Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady are two of three active quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl rings. The other would be New York Giants' quarterback Eli Manning. All three are putting together career-low numbers in 2013. While Brady is in the midst of one of his statistically worse seasons yet, Roethlisberger is not buying into his struggles. As the two prepare to faceoff on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is prepared for the best from the two-time MVP.
"To me, he's the best quarterback in the league and he's done it for a long time," Roethlisberger said on 93.7 The Fan. "That's no disrespect to some of these others guys that are doing some amazing things in the NFL right now. But to me, it's about wins and championships -- and he's got more championships than anybody."
While Peyton Manning continues to set the standard for quarterbacks this season, Brady is fighting to keep the Patriots alive with a lackluster support system. Right now, the New England Patriots quarterback is putting together lows in touchdowns, passer rating and completion percentage. While a lot of that is Brady's fault, a lot of it also has to do with his support system.
"For the first how many weeks of the season he was playing with receivers that nobody had ever really heard of, so you've got to give him credit for getting his team to 6-2," Roethlisberger said. "He's got great vision, he's got big arm strength, a great understanding of offense and defense. He finds ways to win. Fourth-quarter drives, Super Bowls -- and to me the No. 1 factor is championships."
The Patriots are starting to get some pieces back that will help their offense begin to gain some momentum. The team is at 6-2 right now mainly due to rallies from Brady. The quarterback brought the team back from a 14-point deficit to beat the Miami Dolphins. Brady led a last-minute touchdown drive against the New Orleans Saints. IT is that sort of progress that has Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin aware the team is nothing to overlook.
"I think they're really finding their rhythm in the last few weeks," Tomlin said. "Getting back Gronk is a part of that. One of the things that's challenging about these guys is you better be prepared to defend a variety of personnel groups as they change the pace of the game."
The Steelers season has yet to truly take form. The team is 2-5 after an unexpected loss to the Oakland Raiders. Roethlisberger is hopeful they can find some momentum, but getting it against the Patriots will be difficult.