Ben Roethlisberger, Terry Bradshaw ranked top 20 QBs of all time

The two greatest quarterbacks in Steelers history are consensus top 20 QBs

Over the last several months, I put together a panel to rank the Top 30 quarterbacks of the Super Bowl era, in honor of this coming Super Bowl being the 60th playing of the biggest game of the year.

The list has begun its three-part release over on SB Nation, and the panel consisted of the following people:

• Jarrett Bailey, SB Nation
• Tyler Dunne, Go Long
• Eric Edholm, NFL Media
• Doug Farrar, Athlon Sports
• Arif Hasan, Wide Left
• Dan Hanzus, Underdog
• Sam Monson, The 33rd Team
• Steve Palazzolo, The 33rd Team
• Gregg Rosenthal, NFL Media
• Aaron Schatz, FTN Fantasy
• Marc Sessler, Underdog
• Mike Tanier, Too Deep Zone
• Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated

After tallying up all the votes, both Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw ranked as top 20 quarterbacks, with Bradshaw coming in at No. 13.

“A four-time Super Bowl champion, Bradshaw was the cornerstone of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 1970s dynasty, earning MVP honors in Super Bowls XIII and XIV,” Eric Edholm writes. “His 27,989 passing yards and 212 touchdowns are fairly modest sums by modern standards, but they compare favorably to his contemporaries. What set Bradshaw apart was his knack for clutch performances, including a 64.7% completion rate in Super Bowl wins. His combination of arm strength, mobility, and big-game poise makes him a deserving member of the top 30 quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era.”

Roethlisberger finished right in front of Bradshaw at No. 12, and I did the tribute from the panel portion of his section.

“From a personal standpoint, I don’t know if I’m doing this for a living if not for Ben Roethlisberger. Growing up a Steelers fan, he made me fall in love with the game of football, and is a large reason why I pursued a career covering the NFL. With every pump fake, every extended play, every defender shaken off to avoid a would-be sack, every fourth quarter comeback, and every championship won, Big Ben was simultaneously one of the best quarterbacks of all-time and one of the most underrated.”

“Roethlisberger never got the admiration of a Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Drew Brees. Yet, he has a higher playoff winning percentage than both Manning and Brees, the same number of Super Bowl wins as Manning, and is one of just 13 quarterbacks to start in three or more Super Bowls. He is also a two-time passing yards leader and is eighth all-time in touchdown passes (418). For nearly two decades, it didn’t matter who the Steelers played, you knew they always had a shot because No. 7 was under center, and I’ll die on the hill that he is a top 10 quarterback of all-time.”

Part I and Part II are out now, and the final edition will be coming very soon.