Big Ben A New Man At Superbowl 43

Hope you all don't mind that I used regular numbers in the title, I'm not good with the Roman kind. This year's Superbowl reminds me of the last time the Steelers were in the Big Game three years ago. I remember after the game as I walked into the Steelers locker room to grab some interviews. It was quite a scene, Joey Porter and James Harrison were puffing on the biggest cigar I've ever seen in my life, 325 nose tackle Casey Hampton was walking around in a bath towel looking like an over-grown Tony Soprano, head coach Bill Cowher was smiling ear to ear and hugging his players. Then there was Ben Roethlisberger. He was sitting at his locker with his head in his hands. He seemed a little emotional but not because he had just won the biggest game of his life. A group of reporters gathered around in hopes of getting a few more quotes. Ben picked his head up, looked at the group and snapped: "Guys, I'm not doing any more interviews, go away!" After the scrum cleared, I walked over, extended my hand and said: "Ben, I just wanted to say congratulations." He replied: "Thanks, J.B., thanks." Then, he put his head back in his hands. The reason why? Well, I think he realized that the Steelers beat the Seahawks on that cold day in Detroit in spite of him. Ben played poorly that day, completing only nine passes, tossing two interceptions (the second one killed a game-clinching touchdown drive) Remember, it was Antwaan Randle El who threw the game winning touchdown pass that day, not Ben. While Roethlisberger was the youngest QB ever to win a Superbowl, he was also posted the lowest rating of any quarterback ever to win one as well. This time around, Ben is much more mature, he's established himself as a true team leader, and I think he would like nothing more than to play a solid game on Sunday and take home the Lombardi trophy AND a Superbowl MVP award. Trust me, Ben keeps track of what's going on in the league. He saw what Eli Manning, a player who was drafted ahead of him in 2004, did last year for the Giants. Ben admits nerves were a huge factor in his poor play three years ago, don't expect that this year. Don't be surprised if Big Ben plays the best game of his life on Super Sunday against the Cardinals. I certainly won't be.