It’s awesome when greatness recognizes greatness, flowers are given, and respect is paid in professional sports from one player to another.
For former NFL quarterback Michael Vick, he knows what greatness looks like at the quarterback position, having been one himself for stages of his career. Though he spent just one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers during 2015, he got an up-close-and-personal look at greatness.
That would be former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Appearing on the Up And Adams Show with host Kay Adams Wednesday, Vick gave Roethlisberger his flowers, calling Roethlisberger a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback.
“It was more so about trusting Ben, that Ben was more than capable of doing everything, that the team needed it on offense to be successful. And he [Mike Tomlin] gave him free rein. And that’s because Ben was a great quarterback. Ben was exceptional,” Vick said, according to video via the show’s Twitter account. “Like, to me, first-ballot Hall of Famer all day. I mean, I witnessed it. I heard it.
“I sat in meetings and I watched him go out and do it.”
For 18 years, Roethlisberger did it at a high level, leading the Steelers to 165 regular-season wins, another 13 wins in the playoffs and two Super Bowl titles. He made six trips to the Pro Bowl and holds countless franchise records at the quarterback position, which already had one of the greatest of all time in Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw.
It was unorthodox at times with Roethlisberger, but he was able to make magic happen on the field time and time again with his right arm, and early in his career with his legs, too.
Roethlisberger was so difficult to sack in the pocket due to his size and strength, and he was as accurate as they come, making some jaw-dropping throws along the way. He had a tendency to come up clutch, too, with 41 fourth-quarter comebacks and 53 game-winning drives in his career.
After calling it a career following the 2021 season, Roethlisberger has to wait until the Class of 2027 to be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but based on his 18-year career that had some incredible moments, elite production and a whole lot of winning, Roethlisberger should be blocking out that weekend in Canton as he’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, much like Vick believes.
After all, Vick saw it in person behind the scenes.
