noted.

i’ll take him and like you hope he gets better every year just like Manning, Brady and Brees have each year throughout their careers. Manning and Brady are sure fire first ballot hall of famers and Brees number the last 3 years are better than both of them.

In 9 games this year, Ben has been pretty good i at least 6 of those and the 7th he wasn’t bad either. He has not played great vs. the Vikings or the Bengals the last few weeks but we aren’t talking about the scrubs of the league, your talking about two teams that are winning their divisions and both have also had good offense to go along with their good defenses.

I don’t think Ben will suck again this year like he did Sunday, he may not throw for 300 yards every game but he won’t lay another egg like Sunday. He’s permitted to have “a bad day at the office” it happens and those days have become fewer and further between each year.

I think he’ll play well down the stretch, hopefully we can cover kicks a litlle better as well.

Some of the play calling confused me as well

I heard somewhere that he does not pick up a football in the off-season. I also believe that he relies too much on his physical gifts. I think that it is time that he becomes a student of the game. I do feel pangs of envy when I see Brady, Brees, Rivers, Palmer and Manning work the field.

Their D-Line is extremely underrated and maybe it is time to admit that they are the best in the AFC North right now. Or, maybe not…..

Ben reminds me of Brett Favre, which isn’t really a bad comparison. The other QB’s you mention, the technical ones, cannot always improvise the way BB can. I like BB’s style of back yard ball, but he also gives me the most stress as a fan.

The guy has won two Super Bowls, he consistently comes up big in important spots, and is reaching a Brady/Manning-like level of being a guy that 11-, 12-win teams are built around on a year-in, year-out basis.

He’s not the prettiest, the most text book, or the most statistically impressive. I would not pick him for a fantasy team. But if he’s on the sideline, everyone else will believe victory is possible regardless of circumstance. That’s a powerful, proven presence that cannot ignored. Therefore, I’m glad to have him as our QB.

I think he’ll be pretty impressive for some years.

However – I could stand a bit less stress as a fan. Please Ben, less stress for me….

Manning and Brady will go down as players that changed the position, altered the game, etc…they’re legends. We say Ben is in the top 5 QB’s now, Manning/Brady are possibly top 5 QB’s ever. So, to compare Ben to those two is unfair.

Also, lets give credit where credit is due: the Bengals, especially their defense, are vastly improved. They’re a helluva team. They straight up beat us on Sunday (as opposed to us letting one get away, as I feel was the case the first time we played). Maybe Ben looked so bad on Sunday because Cincy’s defense was that good. They’re coverage was outstanding, the best we’ve seen this year. And, the fact that they were pressuring Ben while only rushing 4 guys speaks to their scheme and execution.

Furthermore, our offense as a whole looked lost, not just Ben. Starks had more than a couple brain-farts in protection. Holmes dropped a TD. Miller let a couple slip through his fingers. I saw Hartwig laying on his back a couple times, etc… So, Ben did look lost, yes…but let’s not attribute our lose to him. The Bengals played a better game on Sunday.

All that aside…$100 million qb’s need to step up in HUGE divisional games (at home nonetheless) and will their team to victory. Ben, while he’s done it in the past (Super Bowl), couldn’t Sunday.

But Ben has been one of the most consistently good NFL QBs since he came into the league. As he proved in the last Super Bowl, he’s a winner and a money player.

The main reason I can’t stand Arians is that most of the terrible plays you saw on Sunday were called by him. Even at the end of the game, when the Steelers needed to drive the ball down the field in bite-sized chunks, they called a post pattern against a prevent D. How dumb is that?

to be able to hit his receivers in stride, on short routes consistently, like those other QBs mentioned, he will be great.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ben throw the ball out of bounds on a busted play. Frankly, it’s nice that he wants to make a big play but sometimes being cautious and prudent is wise. Ben is a great quarterback, or at least possesses qualities that separate him from others, such as nerves of steel, and the desire to do anything to win. He’s also physically gifted and very intelligent after having seen the pressure of the playoffs and SB. Having said that, he is still young….mentally. He hasn’t yet matured in his coverage reads…and saving yardage from a sack by throwing it out of bounds or dumping the ball to his running backs.