Which Steelers QB1 Was Better? Ben Roethlisberger or Terry Bradshaw?

[Steeler Nation]

Did you know, out of the eight Super Bowl appearances the Pittsburgh Steelers have been in all-time, seven of them had just two quarterbacks under center? It was the legendary Terry Bradshaw, who was a part of the Steelers from 1970 to 1983, and Ben Roethlisberger, who played for Steeles from 2004 to 2021. He announced his retirement from NFL in January 2022.

Both of these quarterbacks were successful and made a great name for themselves. In fact, both are considered rivals of each other. How? Steeler Nation compares both of them and evaluate who was better than the other to this day.

Well, today we too will dive into the debate and come to a constructive conclusion.

A Glimpse of the Illustrious Careers of Steelers’ Quarterbacks, Roethlisberger and Bradshaw​

To date, Pittsburgh has had two extraordinary quarterbacks in Roethlisberger and Bradshaw. Let us study the career of both of these exceptional players.

First up, Bradshaw.

Terry Paxton Bradshaw was the first overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft. During his first season with the Steelers, Bradshaw was ridiculed for his rural roots and erratic matches. However, he proved his worth in a matter of a few years. He led Pittsburgh to eight AFC Central Championships and proved as an asset by winning four Super Bowl titles. Bradshaw also won Super Bowl MVP twice.

Terry Bradshaw (#12) | Behind the Steel Curtain


Bradshaw was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1978 and became the NFL’s passing touchdowns leader in 1978 and 1982. Sports Illustrated in 1979 named him “Sportsman of the Year” as well. Today, Bradshaw is part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame, and Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor. He was the recipient of the Bert Bell Award, which he received in 1978.

When it comes to his stats, Bradshaw threw for 212 touchdowns, 210 interceptions, 27,989 passing yards, 32 rushing touchdowns, and 2,257 rushing yards. Bradshaw had a 70.9 passer rating.

Next up, Roethlisberger.

Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. also known as “Big Ben” spent his collegiate career with the Miami (OH) RedHawks. During his time in college, Roethlisberger was named Freshman of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and Offensive Player of the Year.

In the 2004 NFL Draft, Roethlisberger was drafted just behind Eli Manning. When the San Diego Chargers drafted Manning, it was speculated that Roethlisberger would be drafted by New York Giants. But the Giants drafted Philip Rivers as a part of the trade deal. This sent Manning to the Giants and Rivers to the Chargers. Thus, Pittsburgh got the chance and they selected Roethlisberger as 11th overall.

Roethlisberger led the Steelers to two Super Bowl victories during his time with the franchise. He was also named NFL Rookie of the Year in 2004. He was part of the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2004, went to the Pro Bowl six times, and was named NFL Passing Yards Leader twice.

Ben Roethlisberger (#7) | Gene J. Puskar / AP


Roethlisberger holds the record for Most Career 500-Yard Passing games, Most Career Perfect Passer Rating Games, and “Most Completions in a Regular or Post Season Game.”

His career in NFL statistics speaks for itself. He has 8,443 passing attempts, 418 touchdowns, 211 interceptions, and 64,088 passing yards. He also had a 93.5 passer rating.

After the retirement of Bradshaw, the Steelers didn’t have any worthful quarterbacks for a long time. After Big Ben joined Steelers, they regained their past glory.

Final Verdict​

By no means are we are indicating that Bradshaw couldn’t be a successful quarterback in the modern National Football League, but it’s likely he would be more of a serviceable game manager. The same however cannot be spoken for Roethlisberger.

Both are great quarterbacks who had phenomenal career. But our slight vote is for Ben Roethlisberger for sure!



What do yinz think? Roethlisberger or Bradshaw? Click to comment below!

#SteelerNation

Author Bio:​

Scott Trick is the founder of SportsCardsAuthority.com. Scott has been collecting sports cards since the early 80’s. He loves all sports and all cards and treats them like art. His favorite players are Robin Yount, Hank Aaron, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brett Favre. It’s pretty obvious he is from the Milwaukee area.​

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[pittbull]

I don’t know. Different era, different rules, different game. Plus Bradshaw was forced to reinvent himself thanks to Mel Blount…and he proved he could win being more of a gunslinger. If you had to wipe one QB’s existence from the record books, which would it be? I’d keep the 4 SBs in just 6 years.

 

[Sarge]

I’d say Bradshaw. His regular season stats are nothing special, but the guy was clutch when it mattered most. I mean the guy won 4 SB’s.

I get that it’s a team sport, and Ben never had any teams like those 70’s teams, but who has? On top of that, Ben was coming up small in the playoffs for a while.

I think it’s Bradshaw.

 

[SteelerSask2]

Ben and not even close. Look at the guys Bradshaw played with and who coached him.

 

[BamaSteeler52]

Bradshaw by a hair....

 

[Steelworth]

Hoo boy this is a tough one for me. Better all-around? Ben and isn't close IMO. Better in the biggest game there is? Bradshaw when you take the final results into account.

