Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) runs onto the field before an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. Ben Roethlisberger's NFL career is over. The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback announced his retirement on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, saying it was “time to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats” after 18 years, two Super Bowls, countless team records and a spot in the Hall of Fame all but secure.(AP Photo/Colin E. Braley, File)
By WILL GRAVES-- PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play football like a quarterback. Not today’s quarterback anyway.
He didn’t run from contact as much as he welcomed it. The harder the hits, the higher the stakes, the longer the odds, the more Roethlisberger seemed to dig in during a career in which he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a pair of championships while developing a reputation as a throwback in a city that fashions itself as one even as it has evolved into something far more modern.
Pittsburgh moved on from steel mills long ago. And the position Roethlisberger commanded so well for so long has moved on, too. The game has become quicker since the Steelers drafted him with the 11th overall pick in 2004. The quarterbacks, more versatile than the semi-dad-bodd
