers: (2012: 11-5, 67.2% completion percentage, 39 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 108.0 QB Rating)
This guy just has it all. He has the numbers to warrant his being the top selection. But he also has the intangibles, the leadership and the toughness that makes him a leader of men.

2. Tom Brady - New England Patriots: (12-4, 63.0%, 34 TDs, 8 INTs, 98.7 QBR)
One of the two elder statesman of the group, yet a man who still strikes fear into the hearts of opponents. He hasn't won a SB since SpyGate, but he is still lethal when he needs to be. He may have his biggest challenge yet this season with one tight end being traded to the Massachusetts State team and a crop of young receivers. Still, like mama said, respect your elders!

3. Drew Brees - New Orleans Saints: (7-9, 63.0, 43 TDs, 19 INTs, 96.3 QBR)
Brees is sometimes hard to evaluate. He actually has a low overall winning percentage and comparatively low QB rating, yet he is as tough as they come. The Napoleon of the group, he is a true competitor who has a never-say-die attitude despite his small stature. And getting his coach back could mean another run at a Lombardi.

4. Peyton Manning - Denver Broncos: (13-3, 68.6%, 37 TDs, 11 INTs, 105.8)
Frankenstein's monster terrorized villagers all season, bolts in his neck and all. Then came the playoffs and suddenly he looked more like the Bride of Frankenstein. At times the best the NFL has ever seen, and at other times (coughplayoffscough) he's the most overrated ever. Still, he's good enough to be given the benefit of the doubt...at least until January.

5. Ben Roethlisberger - Pittsburgh Steelers: (8-8, 63.3%, 26 TDs, 8 INTs, 97.0 QBR)
Before his injury in a night game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Big Ben was ranked 5th in the NFL in passing with a .671 comp. pct. (200-298, or an average of 25-37) for 2,203 yards, 16 touchdown passes, only four interceptions and a 101.1 QB rating. He also was on pace for the fewest sacks of his career since the 2005 season. Now that he's healed and has a greater understanding of Todd Haley's offense, look for Big Ben to throw that chip on his shoulder at every opponent this season.

6. Joe Flacco - Baltimore Ravens: (10-6, 59.7%, 22 TDs, 10 INTs, 87.7 QBR)
A very pedestrian regular season turned into a nearly perfect postseason. He had the two lowest QBR numbers ever with a 0.3 and 0.4 in 2012, but somehow he overcame himself and won the Super Bowl. Does he have a good enough track record to support giving him this high of a ranking? The answers are polarizing, but if we err we'll err on the side of expectation.

7. Eli Manning - New York Giants: (9-7, 59.9%, 26 TDs, 15 INTs, 87.2)
If ever there was a benefit of the doubt pick, it's here. Two SB Rings will do that for a man. The other Manning is entering his 10th year and has to deal with more being brought onto his shoulders because of questions in the Giants' running game and their having trouble stopping the run. If those areas are edified, another kind of run could again be in his future.

THE NEXT BEST:
8. Matt Ryan - Atlanta Falcons: (13-3, 68.6%, 32 TDs, 14 INTs, 99.1 QBR)
Putting Matty Ice this low may seem off to some, but we believe that a little bit more still needs to be seen. He finally put together a truly good postseason, almost getting his team to the NFC Championship game. Another such season, maybe one more win, and he'll be top five.

9. Robert Griffin III - Washington Redskins: (10-6, 65.6%, 20 TDs, 5 INTs, 102.4 QBR)
Last year's Top 12 list had a watch list(ITALICS) attached to the main list. We believed the rookies would make their presence known in the NFL. We were correct. We (specifically Jason) were high on RGIII, even comparing his game to the likes of Randall Cunningham and Steve Young. We (I was) were correct as he was named the 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year. He definitely has pocket-presence, but also the pocket-awareness that allows him to use his escapability. It is that ability that propelled him into the top 12 this season.

10. Cam Newton - Carolina Panthers: (7-9, 57.7%, 19 TDs, 12 INTs, 86.2)
This pick is based on potential as much as anything. Is Cam Newton a QB around whom you can build a team? We don't need seven seconds of dead air to contemplate that question before answering. We simply give an emphatic "YES." We know he has maturing to do and has to fine tune certain things, but the sky is the limit. He'd better get on it, though. That little kid won't need to loosen his arm forever.

