BIG BEN IS PLAYING SMALL

There are two reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers will suffer yet another disappointing and underachieving season: Ben Roethlisberger and Bruce Arians. Big Ben's stature as one of the NFL's so-called star quarterbacks is diminishing by the week and his once bigger-than-life persona in Pittsbugh and around the league is getting smaller and smaller with each errant pass. Arians' reputation is also taking a major hit with his subpar play-calling and his inability to cure the offense of its ills, factors that should weigh heavily into his future with the team.

Some of the Steelers' misfortunes can be traced to the slew of injuries that has crippled the team through the first 10 weeks of the season. Running back Willie Parker's knee and shoulder problems has kept him in street clothes for five games; offensive tackle Marvel Smith has a bad back; Rashard Mendenhall (the team's No. 1 draft pick) is out for the year when he crashed into Baltimore's Ray Lewis; Casey Hampton has been in and out of the lineup with an assortment of ailments besides being fat and out of shape; offensive guard Kendall Simmons is done with a ripped Achilles; starting cornerback Bryant McFadden has his arm in a sling and has not played since the Cincinnati game; and now tight end Heath Miller is expected to be out for a few weeks with a sprained ankle and linebacker LaMarr Woodley missed last week's game with a calf strain.

But injuries are a big part of the NFL culture. All 32 teams are affected. For the most part, the Steelers have been able to stitch together a pretty decent season thanks to backups Mewelde Moore, Max Starks, Darnell Stapleton, Chris Hoke and Nate Washington. But the one thing Coach Mike Tomlin and his staff have not been able to fix is the play of their starting quarterback, and the root of the problem goes deeper that his ailing right shoulder.

Roethlisberger gets a free pass for much of his career in Pittsburgh. Coaches and fans are much more patient with him after leading the Steelers to victory in Super Bowl XL. That fact is not lost on me. I have to admit, I was one of those people who annointed Big Ben to sainthood after bringing a fifth Lombardi Trophy to Pittsburgh. But when you look back to that championship season, Roethlisberger simply managed the game for the Steelers. He didn't have to win games by himself. He had a great team around him, a team the year before finished 15-1 in the regular season. With exception of the AFC championship game in Denver where Roethlisberger played the game of his life, the young QB was not the one driving the team bus. He went along for the ride. He and the rest of the team rode The Bus, and Dick LeBeau's defense, all the way to Detroit!

A colleague told to me that Roethlisberger could be the second-worst QB to ever win a Super Bowl. I said, "second?" I would put him No. 1 on that list. He may be more talented than Trent Dilfer or Brad Johnson but those guys at least were smart enough to manage playoff games. And when the Steelers needed to make a play in Super Bowl XL, who did they turn to? Not Ben. They called on Antwaan Randle El to deliver the key pass to Hines Ward. Tells you how little confidence Bill Cowher and Ken Whisenhunt had in Roethlisberger late in that game against Seattle.

What drives me crazy about Big Ben is his impatience. Phil Simms smartly pointed that out last Sunday when the Steelers lost to the Colts at Heinz Field to drop to 6-3 for the season. Ben still makes the same dumb decisions he made as a rookie. He relies too much on his athletic prowess. His poor understanding of fundamentals is holding him back. He is too slow coming out of the snap, he throws off balance and hangs on to the ball way too long. That last assessment is the biggest reason why he gets sacked four times a game. Hence, the new nickname "Big Bend."

The scouting report on Roethlisberger is this: pressure him on his right side to keep him from scrambling and adjust your coverage to take away the deep pass. Teams count on the fact that Roethlisberger, for the most part, ignores his check-downs and dump-offs and often goes for the big play. Big Bend often looks for the deeper routes more so than the short to intermediate routes. It's the old gunslinger-type mentality. That's how Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Brett Favre and John Elway (before he got older and smarter) did it for much of their careers and they were a combined 3-9 in Super Bowls. Meanwhile, those who preferred the high-percentage passes (aka Joe Montana, Steve Young, Bart Starr, Tom Brady) are 10-1 in the Big Game. 

