On the latest episode of his Footbahlin’ podcast, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger talked about some of the greatest Steelers of all time. While Roethlisberger concluded it’s too difficult to come up with a comprehensive list, he had two names that he said belong in the top five in former DL “Mean” Joe Greene, and S Troy Polamalu. He also referenced former Steelers CB Mel Blount, who he called a “game-changer.” When it came to quarterback, Roethlisberger said Bradshaw is the best quarterback in team history due to his four Super Bowl victories.
“I would put Terry as the quarterback. That’s just my opinion. If you look at my stats, mine blow his out of the water. But he’s got the championships, and that’s what matters the most,” Roethlisberger said.
Given the different styles of football in different eras, it’s difficult to come up with a list. For example, Roethlisberger said he couldn’t put fully put a list together because he isn’t sure how James Harrison compares to players from the 1970s like Jack Ham, Jack Lambert and Mike Wagner.
In terms of the Bradshaw vs. Roethlisberger, Roethlisberger’s stats are superior. Bradshaw only threw for 3,000 yards in a season twice, but that’s largely due to the era of football he played in. Roethlisberger’s era and beyond brought a much more pass-happy version of football, with Roethlisberger only throwing for under 3,000 yards twice, both in his first two seasons. He didn’t play a full season in either of those years, either. If he had he could’ve surpassed 3,000 yards.
But Bradshaw does have four Super Bowl victories to Roethlisberger’s two. Bradshaw also has an MVP and a first-team All-Pro nod, two things that eluded Roethlisberger during his 18-year career. While Roethlisberger was always among the best quarterbacks in his era, he was never truly the best. Granted, he was going up guys like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, two of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, but it’s definitely interesting to hear him say that Bradshaw is more deserving of the title of the franchise’s greatest quarterback.
There’s really no wrong answer when you’re debating between the two. Proponents of Roethlisberger might point to the fact that Bradshaw played in the pre-salary cap days when it was easier to keep a championship team together. Bradshaw voters can point to the fact that he still managed to win despite going up against teams that were supremely talented, namely the Dallas Cowboys of the 1970s.
But as Roethlisberger said, it’s a good problem to have as a franchise when you have to think so much to determine a list of the team’s greatest players.
“It’s a pretty cool problem to have when you’re a franchise that’s got that many greats. I don’t know who to pick,” he said.
Listen to the full Footbahlin’ podcast below.