11. Colin Kaepernick - San Francisco 49ers: (11-4-1, 62.4%, 10 TDs, 3 INTs, 98.3 QBR)
Kaepernick is similar to RGIII in how he can be described and compared. His talents are absolutely undeniable as he could be considered an evil football scientist's lab creation. Take Michael Vick, Cam Newton and Terry Bradshaw and...It's alive! Alive! Explosive, accurate and athletic big-armed freaks of nature who can sprint 30 yards untouched into the end zone in the biggest game of a 10-game career don't come around often. Expect a lot of teams to get Kaepernicked for years to come.

12. Russell Wilson - Seattle Seahawks: (11-5, 64.1%, 26 TDs, 10 INTs, 100.0 QBR)
Another on that aforementioned watch list was Wilson. We (specifically Jayden) knew he had the goods and he then proved that size doesn't matter. We (she) said that we would "be keeping (our) eye on these two rookies and, you never know, they may crack our Top 12 next season." Andrew lucked out in that department, but RGIII and Wilson, who was awarded the Pepsi Max Offensive Rookie of the Year, obviously didn't. In Luck's defense, though, we did vote for Russell Luck III as the offensive ROTY.

Just Missing The Cut -

Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts: Just keep it flowin', youngin'.

Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions: Threw the most passes (727) ever in one season. He needs to do better with throwing fewer passes.

Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears: On the borderline. Stay healthy and you may get back to the big dance.

Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals: Opie Taylor just keeps getting better, but at too slow a pace. Is this the year that Richie Cunningham breaks out of his Cocoon and makes a big Splash?

Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs: The 29-year old blossomed in his last two years, completing at least 61% of his passes and posting passer rating above 90.0. Will Kansas City provide that next step?

The "You're killin' me, Petey!" Group -

Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys: Um...I can't call it.

Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers: "Pussface" has all the skills, but throws it to the other team a little too much.

Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: You either get Batman or the Joker. Make up your mind, Josh. You could be legen...wait for it...dary!

If It Ain't Steel's Top 12 QB Rankings

It’s that time of year again that we at If It Ain’t Steel are doing our NFL quarterback rankings. When choosing our rankings we didn't look at their being fantasy darlings, we looked at their overall work and what we think they will do this season. We didn’t go by the sexy picks of the Top 100 or any other so-called expert picks, we went by our opinion of their overall career and what we project they will do the upcoming season. This ranking is solely based on that. (Addendum: For a breakdown of the criteria of our Top 12, refer to last season's Top 12 QB blog)

1. Tom Brady

He last season had a rating of 105.6 and threw for 5,235 yards and 39 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Why did we choose Brady? Let’s look at last season. The Patriots had one of the worst defenses in the league-they were good at manufacturing turnovers, but not much else. He led the Patriots to a 13-3 record in the regular season. He carried that team on his arm and led them to a Super Bowl with that same defense. Though they ultimately lost, he still got them there. He did what needed to be done to make up for his suspect defense, which is what Brady does: he finds that drive to carry his teammates and win when it counts. In that SB, some like myself, believe that Brady was only a few dropped passes away from winning his 4th Ring. Face it, whether we like Brady or not, as long as he is healthy, he is always going to be right there in the thick of things come the postseason. So we give props where props are due and he gets our highest honor this year.

2. Drew Brees

Brees had a rating of 110.6 and threw for 5,476 and 49 TDs to 14 INTs. Brees gets the second nod because personally we believe, even with all the Bounty Gate suspensions, Brees will still be right there as one of the top ranked QBs in the NFL. He broke Dan Marino’s passing record last season and we look for more the same this season. Brees, like Brady, has that will and drive to win, no matter what it takes. The Saints do have a lot of obstacles to overcome this season, with the loss of their head coach and defensive players to suspension, but that does not change the fact that Brees is one the premier QBs in the league. We believe the play of Brees will put the Saints right into the thick of things come postseason.

3. Aaron Rodgers

Had a rating of 122.5 and he threw for 4,643 yards with 45 TDs to 6 INTs. I know what you are thinking, "Why isn’t Rodgers #1?" Well, I'll tell you why. Yes, Rodgers led the Packers to a 15-1 regular season, but was one and done in the playoffs. Unlike Brady who made up for his suspect defense, Rodgers didn't when it counted. Rodgers won the NFL MVP of the year and was named the No. 1 player in the NFL’s Top 100 list, but as I pointed out, we don’t just look at stats, but at overall play. That is the only reason that Rodgers is below Brees and Brady. We feel Rodgers will have another great season this year and put up much of the same numbers, making him on the top tier QBs in the league.