But Ben was hamstrung with one of the worst OLs in NFL history in 2008 and he continually made chicken salad out of chicken sh!t. And threw arguably the greatest TD pass in Super Bowl history that night. His first Super Bowl was lackluster, but he was also a sophomore who let the big game jitters get to him after a stellar playoff ride. 2010 wasn't all that special but Kemoeatu, Whiff Johnson and One Trick Pony Wallace didn't help. Ben should've went to Ward in the closing minutes though IMO, so that's on him.

Yeah I pretty much didn't even answer the question with all that word salad.

 

[NYSteel]

The guy who wrote this probably never saw Bradshaw play.

A better question, how wou would Ben have played with the rules as they were in the 70s, when qb's got turned upside down and planted into the ground?

Stupid comparison based on statistics from different eras.

Outside of Jeff George, I don't think I've seen a better arm than what Terry brought to the table.

 

[Steelworth]

Scott has been collecting sports cards since the early 80’s. He loves all sports and all cards and treats them like art. His favorite players are Robin Yount, Hank Aaron, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brett Favre. It’s pretty obvious he is from the Milwaukee area.

If one of his favorite players is Hank Aaron (last year was 1976) and he's been collecting sports cards since the early 80's, I wouldn't make the assumption he's never seen Bradshaw play.

Re: NYSteel comment

 

[SteelerSask2]

The guy who wrote this probably never saw Bradshaw play.

A better question, how wou would Ben have played with the rules as they were in the 70s, when qb's got turned upside down and planted into the ground?

Stupid comparison based on statistics from different eras.

Outside of Jeff George, I don't think I've seen a better arm than what Terry brought to the table.

Excuse me. Ben is the one guy who played qb in his era that could have played in the 70s. He was the toughest SOB out there and it wasn't close. I'm sure his stats would have suffered but there is a pretty wide gulf between him and Terry.

 

[TheDudeAbides]

Bradshaw threw a much better deep ball. Terry.

 

[SteelerSask2]

Think about it this way if we want to play this game. Ben shrugged off the biggest modern monsters in his prime routinely. And he himself only embraced big offseason training in the later half of his career. Know go watch the last SB they beat the Cowboys. Outside of Mean Joe and Blount no one passes the eye test. Most of the rest look like a good HS player now or a company softball guy. And the plays were Toss left, lead right, ****** Roethlisberger would dice those defenses. He would know everything they were doing before the defense did.

 

[SojournerSteel]

Think about it this way if we want to play this game. Ben shrugged off the biggest modern monsters in his prime routinely. And he himself only embraced big offseason training in the later half of his career. Know go watch the last SB they beat the Cowboys. Outside of Mean Joe and Blount no one passes the eye test. Most of the rest look like a good HS player now or a company softball guy. And the plays were Toss left, lead right, ****** Roethlisberger would dice those defenses. He would know everything they were doing before the defense did.

I would say that Franco, Stallworth, and Swann pass the eye test. Dorsett certainly does. One thing that Bradshaw could do was play in the big games, just listen to him, he’ll tell you!

 

[Wolf44]

Bradshaw by a mile, better arm and better in the clutch. He was the best QB in the league for a few years something Ben has never been close to. Bradshaw threw huge 4th quarter TDs in every Super Bowl and had a 100 plus QB rating in every Super Bowl. His perfect passes to Swann to win Super Bowl X and to Stallworth in Super Bowl XIV we're passes Ben or no other QB in history make and then Bradshaw threw the exact same perfect pass to Stallworth to seal the deal in XIV.

If you ever saw Bradshaw play you know he would have eaten this pussified NFL up. Game manager my ******* ***. By the way we won our only 2 Super Bowls with Ben when he was a game manager. We won nothing the last 11 years with Ben the gunslinger.

 

[madinsomniac]

Roethlisberger by a mile for a million technical reasons…

 

[CoolieMan]

it is impossible to compare these two guys

both are HOF level talents

I believe Ben is tough enough to be successful back in Terry's day, the different rules would lower his stats but he would survive

Terry could obviously play under today's rules where a hit on the qb is frowned upon and receivers are able to run free and not be afraid of having their heads removed when crossing over the middle

Terry has 4 Championships, but he also had consistently elite defense and an OL that wasn't full of revolving doors.

Put Ben back in the 70s with Terry's team and he likely gets 4 rings also

Put Terry on Ben's teams and I believe he has the mobility and passing ability to be at least as successful as Ben has been.

Terry had a better deep ball, but he also had better deep threats to reel those passes in.

I just feel lucky to have two of the best ever as QB1 for my team

 

[CoolieMan]

Bradshaw by a mile, better arm and better in the clutch. He was the best QB in the league for a few years something Ben has never been close to. Bradshaw threw huge 4th quarter TDs in every Super Bowl and had a 100 plus QB rating in every Super Bowl. His perfect passes to Swann to win Super Bowl X and to Stallworth in Super Bowl XIV we're passes Ben or no other QB in history make and then Bradshaw threw the exact same perfect pass to Stallworth to seal the deal in XIV.

