They love me in Pittsburgh

If you haven't heard, I'm very popular in the Pittsburgh area. For whatever reason, whenenver I write something even remotely critical of our favorite biker boy, Ben Roethlisberger, the piece finds its way on just about every Steelers message board and blog in creation. And boy, are those Ben lovers a sensitive bunch.

I got a kick out of this guy, who apparently thinks that Roethlisberger is his personal version of Superman. The irony of that is Roethlisberger himself once thought he was Superman... until he slammed face first into an old woman's windshield.

One For The Thumb is the most recent Steelers blog to take a few shots at me for my honest evaluation of Ben Roethlisberger's intelligence. Their beef is with me making fun of the Steelers copying the Colts offense and that Roethlisberger is simply too dumb to learn and execute it. That doesn't mean I think Roethlisberger can't excel in an NFL offense; just not the Colts offense. I don't feel I need to justify my opinions about Roethlisberger's intelligence. The guy drove a rocket bike with no helmet right into the front of a woman's car. His injuries directly cost Pittsburgh a chance to repeat as world champions.

Smart cookie, indeed.

Now, the Pittsburgh coaching staff are handing this guy, whose face is made mostly of recycled plastic and tin foil, the keys to a no-huddle offense that allows a minimum of three audibles at the line of scrimmage. What's that mean? It means that big dumb arm band on Big Ben's wrist gets the big heave-ho. If it doesn't, then let the hyjinks begin! As a football fan, I'd love to see Roethlisberger try to audible at the line while referencing that encyclopedia on his arm.

Hey Ben! Britannica wants its volume "P" back.

Cotter, the writer at One For The Thumb, also likes to put words in my mouth:

What's funny is I don't recall writing that: "The Colts won in the playoffs last year by favoring the run over the pass." I think the Colts favored the run moreso than usual in the playoffs, and that certainly helped them, but Indy still passed a bunch in the post-season. In fact, I seem to recall a certain QB getting a certain Super Bowl MVP trophy for passing for a certain amount of yards. And the teams he mentioned who have recently won Super Bowl, New England and Tampa Bay favored the pass moreso over the run.

Bottom line here is Steelers fans are really touchy about Roethlisberger, for whatever reason. I told Steeler fans last year the team should cut the guy because his actions were as devastating to the team as the Bengals Chris Henry smoking dope and getting caught, again. As a QB, your #1 priority is to stay on the field and do whatever it takes to help your team win. Driving a sidewinder into a woman's car without a helmet does not accomplish that goal, and it speaks volumes to Roethlisberger's intelligence. Now, he will QB an offense that was tailored around one of the smartest QBs this league has ever seen, requiring split second decision making and last minute play changes with little to no warning.

Enjoy.

[One For The Thumb is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan site with a funny tag line: "The Nonsensical Ramblings of Two Men Obsessed with The Pittsburgh Steelers, The Big Lebowski and Lager... You think you know, but you have no idea." Check them out when you can.]