4. Ben Roethlisberger

A passer rating of 90.1 and he threw for 4,077 yards and 21 TDs to 14 INTs. Big Ben has proven year in and year out that he deserves to be in the Top 5. We at If It Ain’t Steel think that Ben will take another step forward this season. The Steelers lost in the wildcard round of the playoffs, but the team was plagued with injuries, even Big Ben was playing hurt. That is no excuse and we're not making any, just stating fact. We believe Ben will take his play to the next level and move up the rankings with his play. There is talk of there being issues with him and new offensive coordinator Todd Haley, but we do not see it-it's a media fabrication. Big Ben and Haley share a common trait, and that is that they both like winning. Each has a true drive to get to the top of the NFL world again. We look for this to be one of Big Ben’s biggest seasons yet and for him to lead the offense to being one of the top ranked units in the league. He has all the requisite weapons around him and a solid offensive line in the making. We feel this could be Big Ben’s best season yet.

5. Eli Manning

Passer rating of 92.9 and he threw for 4,933 and 29 TDs and 16 INTs. We are well aware that Eli is the reigning SB MVP and all that other stuff. Remember, though, we don't only look at things like that. Don't get it twisted, we respect what Eli has accomplished over the past 8 seasons. So, since we look at overall play, realize that there were times that Eli didn't look so good. He turned it on in the postseason, when it counted, and won the Super Bowl. They barely made the post season in the first place, though. We felt last year’s SB could have gone either way (and was the most boring SB we have ever watched). Eli will have to show that fire this season because he and the Giants have a tougher schedule in front of them. Let’s see if he can be the first QB to get to the big show in back-to-back seasons in a long time. Then maybe he will move up our list.

6. Peyton Manning

There are no stats for Peyton because we are all aware he did not play last season. He gets the No. 6 nod because, c'mon, he's Peyton Manning. Peyton will be with a new team this season, but I believe that we will see the same Peyton we've seen in the past. He may not have the likes of Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clarke around him, but he can make any average receiver look very good. Eric Decker and Damarius Thomas and Jacob Tandee are more than capable of filling those roles. His ability to read defenses and shred them makes him one the best to ever lace them up. I think he will make the Broncos look a lot better than they did with Tebow, even though that wouldn't take much. Peyton can actually throw the ball.

7. Joe Flacco

His passer rating was 80.9 and he threw for 3,610 yards and 20 TDs and 12 INTs. Joe Flacco jumped our list this year because of his play last season. He starting out benefiting from a great defense and really did not have to do much. Last season, though, Flacco took a step forward by twice beating his arch nemesis, aka the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger. He also showed his moxy in the playoffs by showing that he can lead the Ravens when needed. His play in the AFC Championship game was very good, and while we hate to admit it, he had us cheering for the Ravens to take the Patriots out. It was one of those moments where, being a Steelers fan, we were rooting for the lesser of two evils. For so many seasons Flacco got blamed for the Ravens woes, that he was the reason they didn't make it to the Super Bowl. This past season, though, he put that team on his back in the championship game and took them right down into a winning position. He was NOT the reason they lost, he did everything to set them up to win. This season will be the next step for Joe Flacco-with the defense getting older and with injuries to key players as well as losing some other key players to injury, he must take on a greater load. Time will tell if he can handle that task.

8. Philip Rivers

Rivers had a passer rating of 88.7, he threw for 4,624 yards and 27 TDs with 20 INTs. Rivers had one of the worst seasons of his career last season. At times we were wondering if we were watching Rivers or Jamarcus Russell. He still deserves to be in a Top 12 list, though, because, we think he has a bounce back season this year. Yes, he lost most of his go-to weapons, but his coach and general manager are on the hot seat. If Norv Turner and A.J. Smith get sent packing because you have another bad season, then you may be next. So, he has a little thing called "incentive," because we don't see that happening. We get the feeling we'll hear yet again the nauseating fantasy geeks proclaiming that "Rivers is the best." We won’t (ever) say he's the best, but he is mid-to-top tier.

9. Matthew Stafford

Passer rating of 97.2, he threw for 5,038 yards and 41 TDs with 16 INTs. You may ask why, with stats like that isn't Matthew Stafford higher. Well, last season was a look at things to come. It was the first full season of his career and he showed that he is the real deal. He played solid all season and led the Lions to the playoffs and out of the ashes of being the step-child of the NFL. Stafford showed finally last season why he was a No. 1 draft pick. We see no reason why he can't repeat that performance this season.