If you ever saw Bradshaw play you know he would have eaten this pussified NFL up. Game manager my ******* ***. By the way we won our only 2 Super Bowls with Ben when he was a game manager. We won nothing the last 11 years with Ben the gunslinger.

and how many QBs make the pass Ben made to Holmes to win SB 43

 

[madinsomniac]

For the majority of Roethlisberger’s career he played a style that fit 1970’s football to a tee…

The problem is Terry probably couldn’t do the modern read and adjust route tree… in the 90’s that **** got complicated and from then till now it’s borderline i sane how complex those reads get… just because the middle is open these days doesn’t mean most old qbs would do ok in a modern passing scheme… Marino might throw for 9000 yards a season but most of those guys were built for the simple reads of the day… and terry never would make a list of brightest qbs…



Terry called his own plays but ben was best when he was calling plays… and anyone arguing that terry was better in the clutch than ben ignore the fact that ben was one of the top three qbs ever in 4 quarter comebacks and play in general…

Nobody in their right mind would draft Bradshaw ove Roethlisberger in any era

 

[Wolf44]

and how many QBs make the pass Ben made to Holmes to win SB 43

Great pass but not in the same league as Terry's throws. We were in easy FG range to send game into overtime ,Bradshaw's throws were do or die.

 

[SteelerSask2]

I would say that Franco, Stallworth, and Swann pass the eye test. Dorsett certainly does. One thing that Bradshaw could do was play in the big games, just listen to him, he’ll tell you!

Ok the eye test on a receiver doesn't change terribly. 5'11-6'1 in the 180-200 lb range. But Stallworth and Franco ran 4.8 40s. How the hell are you gonna make the modern nfl running 4.8 at a skill position.

 

[SteelerSask2]

For the majority of Roethlisberger’s career he played a style that fit 1970’s football to a tee…

The problem is Terry probably couldn’t do the modern read and adjust route tree… in the 90’s that **** got complicated and from then till now it’s borderline i sane how complex those reads get… just because the middle is open these days doesn’t mean most old qbs would do ok in a modern passing scheme… Marino might throw for 9000 yards a season but most of those guys were built for the simple reads of the day… and terry never would make a list of brightest qbs…



Terry called his own plays but ben was best when he was calling plays… and anyone arguing that terry was better in the clutch than ben ignore the fact that ben was one of the top three qbs ever in 4 quarter comebacks and play in general…

Nobody in their right mind would draft Bradshaw ove Roethlisberger in any era

This is money right here. If you transport Ben to '72 he could break the film down for the team no problem. Hell modern High school offenses and defenses are more complex. Terry wouldn't have the mental acumen to run one of these things today. He just wouldn't.

 

[diver]

This is money right here. If you transport Ben to '72 he could break the film down for the team no problem. Hell modern High school offenses and defenses are more complex. Terry wouldn't have the mental acumen to run one of these things today. He just wouldn't.

First of all, I think it is dumb to have to make a choice. Different times/eras. I am just exceedingly happy to have had the enjoyment of watching both. And I agree with your points. But on the opposite end could you imagine Bradshaw not having his receivers touched as they are running routes? How about, and I think this is incredibly important, today you can't hit a QB high or low. Do you realize how that alone probably helps improve accuracy and the ability to stand in there and read the defense? And Terry was no dummy by the way. He still isn't. He just plays one on TV. I also don't think football is as complex as it is made out to be. Some of it is coaches trying to overstate their own importance.

The key with this whole thing though is the truth that Ben could've played in Bradshaw's era, no doubt. And I think Bradshaw would've been fine in Ben's.

Do we know how lucky we have been?

 

[steelville]

Ben. By a mile. Saw them both play. Besides the obvious stats, Ben was never benched for performance, Bradshaw was. A few times with Hanratty and Gilliam stepping in.

 

[SojournerSteel]

Ok the eye test on a receiver doesn't change terribly. 5'11-6'1 in the 180-200 lb range. But Stallworth and Franco ran 4.8 40s. How the hell are you gonna make the modern nfl running 4.8 at a skill position.

I thought Stallworth was about 4.5?

 

[SojournerSteel]

First of all, I think it is dumb to have to make a choice. Different times/eras. I am just exceedingly happy to have had the enjoyment of watching both. And I agree with your points. But on the opposite end could you imagine Bradshaw not having his receivers touched as they are running routes? How about, and I think this is incredibly important, today you can't hit a QB high or low. Do you realize how that alone probably helps improve accuracy and the ability to stand in there and read the defense? And Terry was no dummy by the way. He still isn't. He just plays one on TV. I also don't think football is as complex as it is made out to be. Some of it is coaches trying to overstate their own importance.

The key with this whole thing though is the truth that Ben could've played in Bradshaw's era, no doubt. And I think Bradshaw would've been fine in Ben's.

Do we know how lucky we have been?

Yet somehow that dumb redneck from Louisiana managed to call all his own plays!

 

[Drink IRON City]

Two different eras and two QBs with one being more adapt to transfer back to old time era.

I don't want to chose which would be the better but I do want to say how fortunate we have been to have had both on our beloved STEELERS team.

How many franchises can say they have TWO Hall Of Fame QBs ? I know there are some (GB / Dallas / San Fran come to mind) but not that many when you consider 32 NFL teams.

Like some here I am fortunate to have been able to watch both on the field of play and extend my gratitude.




Salute the nation