The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the better teams in the NFL throughout the first part of the 21st century, and a lot of that had to do with the fact that the organization had stability at the quarterback position for most of that time. Ben Roethlisberger was drafted in the first round back in 2004, and he didn't retire until after the 2021 season. He is known as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the league, and the franchise is still trying to replace him and find the team's next quarterback of the future. That is a lot easier said than done as the organization is still looking for his permanent replacement five years after his retirement.
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Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at Acrisure Stadium to watch Miami (OH) take on Pittsburgh to open the 2026 college football season.
Roethlisberger had a legendary career as he is one of the few quarterbacks to win multiple Super Bowls as the starter. He is a future Hall of Famer, and there are a ton of things that fans will remember about his game. One is the toughness he played with. Another is his use of the pump fake and how easily he made it look while fooling opposing defenses. However, the biggest advantage of having him at quarterback was probably his stature. He was hard for defenders to bring down due to his height and weight, along with his ability to move around in the pocket and extend plays.
The former NFL quarterback had a unique playing style, but it was certainly memorable. Current Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has actually been using Roethlisberger tape from his playing days to teach his defense how to attack the quarterback. Ohio State linebacker Christian Alliegro mentioned this in a recent press conference as the Buckeyes prepare to take on Arch Manning.
"Yeah, this week, that's going to be more of an emphasis," Alliegro said. "Just because of how tall Arch is. It's one of those things where if you go for his legs, he's just going to run out of that. You kind of have to grab him. Coach P was showing us bullets of how they would tackle Big Ben back in the day. It's one of those things where you got to wrap him high, and then everybody just has to come and get him. So, no diving this week for sure, we can't do that."
Patricia made a name for himself in the football world as a coach for the New England Patriots, and that team had a lot of run-ins with Pittsburgh throughout Roethlisberger's career. He coached in New England from 2004 through 2017, and then he had a second stint with the franchise from 2021 through 2022. He was with New England for nearly every season of Roethlisberger's career, and they had several important matchups as two of the powerhouses in the AFC.
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Texas quarterback Arch Manning meets with Bryce Underwood after beating Michigan.
Ohio State is preparing to take on Manning in Week 2 of the college football season, and he is already viewed as a potential top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. He is a big quarterback at 6'4" and over 220 pounds, which is why the tackling approach is so important for the Buckeyes. He isn't quite as big as Roethlisberger was, but he is more mobile, so the same tackling rules will apply.
Steelers Always Struggled Against Matt Patricia
The Patriots are one of the few teams that can say that they got the best of the Steelers throughout Roethlisberger's tenure. Patricia's defenses were a big reason for that. He coached on the defensive side of the ball from 2006 through 2017, and he was the defensive coordinator from 2012 through 2017. He knew how to prepare his group to play against Roethlisberger, and those lessons are still being taught in 2026. Roethlisberger won some battles with the Patriots, but New England is a big reason he doesn't have a few more Super Bowl rings.
What do you think about Roethlisberger being used as a teaching point for Ohio State in 2026? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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