In 2006, Roethlisberger was 9-6 as a starter, with 66.6 completion percentage, 4,328 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He missed one game and the Pittsburgh Steelers lost.
Last year Big Ben missed the first four games of the season because of a suspension by Roger Goodell. The Steelers went 3-1 without Ben, but their offense was stagnant.
In the 12 games Roethlisberger appeared in he threw 17 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. He was 5th in the NFL in qb rating and was 9-3 as a starter.
Using his averages per game, here's what Roethlisberger's numbers might have looked like had he played a full 16 game season:
4,267 yards, 23 touchdown passes, 7 interceptions.
More impressively Roethlisberger went 5 straight games and over 160 pass attempts without throwing an interception.
Roethlisberger also played the last few weeks of the regular season and the playoffs with a broken foot and broken nose.
This year I expect the Steelers and Roethlisberger to throw the ball a lot more, which means bigger numbers for he and the offense.
If Antonio Brown really does emerge as a big play receiver, alongside Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Jerricho Cotchery, Heath Miller, and Emmanuel Sanders, the Steelers and Roethlisberger might have one of the best passing attacks in the NFL.
If Roethlisberger can play a full 16 game season I expect his numbers to look like this:
4,475 yards, 28 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 8.0 YPA, 2 rushing td's, qb rating of 100.7.
Maybe another big statistical season will shut up the critics who judge players solely on individual numbers and not on toughness, winnings, accuracy, and other intangibles.
Those intangibles include the amount of head-scratching plays that Roethlisberger is able to make at crucial moments. For example, he's not Michael Vick, but for someone that's 6'5-260, he can run when he HAS to like he did against Buffalo last year.
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