Big Ben is Worth the Big Bucks
This offseason, Ben Roethlisberger stands to earn a substantial raise as his agent and the Steelers management begin contract negotiations. But is he really worth the big bucks?
There’s no doubt that he provides many qualities that are valuable to any franchise QB. However, I’d like to take a look at a couple stats that, when you combine them, really tell a lot about a quarterback.
Completion Percentage and Yards Per Pass Attempt are very informative statistics. Looking at these figures helps give us a good read on how a quarterback truly is doing. To quote Mike Tomlin’s mentor, Tony Dungy, he once stated,
“It doesn’t matter how often you throw, if you’re throwing and having great success … that’s a determining factor. In the long run, you’re going to have to throw the ball efficiently to win in the NFL. That’s just how the game is now.”
So how did Ben Roethlisberger perform in 2007? We all know by now that he had a tremendous year, but let’s take a look how Ben stacks up in these two categories and see if he’s really worth all that money.
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE
Ben’s 65.3% completion percentage this year was not his career best. That year was 2004 when he completed 66.4% of his passes. Considering, however, that he threw 109 more passes this year, I’d say that’s a tad more impressive, don’t you?
Over the past few years, the average NFL quarterback’s completion percentage is 60%. In other words, Ben completed 5.3% more of his passes this year than the average QB. Taking his average attempts per game this season (26.9), that equals out to 1.4 extra completions per game. We’ll low-ball it and say 1 extra completion per game.
Doesn’t sound so great does it? Just one more completion. Well, that’s why we have to figure the yards per attempt statistic alongside this because a even monkey can complete 60% of its passes if it’s just throwing swing passes to its running back all day.
YARDS PER PASS ATTEMPT
Ben’s Yards per Pass Attempt this season was 7.8 yards. Most coaches will tell you anything over 7 yards is impressive. This year alone, Ben was 1.76 yards per pass attempt better than the average NFL QB. In fact, over the past few years the average is 6.5 yards per pass. Taking his average yards per pass attempt this season (7.8), that equals out to almost 23 extra yards per game.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?
1 more completion (comp % diff) for 23 more yards (yds per pass diff) each game
What I’m getting at here is that in 2007 Ben averaged completing approximately 1 more “big play” pass per game (a completion of 20 yards or more). We’ve already established that big plays can quickly change the course of a game. Ben Roethlisberger gives the Steelers that extra advantage every game! That’s worth a big time contract in my book!
I don’t know about you, but at the end of a game, I’ll take a 23 yard pass completion to get my team closer to the end zone or in field goal range any day. It could mean the difference between a win and a loss, a division title and a wild card berth, or even a first round bye. What do you think? Is Ben worth all the money he stands to gain this offseason?
January 14th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Of course he’s worth all the money they will offer him.
Just by looking at other teams that qualified to the conference championships, you realize that in offense, Ben was making a lot happen by himself. The o-line was not as good as any of the 4 teams still standing, so didn’t help the running game either… but that’s another story.
I think the steelers will be able to provide a decent o-line for Ben next year and he will show more of his capabilities with better protection.
January 14th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Yep… I agree fellas!
Big Ben made the team look much better than it really was. He’s definitely one of the top five in the game.
January 14th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
He deserves the big contract.
Just imagine Brady’s numbers if he played for the Steelers!? He’d be bitching at the line all day, and his jersey would actually be dirty.
Ben got us a couple wins this year by himself. He’s a class act.
January 14th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Apparently you needed to write this up and deliver it to Arians BEFORE the last good drive of the playoff game, maybe we would have thrown and gottten 23 yards instead of having Ben run for six behind the ‘offensive’ offensive line!
January 14th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Ben is worth it but does the steelers have the coaching to allow him the production in the passing game , I say they will, and they have yet to prove it that 3rd and 6 for a game iceing 1st and 10 to burn the clock they chose to use his legs instead of his passing , I did not like that call .
