Look out, the love for Big Ben is flowing in! Who would have thought beating the Brownies would earn anyone such praise, but nary a bad word can be heard about Ben. Suddenly he's gone from being a 'game manager' who was surrounded by a good team and who happened to win a Super Bowl, into a legit MVP candidate who may be the 3rd best QB in the NFL.
For those who have been riding high on Ben since he went 13-0 in his rookie season, be prepared for a crowded bandwagon the rest of the way, they are all jumping on:
- Don Banks at si.com got on the wagon first Sunday night.
- Peter King at si.com jumped on in his MMQB column: "When I watched Roethlisberger last year, I thought, "Flawed quarterback.'' When I watched Roethlisberger on Sunday, I thought, "Franchise quarterback.''
- Pro Football Weekly has moved Ben ahead of a certain Super Bowl QB in their MVP meter (Willie Parker is 8th): "An MVP-like second half against the Browns. He willed them to victory, spurred by that 30-yard touchdown run."
- Clark Judge of cbs.sportsline.com gives his Judgement: "At some point, Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger joins the MVP conversation."
- The Washington Post's Mark Maske: "I would have to go Brady first, Manning second and Roethlisberger third."
- Yahoo's James Black asks: "Was that Roethlisberger or John Elway taking off for a 30-yard scoring run in Pittsburgh?"
- Rich Cimini at msnbc.com climbs on: "In Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger, whom the Giants could’ve (and should’ve) picked in 2004, continued his MVP-caliber season"
