Depending on who you ask about former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, you’ll get a number of different answers, many praising him, some taking shots at him.
When it comes to his former offensive linemen though, they defend Roethlisberger any chance that they get, and that was the case with former Steelers and Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Chris Hubbard Tuesday on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football.
Appearing on the popular show on the NFL’s flagship network, Hubbard spoke glowingly of his time with the future Hall of Fame quarterback from 2014-17, calling him a savvy quarterback who was very aware of his surroundings, which made him a difficult to sack throughout his career.
“I think Big Ben was extremely smart, man, and was very aware of his whereabouts when it came to making the right decision when there was trouble,” Hubbard said to the GMFB panel Tuesday morning, according to video via NFL.com. “I loved playing for that guy. It was incredible. It really was incredible.”
Though he only spent four years with the Steelers, Hubbard started 10 games in front of Roethlisberger and appeared in 39 career games as an undrafted free agent out of UAB. Hubbard was that true backup swing offensive lineman that the Steelers coveted, and he developed a strong relationship with Roethlisberger.
Hubbard’s comments about Roethlisberger echo what guys like Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, Alejandro Villanueva, Ramon Foster and more have said in the past about the star quarterback. He was a tough-as-nails guy who had the respect of his offensive linemen, and he seemingly always made the right play in big situations.
While he still carries some of that aloof, winging-it personality that he was labeled with early in his career — and certainly wasn’t considered in the same company with the Peyton Mannings, Tom Bradys, Aaron Rodgers and more of the world when it came to perceived football smarts — Roethlisberger was able to show that football IQ time and time again where it mattered most: on the field.