But can Ben do it we all have not seen the pass happy attack that seems to be the only thing that really works in the NFL on offense , look at all the play- off games this past week it was all offense for except the Giants win, it appears more and more the NFL is a coppy cat leauge Ben is ready to take the leap to be a elite passer in my oppinion. will the steelers go that route or will they look for a power runner and pound it then pass it just to keep them honest and chains rattleing and moveing.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I think Ben already IS an elite passer. He’s much better than Tony Romo, IMO. All the pass-happy offense you referred to, in your post, is really based on a good O-Line. Some of the time these quarterbacks had this past weekend was downright incredible, and it made me envious as Hell! Ben really never had that kind of protection this season (and last season as well), even against the weakest teams on our schedule. Could you imagine Tony Romo, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Brett Favre playing this year behind our line? No way would any of them come out playing as well as Ben.
Count me in on that complainers’ list regarding that assinine 3rd and 6 quarterback run. If we had, like, Mike Vick or Vince Young as our QB, then OK… that call make sense. But in this game, especially when Ben, Hines Ward, and Heath Miller were on fire, why in the Hell did we not throw a quick pass for the first down? Jacksonville was completely incompetent in defending those passes in the second half.
This particular series was the same that happened in the second game against Cleveland at the end. We had stupid, conservative plays that forced us to punt, when all we needed was a first down to run out the clock. We lucked-out there; that holding call against Cleveland during the punt return saved our butts. No such luck against Jacksonville this time.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Big Ben deserves not only a Big contract, BUT a decent O-Line. I agree. If Ben had the O-Line that Brady and Peyton have his #’s and the Steeler wins would have been greater and we would be in the Championship game this year…too late now…..Coaches and the Steelers need to step up next season to insure this….I think they will and….maybe another SB Trophy!
January 14th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Okay, so If Ben’s worth the money, should the Steelers offer him a bunch of cash but tell him - in lieu of a larger contract - they would use X amount of dollars to sign quality offensive linemen to protect him? Do you think he’d take it? Would it actually work?
Not that this would ever happen, but let’s ponder for a moment, shall we? I’d love to hear what you guys think.
January 14th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
ah what the heck, you’ve talked me in to it. 59,875.000.00 over 7 years, with an 19,500.000.00 signing bonus. 10 grand for every pass of 7.5 yds, and an extra 600.00 for being over the average each time. 8,000.00 for every 10 td’s, and 100,000.00 grand if he rushes for over 375 yards for the year. after he signs this contract, i will garantee nothing except for the signiing bonus, and i will stop his running if he even starts to smell 200 yards rushing.
January 14th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
I agree with scott c. & jc that still gets me hot when I think of the 3rd&6 call. We could have been playing New England this week instead of watching them play SD. I sure hope BA learned something this year, probably not. The Rooneys are going to have to dig deep in their purse. I really don’t see why they can’t, they are the only owners the steelers had since their inception. HOW MUCH MORE DO YOU NEED.
January 15th, 2008 at 12:58 am
Yeah, I think Ben proved it on the superbowl run, that he has what it takes to be a top QB, and I think this season, he took that next step twords being one of the elite QBs in th game.
I for one would like to see the steelers use more of a spread offense, let him take over a game, and use Willie’s speed to even more of an advantage, like a Marshal Faulk was.
Me I am a Steelers fan first but I am also a major sports fan, and I like to call it as I see it, Someone was bashing Romo up top, I think Romo and Ben remind me a lot of each other, I think Ben is a little better, but, like Ben Romo is good when the play breaks down. They are both head and shoulders above Eli and Rivers.
Ben actually reminds me a LOT of a young John Elway, I think he fits the mold of his idol (you all know that is why he wears #7).
Anyway, I don’t think Ben gets the credit he deserves nationally. They still call him a game manager, and spew that crap about him not being able to throw more than 25 passes a game.. or whatever… That cracks me up… Anyway, he had some sweet come backs this season, if only the Def wouldn’t have collapsed!
I do like the way he tossed 3 int’s in the first half, but fought threw it and kept on throwing with confidance and brought them all the way back! This guy is a keeper!!! SHOW HIM THE MONEY!!!