Big Ben Made Great Contribution to Steelers Winning

This was the Ben Roethlisberger the Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to see, expected to see.

The throws were precise, the confidence was evident. Nothing suggested he sat at home the previous four game days, barred from the sport he plays better than all but a few other NFL quarterbacks. wholesale football jerseys

This was the defense the Steelers expect, too: Intimidating and game-changing. A defense that’s often too much to handle for the most polished of quarterbacks, much less a rookie steelers jerseys playing his first career game.

There were few surprises during the Steelers’ 28-10 victory Sunday over the injury-thinned Cleveland Browns, who didn’t get blown out or shut out with Colt McCoy at quarterback yet never looked to be on the edge of winning, either.

Especially not with Roethlisberger throwing for three touchdowns during his first game in 9 1/2 months, despite not opening up the offense until well into the second half. cheap authentic jerseys

“One thing about him—when you look into his eyes, you always know you have a chance to win ballgames,” said Hines Ward, whose 8-yard TD catch ended a 96-yard drive that put Pittsburgh up 14-3 late in the third quarter. “And everybody just follows.”

That look was there with James Harrison,whose never-smiling face and on-the-edge play personifies this Steelers defense much the way Jack Lambert’s personality did the Steel Curtain of the 1970s.

Harrison’s punishing hits sidelined wide receivers Joshua Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi with head injuries during the second quarter, throttling what little offense Cleveland had. custom nfl jerseys The Browns didn’t say if either had a concussion. discount football jerseys

After that, McCoy was forced to try to win the game nearly by himself, something that was too much to ask of a quarterback who hadn’t thrown an NFL pass until an hour or so before.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called Harrison’s hits clean and not subject to fines, although the NFL often fines helmet-to-helmet hits like the one on Cribbs. He crumpled to the turf and stayed there for several minutes before walking back to the sideline.