In his prime, Aaron Rodgers was one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Now, with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he isn’t that same player, but that shouldn’t diminish his legacy. Recently, Ben Roethlisberger stated that he thinks Rodgers in his prime was better than Patrick Mahomes is now. Former NFL running back LeSean McCoy didn’t like that comment, having some strong words for Roethlisberger.
“Big Ben hates,” McCoy said Friday on FS1’s The Facility. “One thing about Big Ben, you play 18 years, you have no All-Pros, not one, not one first-team, not one second-team.
“This is just me, I don’t respect players that talk about greats a certain way and you have nowhere the type of success they had. You played for 18 years, and you never was considered the best quarterback or the second-best quarterback in football.”
It’s strange that McCoy is so agitated by what Roethlisberger said, given that it wasn’t really disrespectful.
“I would take Aaron in his prime over Patrick now,” Roethlisberger said recently on his podcast. “I think Aaron Rodgers, in his prime, was one of the top few to ever do it.
“So is Patrick Mahomes in his prime. Patrick Mahomes is just entering out of his prime. I think Patrick Mahomes is going to go down as another arguable GOAT.”
Roethlisberger wasn’t disrespecting Rodgers or Mahomes with what he said. He made sure to stress the greatness of both players. He even expressed joy at Rodgers potentially passing him on the all-time passing yards list.
Yes, Roethlisberger was never an All-Pro. However, consider the era that he played in. Roethlisberger’s best years came while Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were at the heights of their powers. Quarterbacks like Rodgers and Drew Brees were around, too. Their success shouldn’t take away from what Roethlisberger did.
Right now, Roethlisberger has the fifth-most passing yards in NFL history and is eighth all time in passing touchdowns. He’s also a two-time Super Bowl champion, and his throw to Santonio Holmes is one of the best plays in Super Bowl history. That resumé is going to get him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame sooner rather than later. His lack of All-Pro selections likely won’t change that.
It’s also funny that McCoy is upset with Roethlisberger for talking about two players he believes are levels above the former Steelers quarterback. Meanwhile, McCoy is engaging in the same discussion, and he wasn’t the same kind of player as Rodgers or Mahomes, or Roethlisberger for that matter.
McCoy was a first-team All-Pro twice, but it was arguably easier for a running back to earn that honor than a quarterback. Some of McCoy’s peers were incredible, but none of them were on the same level as Brady or Manning. His competition wasn’t as stiff as Roethlisberger’s was.
The point is that Roethlisberger wasn’t just some nobody. He’s got an extremely decorated resumé, and while he might not have been as good as Rodgers or Mahomes, he was still great. He’s got two championship rings that prove that.