10. Matt Ryan

Passer rating of 92.2 and he threw for 4,177 yards and 29 TDs with 12 INTs. Ryan, aka Matty Ice, comes in at 10 in our list. He has shown consistency over the course of his career in Atlanta and has had, much like Flacco, winning seasons every year. Ryan, however, has not had the success in the playoffs that Flacco has had. They both entered the NFL the same year and numbers wise, Ryan is better. Numbers can be misleading, though. Ryan, we think, will step over the playoff hump and get a win this season. He has all the pieces around him to take the next step forward. He plays in a tough division, but he holds his own with the big guns of the NFC South.

11. Tony Romo

Romo had a passer rating of 102.5, he threw for 4,184 yards, and 31 TDs with only 10 INTs. Romo has shown without question that he can win regular season games. It is his record in December and January when Romo gets more blame than he deserves. The playoff losses haven't been only the fault of Romo. We believe this season is going to be make or break for Romo. Jerry Jones has put a lot of pressure on Romo and the Cowboys this season by coming out and saying that “their window is closing." Romo, like Flacco, gets the blame for a lot of the Cowboys woes, which is just not the case. That should have been evident when he went down with injury in 2010. The play at QB is not the problem. Romo can play, plain and simple. If he gets over the hump and wins some playoffs games, then this will not even be a discussion. We could even see putting him in our Top 6 if he does. Will he get there next year? The season will tell.

12. Cam Newton

Passer rating of 84.5, he threw for 4,051 yards, for 21 TDs and 17 INTs. Newton is the real deal. Plain and simple. No one thought he would come out and have the rookie season that he had, us included. But, he went out and played with a fire that most players do not possess until their second, third, even fourth season. The only thing that hindered Newton last season was the lack of weapons around him. He ran the ball for 706 yard and an additional 14 TDs. If the pocket broke down around him he just ran. I think he will only be better this season and move up the list. Though a sophomore slump is possible, we don't see one in his future. Will he get the Panthers to the playoffs? Probably not this season, but he will lead his team to an improvement in the win-loss column.

Honorable Mention:

The honorable mentions are guys we believe will have good seasons and could possibly make the list next season, depending on how they do this season.

Jay Cutler: Cutler is being reunited with his buddy Brandon Marshall and that should only improve his numbers and play. I think Jay will move up to the Top 12 next season if he stays healthy.

Andy Dalton: Dalton shocked the world last season with his play at quarterback. No one gave the Bengals a chance last season and Dalton, along with A.J. Green, proved the doubters wrong. He helped lead the Bengals back to the playoffs, but he and the Bengals were beaten by the Texans. He had a great rookie campaign and we look for him to improve on it.

Josh Freeman: Freeman, had a not-so-good season last year, and, with the Buccaneers' additions this offseason, this could be a great year again for Freeman. We think he only gets better over the season. No Barney Stinson this year, but we still expect Freeman to football suit up!

If It Ain't Steel’s Watch list:

Andrew Luck: Luck is getting ready to start his rookie season with the Colts, replacing some guy named Manning. We think Luck will surprise a lot of people this season and will be better than expected. Not predicting he will get the Colts to the playoffs, but we think he will fill the shoes of that guy in the Direct TV ads well enough to make Indy fans forget sooner than later.

Russell Wilson: I (specifically Jayden) was big on this kid in the draft, I actually had him ranked higher than Tannehill, though he went later to the Seahawks. He was recently named the starter, beating out Matt Flynn, and has sparks of being a good quarterback. I will be keeping my eye on these two rookies and, you never know, they may crack our Top 12 next season.

Robert Griffin III: I (specifically Jason) was big on this kid ever since college. He has all the skills needed to be great in the NFL and more. I was never concerned about his size, unlike Russell Wilson, nor about his having happy feet and leaving the pocket too quickly. He definitely has pocket-presence, but also the pocket-awareness that allows him to use his escapability. Watching him in college I couldn't help but think of other college and NFL quarterbacks with requisite skill sets. Namely Randall Cunningham (multiple playoffs, athletic, 1998 NFL Comeback Player of the Year), Mark Malone (trust me on this, Malone was a hell of an athlete and very good QB at Arizona St. and a promising NFL QB before knee injuries derailed his career-he even filled in at WR for Lynn Swann and held the Steelers' record for longest TD reception for 30 years) and Steve Young (though, admittedly, Young took off and ran more quickly than RG3 does). I will be keeping my eye on this one as well as the other two and see if he cracks the Top 12 next season.