Great photo!
Posted on 12/26/2004 7:31:24 AM PST by beyond the sea
It appears rookie Ben Roethlisberger will retire from the regular season as the quarterback with the best record for a season in NFL history.
Roethlisberger has bruised ribs, and it is extremely doubtful he will play for the Steelers Sunday at Buffalo, sources told the Post-Gazette. He will, however, be ready for their first playoff game Jan. 15-16 in Heinz Field.
The Steelers had no official comment yesterday on Roethlisberger's injury, other than to confirm it was to his ribs, the result of a late hit by Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs in their 20-7 victory Sunday against the Ravens. An MRI Sunday night showed no serious damage to Roethlisberger's ribs.
No quarterback in the history of the game can match Roethlisberger's 13-0 record as a starter in the regular season -- not just as a rookie but in any season. Jim McMahon was 11-0 as a starter for the Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears when they went 15-1 in 1985. Bart Starr started every game for the NFL champion Green Bay Packers when they went 13-1 in 1962.
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Mike Mularkey, who coached the tight ends and then the offense for Cowher the past eight years before becoming the Bills' head coach this season, said he doubts his old boss will take the game in Buffalo lightly.
"Hey, I know the coach there," Mularkey said after the Bills won their sixth consecutive game Sunday in San Francisco.
"I know them well. They will be there to play. I don't care who they play, they will play."
With Mularkey and Bills President Tom Donahoe, fired by the Steelers in 2000 as their director of football operations, there are subplots to this game as well.
"There's a lot there," Donahoe told the Buffalo News, "but the game is about our players, and it's a game we need and we're going against arguably the best team in the NFL right now. Pittsburgh's just an added angle to it. It's an important game for our players."
He's done more than anyone could have hoped for!
Bettis, it is said, is going to sit too and not get the 59 yards he needs for a 1000 yard season! Wow. He's knee is banged up. He was limping around a little bit at the sports complex yesterday. Buffalo might get lucky.
Somehow, I think he may show up for 1st and goal situations.
The panthers have yet to beat the falcons with Vick at QB. He's 5-0 against them in his career. The falcons beat the panthers when they were at their hottest, stopping their 5 game winning streak. The panthers have yet to beat a team with a winning record.
No disrespect to the panthers, I really like John Fox and the team. But IMO, the media is overhyping the panthers trying to compensate for overlooking them last year. While they are a decent team with tremendous heart, they are missing too much talent in the running game to be a dangerous team in the playoffs.
Great photo!
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