Ready or not, a rookie Ben Roethlisberger went from backup to starter in an instant. Over the next 14 games in 2004, he proved he was ready. Joining the Dan Patrick Show Monday, former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher said he believes that Roethlisberger having no time to react to becoming the starter was the best thing for him and the team.
“How it played out for Ben was great,” Cowher told Patrick. “He didn’t have that expectation going in. He was thrusted into the job when Tommy Maddox got hurt, so he really didn’t have time to think about it. So it almost alleviated that type of pressure. ‘I’m the second guy, I’m gonna come in here and just kind of do my thing.'”
Roethlisberger wasn’t even supposed to be the No. 2. But a summer injury to veteran Charlie Batch moved Roethlisberger one rung up the depth chart behind Maddox. When Maddox went down in Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh had no one else to turn to.
Roethlisberger quickly showed there was no other option they’d rather have. After a late rally failed against Baltimore, the Steelers won their next 14 regular-season games to finish the year 15-1. Much of that success came by the factors surrounding Roethlisberger. An elite defense. A strong running game. A veteran team able to support a rookie who showed he could be the team’s new franchise quarterback.
While Pittsburgh’s magical run ended in the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a Super Bowl win the following season. Cowher finally hoisted the Lombardi Trophy that had eluded him in his great career, the final piece of his Hall of Fame resume.
As the saying goes for any rookie, the less you have to think, the faster you can play. For Roethlisberger, he didn’t have to think about his circumstances as a starter. He jumped into the lineup and never looked back, Maddox’s injury opening the door for the start of his own Hall of Fame journey.
