Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t supposed to play during his rookie season in 2004, but after injuries to Charlie Batch and then Tommy Maddox, the 11th overall pick was thrust into a starting job. He never looked back from there, leading the Steelers to a 13-1 record in games he played. On the latest episode of his Footbahlin podcast with former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, Roethlisberger detailed how he didn’t think he was going to play more than one play, while Cowher talked about his issues with the rookie quarterback.
Roethlisberger first took over for Maddox after he suffered an injury following a hit by Bart Scott before halftime in a Week 2 game against the Baltimore Ravens.