Steelers Legendary Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger Reflects On Taking Advantage Of Referees By Milking His Big Hits

The Pittsburgh Steelers were led by Ben Roethlisberger for 18 seasons from 2004 through 2021. During that time, they won two Super Bowls and never had a losing season. Roethlisberger was known for his toughness and resilience, often playing through injuries, regardless of the severity. This helped him during his legendary career in Pittsburgh, and is one of the main reasons he is widely considered the best quarterback in franchise history. Roethlisberger took a lot of tough hits during his time in the NFL, especially during matchups within the AFC North.

Steelers Great Ben Roethlisberger Recalls "Milking" His Injuries To Stay Down On The Field Longer

Roethlisberger recently appeared on Bruce Gradkowski's podcast, Alpha 5 Method With Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski was Roethlisberger's backup from 2013 through 2016, and the two obviously grew close throughout Gradkowski's time in Pittsburgh. During Roethlisberger's appearance on the podcast, the two rehashed the Steelers' 2014 Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens. Gradkowski has to relieve Roethlisberger for a few plays, and the two were reminiscing on the hit that took Roethlisberger out of the game when he brought up how he would "milk" his injuries to stay down on the field longer.

"You got to milk that thing man. You got to take all the time they give you. It's like the eight count, right? You got to give yourself a second to get up."

Roethlisberger wound up coming out of the game for a few plays, and Gradkowski filled in. Gradkowski completed two passes in three attempts for 22 yards. At the time, the Steelers were down 16 points and Gradkowski was able to keep their drive alive before Roethlisberger ultimately returned to the game. The Steelers would end up losing the game by a score of 30-17, but Roethlisberger returning to the game after the big hit is just another example of his toughness. 

Roethlisberger didn't have his best performance in the loss. He threw one touchdown to two interceptions, while being sacked five times and finishing with a QB rating of 79.3. It was the first time the Ravens were able to capture a playoff victory in Pittsburgh, after losing there in the 2008 AFC Championship Game. 

Roethlisberger took a ton of big hits in his career, and there are plenty of times where he stayed down on the ground after a play. Now, fans know it was for a reason. Roethlisberger wanted to take advantage of all the time he could in order to get his wits about him after being on the receiving end of a big blow. 

The Steelers' Wild Card loss to the Ravens was the last time the two rivals squared off in the postseason. Since then, both teams have been to the AFC Championship Game, each losing. The Steelers have struggled to find any real playoff success since. Their last playoff win came in the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2016 season before losing to the New England Patriots. 

Pittsburgh has made the playoffs four times since then, being unable to win a game. They have given up over 30 points in every single one of those playoff matchups. The last playoff game Roethlisberger played in came during the 2021 season, and it was a loss to the Chiefs in the Wild Card Round, which would end up being Roethlisberger's last career game. 

Roethlisberger has been dubbed the "Quarterback of Steel" due to his constant resilience throughout his 18 years leading the Steelers. He has played through many injuries, and is often the butt of the joke due to how many times he was seen in a walking boot after a game. It is no question the Steelers organization would not have seen the levels of success that it did during his career if it wasn't for his toughness and hard-nosed mentality.