There seems to be quite the debate between Steeler Nation about who is the Best QB is Steelers History. While the majority make the case for Bradshaw because of his 4 Super Bowl rings, the other side say almost anyone could have with the defense(Steel Curtain) he played with. We break down below? So who is the best?
Big Ben Roethlisberger - It’s hard to ignore the plays Roethlisberger makes to extend drives, keep plays alive and ultimately win games. He has a .704 win percentage and has 2 Super Bowl Titles and 3 trips to the big dance in just 7 short seasons. Roethlisberger busted on the scene so fast and so loud it seems he’s been in the league much longer. His rookie year coming in and leading the team to a 13-0 record and finishing his rookie season going 15-1 and leading the Steelers to the AFC Championship game. While not playing well in Super Bowl XL, Roethlisberger bounced back in Super Bowl XLIII with a drive and throw that has so far defined his short career. Roethlisberger has had some off the field issues and maybe Steeler Nation still want proof that all that is behind him before crowing him the best QB in Steelers History.
Terry Bradshaw - has been questioned by many in Steeler fans for wild throws and his accuracy was erratic at times. Bradshaw passed for more than 300 yards in a game only seven times, but three of those performances came in the post-season, and two of those in Super Bowls. In four career Super Bowl appearances he passed for 932 yards and 9 touchdowns, both Super Bowl records at the time of his retirement. In 19 postseason games he completed 261 passes for 3,833 yards. That is hard to ignore, say what you want about the completion percentage and yards per game - he stepped up when it mattered the most. The majority of the time Bradshaw was never asked to WIN the game, just don’t lose it. He had the most dominant defense in the league by a landslide and it would have been foolish to let Bradshaw chuck it 25+ times a game and not control the clock.
Stats Per Game:
Big Ben: Career Starts 98 games, Comp PCT 63.1, Passing Yards per start 229.61, TDs per game 1.61, INTs per game 0.87, QB Rating 92.5, Rushing yards per game 8.91
Bradshaw: Career Starts 145 Games, Comp PCT 51.9, Passing Yards per start 193.02, TDs per game 1.68, INTs per game 1.45, QB Rating 70.9, Rushing yards per game 15.56
Winner - We still feel like the edge goes to Bradshaw. Roethlisberger still is a super bowl victory away and 4-5 more years away from taking the reigns. While he has the edge in Completion PCT, Yards per start, less INT’s and Rating, like mentioned above Bradshaw was never put into a system to put up gawdy numbers. If you ignore Bradshaw’s rookie season where he threw just 6 TDs to 24 INTs, it sure brings the categories closer. Bradshaw is a 3x Pro-Bowl Member, 4x Super Bowl Winner and 2x Super Bowl MVP to Ben Roethlsiberger is a 1x Pro Bowl Member, 2x Super Bowl Winner and has never been named Super Bowl MVP.
What about comparing Ben to other QB’s at this point in there career? How does he compare to guys like Jim Kelly or John Elway or Steve Young or Montana? What where Bradshaws number 8 years into the league? I don’t think its fair to compare Bradshaws entire career when Ben is only halfway (god willing) threw his.