PITTSBURGH — Most NFL quarterbacks are taught proper footwork and throwing techniques. They are given checks at the line of scrimmage, progression reads and safety valves.
Ben Roethlisberger performs like everything he ever learned was in his backyard in Findlay, Ohio.
If Big Ben is not at his best when the plays are drawn up in the dirt, it’s at least when he has the most fun. Roethlisberger was king of the sandlot known as Heinz Field on a wintry Sunday night while leading the Pittsburgh Steelers past the Baltimore Ravens 23-14 in the AFC championship game.
Improvisation is so much a part of Roethlisberger’s game, it’s difficult to imagine him succeeding if he was coached to become more disciplined in the pocket.
“Yeah, I could, but why put the reins on?” Roethlisberger said.
For the second time in four seasons, Roethlisberger will play for the world championship. His Steelers will play the Arizona Cardinals, who are coached by his former offensive coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt, in Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla.
Against the Ravens, Roethlisber-ger was good, and he would have been great if not for drops by Limas Sweed and Willie Parker on beautifully thrown, potential touchdown passes.
The game’s biggest play came on the second snap of the second quarter, a third-and-9 from the Steelers’ 35. As Broncos fans may remember, if it’s third-and-long and it’s the AFC championship game, Roethlisberger is tough to stop. In the 2005 AFC championship at Invesco Field at Mile High, Roethlisberger converted eight of his first nine third downs to help upset the Broncos 34-17.
Against the Ravens, Roethlisberger converted third downs of at least 10 yards on his first two possessions, which led to Jeff Reed field goals. Then came Roethlisberger’s key scramble in the second quarter.
With the Ravens blitzing, Roethlisberger scrambled left. He stepped and floated a pass purposely behind Santonio Holmes, who had his defender, Fabian Washington, spinning as the receiver broke off his pattern to rescue his quarterback. Holmes caught the ball as Washington fell, cut across the field, cut again and finished off the 65-yard catch-and-run touchdown that gave Pittsburgh a 13-0 lead.
“Ben was Ben,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “He created an opportunity to find Santonio.”
No wonder the Steelers were able to beat a quality Ravens defense three times this season. What good does it do to know an offense when the quarterback makes it up as he goes?
“That’s what they plan to do,” Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “They know when the blitz is coming, they go to the blitz side and he makes the first guy miss. He’s 6-(foot-)5, 240 (pounds), he can do that.”
Roethlisberger took issue with the notion his scrambling pass to Holmes was contrived.
“That’s not planned. I promise you. The credit there goes to the linemen, being able to block so long. That’s not easy,” he said.
Roethlisberger is not the league’s most accomplished passer. His 17 touchdowns against 15 interceptions during the regular season were hardly Pro Bowl-worthy. And there are times when his freelancing style is a deterrent. His constant quest to stay alive and seek the big play is one reason he was sacked 46 times this year, or 35 more than the Broncos’ Jay Cutler. Only New England’s Matt Cassel was sacked more, with 47, but Cassel also attempted 46 more passes than Roethlisberger, who was sacked four times Sunday.
But put a tenacious Dick Le-Beau-coached defense on his side, and good luck finding a quarterback better suited to help his team win.
Roethlisberger was 16-of-33 for 255 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions against a Ravens defense that forced eight turnovers in winning its first two playoff games on the road, against Miami and Tennessee.
For the third time in his five seasons, Roethlisberger started in the AFC title game. His 52 wins are the most ever for a five-year quarterback. He’s already the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, at age 23 in 2006.
He will now get a chance to win his second Super Bowl at the age of 26. Not bad for a quarterback who would rather figure it out as he goes.
Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
AFC championship
Bottom line:
Ravens rookie quarterback Joe Flacco finally looked like a rookie and simply was no match for the Steelers’ defense.
Numbers:
Flacco was intercepted three times, one of them returned 40 yards for a touchdown by Steelers safety Troy Polamalu with 4:39 left to all but ice the win. Flacco finished 13-of-30 for only 141 yards and no touchdowns.
Mike Klis, The Denver Post
Super Bowl XLIII
The Dan Rooney Coaches Bowl. When Bill Cowher retired as Steelers coach after the 2006 season, Pittsburgh owner Dan Rooney bypassed his own offensive coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt for a relative unknown: Minnesota defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin. Turns out Rooney couldn’t go wrong. Whisenhunt, who went on to coach the Arizona Cardinals, and Tomlin will match wits in Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla. Mike Klis, The Denver Post
