Fantasy Football Info For Serious Players Fantasy Football Information Fantasy Football Articles Fantasy Football News Fantasy Football Links ... PIT Team Report Spotlight - QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers Posted 7/7 by Jason Wood and Chase Stuart, Exclusive to Footballguys.com Jason Wood's Thoughts Let's not understate the magnitude of what Ben Roethlisberger accomplished as a rookie. He won his first 14 starts, including a 13-0 stint in the regular season as the surprising leader of a Steelers team that finished 15-1 and edged out the dynastic New England Patriots for home field advantage. Sure, he fell short in the playoffs against those very same Patriots, but that shouldn't take anything away from the fact he had one of the most successful rookie seasons of any QB in NFL history. That said, Roethlisberger's success was far more tangible to Steelers fans than fantasy owners. He finished 21st among fantasy QBs averaging just 187 yards per game and little more than 1 passing TD. As importantly, his play tailed off as the season wore on. I've seen some supporters on our message boards blame that on "hitting a rookie wall" and yet, there was a much more significant reason behind his 2nd half downturn. In the early going, Big Ben showed uncanny poise against the pass rush and was able to pick apart defenses that overpursued. As the season wore on the "book" on him became clear, defenses only rushed three or four and kept everyone else in coverage. Ben wasn't able to adjust, not unexpected for a rookie, but notable because he'll HAVE to adjust to make strides in 2005. | |
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