Former Pittsburgh Steelers franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took to his podcast this week to discuss his view of AFC North rival quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. The discussion started around the surprising news that the Ravens had signed standout receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The conversation then turned to his perception of Jackson's ability as a passer from within the pocket and how teams did not fear him as strictly a pocket passer.
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Steelers Ben Roethlisberger and Diontae Johnson celebrate in 2020.
The clip began to circulate on the internet and former Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III took a shot at Roethlisberger for his opinion.
Roethlisberger, an 18-year veteran quarterback and two-time Super Bowl winner, obviously has an insane football IQ. The way he can interpret a game is completely different than most and his opinion should be held in high regard. By playing in the same division as Jackson for four seasons, he has seen a lot of film of him and had the opportunity to play against him a couple times as well. Roethlisberger isn't stating anything ground breaking and with his resume, he is absolutely entitled to his opinion. However, Griffin took exception to his statement and backed up his former teammate.
Ben Roethlisberger on Lamar Jackson;
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 13, 2023
“You don’t fear him sitting in the pocket and picking you apart.”
Teams FEAR Lamar the runner MORE THAN the passer, but don’t use that to tear him down.
For example, Lamar’s Career Passer Rating and QBR in the pocket is better than Big Ben pic.twitter.com/vG0ib38Hka
Griffin, who played three seasons with Jackson, did not hold back his thoughts on Roethlisberger's comments. Griffin, who clearly only heard a snippet of the conversation, seems to agree that Jackson is a significant threat with his legs. However, he assumes Roethlisberger is trying to take a shot at Jackson's ability as a pocket passer which is not what Roethlisberger was saying.
Gene J. Puskar / AP
Baltimore Ravens quarterback, Lamar Jackson (#8) attempts to evade Steelers edge rusher, TJ Watt during a regular season matchup in Pittsburgh, PA.
Roethlisberger was simply stating that he believes the signing of Beckham will help Jackson become a better pocket passer and alleviate defenses from stacking the box against Jackson and make him a more effective dual threat quarterback. Roethlisberger, who has had a ton of success with his new podcast, has never bashed opposing players. He simply states his opinion and gives an insight to his fans of what he thinks of current and former players.
Matt Freed, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson hug each other after a game.
Steelers' Roethlisberger vs. Ravens' Jackson
Griffin did not end his rant with the single tweet. He then tweeted out stats comparing both Roethlisberger and Jackson's passer rating and overall QBR in the pocket for their respective careers. Jackson does have better overall stats, but Roethlisberger never stated that he was a superior quarterback to Jackson. Griffin once again does not take into account the entire conversation and just assumes that Roethlisberger is trying to put Jackson down as a player.
Career Passer rating in the pocket
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 13, 2023
-97.9-Lamar
-94.2-Big Ben
Career QBR in the pocket
-64.9-Lamar
-63.4-Big Ben
At the end of the day, both players are entitled to their respective opinions. Griffin is obviously a fan of Jackson and has a friendship with him, so he will go to bat for him whenever he gets the chance. Unfortunately for Griffin, his tweets were a quick reaction to a small clip of conversation that were taken out of context. Hopefully Griffin will do a little more homework next time before taking a shot at a first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback.