Roethlisberger's impatience is what cost the Steelers the game against the Colts. The Steelers were up 17-7 with 1:30 left in the second quarter when Big Bend threw an ill-advised pass in his own end, which led to a Colts TD and shifted all of the momentum towards Indy. Both Peyton Manning and Roethlisberger threw more than 40 times. The difference was, Manning did not throw a pick while Big Bend had three. After the game, Big Bend apologized for his mistakes. I'll give him credit for being accountable, but his public apologies are becoming frequent. This is supposed to be your franchise QB? I can understand if Nate Washington made a mistake and owned up to it. No big deal. He's not the face of your franchise. The Steelers gave Roethlisberger a $100-million contract during the offseason, becoming the highest-paid player in the NFL this year. I think Big Bend should stop making excuses and start earning his money.

I've always believed that an NFL team only goes as far as its quarterback takes them. Right now, Big Bend Roethlisberger is the anchor holding down the Steelers and his poor play is going to sink the ship.

As for Arians, he was an average offensive coordinater when he was in Cleveland and he's an average coordinator now with the Steelers. Nothing has changed. His offense is anemic. It has very little creativity and 80% I can usually tell if they are running it or passing it. If I can tell what's coming, then there's something seriously wrong with the play-calling. Arians also has fallen in love with the empty sets, which is a green light for defenses to tee off on his quarterback.

At best, Arians should just stick to being a wide receivers coach, away from the play-calling. That was his position when the Steelers won Super Bowl XL and that's where he belongs.

From the beginning, I've told friends and colleagues that the Steelers are an average team and would be lucky to finish the season at 8-8. So far, outside of some sprinkles of hope after trips to Jacksonville and Washington, the Steelers seem to be headed in that direction. Here's my forecast for the rest of the season:

Nov. 16 vs. San Diego, LOSS: Chargers should be good enough to win their division and good enough to beat the Steelers on the road. In the 2004 draft, Bill Cowher rated Philip Rivers ahead of Roethlisberger. Four years into their careers, Roethlisberger has done nothing to change Coach Cowher's pre-draft evaluation.

Nov. 20 vs. Cincinnati, WIN: This is one of two sure victories down the stretch. Bengals are already calling their probation officers to make their vacation plans.

Nov. 30 at New England, LOSS: Big Bend should watch film of Matt Cassel and see how a quarterback stays to the script and just does his job. He may not be Tom Brady but he has kept the Patriots in line for a playoff run.

Dec. 7 vs. Dallas, LOSS: Tony Romeo, as Skip Bayless calls him, should be back for the Cowboys. If Romeo has the "it" factor, then Big Bend has the "itch" factor.

Dec. 14 at Baltimore, BIG LOSS: The Ravens put a bounty on Hines Ward, but they might as well put a bounty on all the Steelers, especially Big Bend because this could be the game that puts the overrated quarterback out of his misery. Two years ago, Bart Scott put a hit on Big Bend that almost sent him back to the emergency room. This time, Scott and Sugar Ray Lewis, who already took out Mendenhall, will finish the job and bury Big Bend and the Steelers. RIP, No. 7.

Dec. 21 at Tennessee, LOSS: If the Steelers are lucky, Byron Leftwich will start this game. If Big Bend somehow survives the beat-down in Baltimore, Keith Bulluck and the Titans will re-enact the scene from 2002 when Tommy Maddox nearly died on the field in Nashville.

Dec. 28 Cleveland, WIN: This game will be for pride. The outcome will determine whether the Steelers will finish at 8-8 or 7-9. The Browns are better off with Brady Quinn and will keep this game competitive. But Brownies Coach Romeo Kennel will find a way to lose...again!

A plea to Coach Tomlin: Save our season and start Leftwich!