I spent a few hours with my daughter on Saturday afternoon watching my cousin's daughter lead her #1 ranked soccer team to an easy win at Joe Montana Stadium. That's the real name of Ringgold High School Stadium in Monongahela, PA. How do I know? There are two larger-than-life billboards of Joe in his 49er uniform plastered above both sets of bleachers, with the words "Welcome to Joe Montana Stadium" emblazoned alongside.
It got me thinking about a few comments I made watching Big Ben's incredible debut a few years ago. Whatever Joe had, Ben has it, too. That was my impression, and I'm sticking to it.
Watch Ben work a roll-out... He has that instinct -- like Joe had -- to take a quick glance behind him, and, in an instant, spot where the pursuit is, compute what kind of time he has, and then return his concentation to go through the reads down field. He does it exactly the way I remember Montana doing it... And he gets great results.
Like Joe, Ben is a leader on the field. He commands the attention and seems to win the respect of those around him. Bettis loved him. Faneca has grown enamored with the one-time rookie he derisively put in his place. Even new O-Coordinator Bruce Arians has revealed that Ben has final say on all play calls this year. That's the same way "genius" Bill Walsh treated ol' Joe in his glory years winning Super Bowls at the 'Stick.
As a Steeler fan, we have learned to live without the gushing fantasy league stats from our QBs. But it seems to me, Big Ben is going to be the kind of QB you'll want to start on your fantasy team every week. Ben is smart, mostly cool under pressure, and seems to be maturing after last year's tough lessons.
Yes, Ben made that awful flailing pitch-interception in the preseason. I said at the time that I hoped it would be the last time he makes that kind of stupid mistake. I know it won't be, because he does believe he can make the most of a bad situation. I just hope he remembers how stupid the play looked, how silly it made him look, and how much this team needs him to not just make the right decisions -- and to NOT make the wrong decision -- to give them the best chance for success.
I don't know if they have renamed Ben's high school stadium after him yet or not. Seems a little premature if they have. But I do think he is on his way to having the kind of magical career that led the folks in Monongahela to reclaim Joe Montana as its favorite son. Oh, I also hope Ben matches -- or exceeds, even -- Joe's number of rings when his career is complete. He's got his first... this is as good a year as any to get his next one.
*As for watching a girls' high school varsity soccer game on a sultry 90-degree September Saturday? Well, soccer is still probably my least favorite sport, but it was surprisingly enjoyable. Of course, it helped that my cousin's daughter is being touted as one of the best players in Pennsylvania. So, it was great fun to let my kindergarden-aged daughter watch her 2nd cousin excell on the field! She finished with two assists and two goals, including a highlight reel special that showed the hype she is enjoying is well deserved. Go Mackenzie! Good luck. PTKA, for sure.
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