Ben Roethlisberger left one list long ago, putting himself in elite company. Now he’s trying to gain entry to an even shorter — and more prominent one.
Aaron Rodgers is trying to erase his name from a list that has shadowed some quarterbacks forever, haunting their careers.
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More than any other position, a Super Bowl win defines a quarterback. Win one and you join an elite fraternity; go without and you get asked about it … all the time. For Rodgers, winning one would forever stamp him as an all-time great. For Roethlisberger, winning another would leave him in the company of Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman and Terry Bradshaw. Why? They’re the only other quarterbacks to have won three Super Bowls.
“It will elevate his stature,” said Aikman, now a Fox analyst.
Thing is, Roethlisberger’s name rarely comes up when people discuss the top couple quarterbacks in the game. And it certainly doesn’t come up when it comes to historical rankings. But in seven seasons he’s thrown for 144 touchdowns (21 shy of Aikman) to 86 interceptions. He’s averaged 8.0 yards per pass attempt while still completing 63.1 percent of his throws.
He led a classic drive to win a Super Bowl.
He also plays with a defense that is always among the best and usually has had good receivers.
“Those things are true for all quarterbacks,” said Aikman, who benefited from the talent around him as well. “You have to have key people around you to pull it off. I don’t know why some people are reluctant to give Roethlisberger his due. But he’s as big a reason why this team is where they are as anyone on that team. He’s a great player.”
As for Rodgers, his quest is to leave behind quarterbacks such as Sonny Jurgensen, Dan Fouts, Dan Marino, Fran Tarkenton, Jim Kelly and Warren Moon — Hall of Famers without a Super Bowl ring. They had great careers but …
“I don’t know if it’s fair, but that’s the standard we’re held to,” Aikman said. “They don’t identify other positions by the same standard. The only thing keeping Rodgers from being talked about among the all-time greats is winning a world championship.”
