Ben Roethlisberger came along at a time when the Pittsburgh Steelers desperately needed a quarterback. He helped them become championship contenders again, winning two Super Bowls. For almost 20 years, he gave Steelers fans numerous exciting performances. Roethlisberger played a unique brand of football that made him fun to watch. Because of that, former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski picked Roethlisberger for his dream flag football team.
“I’m going with Big Ben [Roethlisberger] from his heyday with the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Gronkowski said on Up and Adams with Kay Adams. “Big Ben is a guy that you knock on his front door whenever you get home from school and you’re like, ‘Big Ben, let’s go in the backyard and play some football.’
“He’s so good at playing that type of style when he was playing. It was kind of like streetball, and he was so good at it. Big Ben was one of my favorite quarterbacks to watch, so I would pick him to be the starting quarterback.”
Gronkowski spent his entire career with Tom Brady, arguably the best quarterback of all time, throwing him the ball. Therefore, it wouldn’t have been surprising if Brady were his pick. However, Gronkowski is correct that Roethlisberger’s style of play feels perfect for flag football.
While Roethlisberger wasn’t ever one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league, he could still make magic happen on the move. In his prime, he was able to escape the pocket and create something out of nothing. At times, it looked like Roethlisberger was playing backyard football.
Gronkowski is well aware of that. He had many battles against the Steelers during his playing days. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh was on the losing side of those games more often than not. However, the flag football team Gronkowski built looks like it would go undefeated.
The rest of Gronkowski’s squad consisted of four wide receivers, with only one current name. They included Randy Moss, Jerry Rice, Michael Irvin, and Ja’Marr Chase. With all of them in their primes, Roethlisberger would probably crush any opposing flag football team in his way. He played with his fair share of talented receivers, but that collection of names is tough to beat.
Roethlisberger has been retired for several years, but he cemented his legacy as an all-time great. It won’t be long before he gets inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and his highlight package will almost definitely contain several of those backyard football moments. They were a staple of his game, and it’s nice to see Gronkowski recognize him for that.
