In retirement, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continues to make jokes about the Cleveland Browns.
On his Footbahlin podcast, Roethlisberger talked about the Steelers’ Week 11 victory over the Baltimore Ravens and said Pittsburgh still needs to respect and prepare for them seriously. However, the same rules might not apply to the Browns.
“You must still,” Roethlisberger remarked. “You’re continuing to pursue it. You’re not playing Cleveland, are you? … Was that what I said aloud? Even though he said that in fun, every good joke has some truth to it. Given his history, it makes sense that Roethlisberger has always had a slight animosity toward the Browns.
He was raised only a few hours from Cleveland and went on to become a collegiate success at Miami (OH), where he retired his No. 7 jersey and earned the Mid-American Conference MVP and Offense Player of the Year titles in 2003.
The quarterback-needy Browns were sitting good at No. 6 after the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers traded for Eli Manning and Phillip Rivers at No. 1 and No. 4 overall, respectively, on draft day in 2004. They chose tight end Kellen Winslow II over the hometown kid, even though Roethlisberger was the obvious best candidate left at the position.
From then, we know how the story unfolded. “Big Ben” threw for 6,896 yards and 42 touchdowns throughout his 18-year NFL career, finishing with a 26-2-1 regular season record against Cleveland. He is also among the most decorated quarterbacks of all time and helped the Steelers win two Super Bowls, while the Browns haven’t had a franchise signal caller in decades.
On Thursday Night Football in Week 12, the two clubs will play each other at Huntington Bank Field. With a 2-8 record, Cleveland is tied for the second-worst record in the league, while Pittsburgh will try to move up to 9-2 on the season.
