This is Life!: Revolutions Around the Cruciform Axis

Big Ben Feels the Luuuuuv

For the eighth time this season, Ben Roethlisburger wins the NFL Rookie of the week, a vote which drew the highest total of the season thus far.

Team writer Teresa Varley sings Ben's praises:

Before Sunday night it had appeared to many that Ben Roethlisberger had done it all for the Steelers. He won the first nine games of his rookie season, has made smart decisions and has helped to bring excitement back to the black and gold.

But he was asked to do even more on Sunday against the Jaguars. Roethlisberger was asked to engineer a game-winning drive with just 1:50 left on the clock and no timeouts remaining.

“After they (Jaguars) kicked the field goal, I told him this is like training camp,” said head coach Bill Cowher, referring to a drill the team ran in camp that almost mirrored the game, except for the extra three seconds. “It was a two-minute drill with 1:47 left and no timeouts left, and we needed a field goal, and that is what it was”

So with that thought in mind, Roethlisberger went out on the field and was cool, calm and collected as he drove the team down the field just like he did during training camp.

But wait. There's more.

Roethlisberger has given the Steelers more than they could possibly ask for. Teammates sing his praises; coaches’ sing his praises and the fans just can’t get enough of Big Ben.

"The legend grows," said guard Alan Faneca. "I mean, come on, under two minutes, take it down the field, picking the plays, calling it out, stepping up in the pocket, making the passes, that's huge. He's been making the plays all year, the difference-makers. And that drive right there was a difference-maker."

Roethlisberger completed 14 of 17 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns and had a 158.0 passer rating for the game as he improved his record as a starter to 10-0.

“What can you say? He is resourceful, he sees the field, he is accurate, and he scrambles,” said head coach Bill Cowher.

And he has something that many quarterbacks don’t develop until a few years into their career. He has poise.

It's a downright lovefest there in Roethlis-burgh. Keep it up, ace.