the Day the Browns Passed on Big Ben

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/story/_/id/15232563/the-day-browns-passed-big-ben
Great article on ESPN about the Browns decision to pass on Ben in favor of Winslow. I still can't get over that. Using your sixth overall pick on a TE? So glad he fell to us. Ben really was and still is the perfect QB for this team.

Good article.

I find it amusing that it was Jeff Garcia seemed to be the real reason the Brown didn't draft him.

jak341 wrote:

Good article.

I find it amusing that it was Jeff Garcia seemed to be the real reason the Brown didn't draft him.

I know right? I liked the part at the end where they talked about the scout who had introduced Montana to the Niners had said a couple years prior that Ben was a good QB. I hope magic strikes again when we inevitably have to replace Ben. Until then though, it's going to be fun to watch him play.

Thanks for the link - great read

I liked this quote

Carmen Policy, Browns CEO/president, 2000-04: "The one thing that seemed to always be on the forefront of all of their [scouts'] comments was, 'Yeah, he's a big guy, a strong guy, but will he get too big

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/story/_/id/15232563/the-day-browns-passed-big-ben

Yeah he probably got "too big" (sometimes I think Ben's offseason training table consists of ordering one side of the menu) but it obviously didn't matter

Atlanta Dan wrote:

Thanks for the link - great read  

I liked this quote

Carmen Policy, Browns CEO/president, 2000-04: "The one thing that seemed to always be on the forefront of all of their [scouts'] comments was, 'Yeah, he's a big guy, a strong guy, but will he get too big

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/story/_/id/15232563/the-day-browns-passed-big-ben

Yeah he probably got "too big" (sometimes I think Ben's offseason training table consists of ordering one side of the menu) but it obviously didn't matter

Hahaha yeah. I feel for the QB they're going to pick next weekend. Maybe they finally do start to turn around but I don't see it happening anytime soon.

ImmaculateGreenePolamalu wrote:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/story/_/id/15232563/the-day-browns-passed-big-ben
Great article on ESPN about the Browns decision to pass on Ben in favor of Winslow. I still can't get over that. Using your sixth overall pick on a TE? So glad he fell to us. Ben really was and still is the perfect QB for this team.

You have to remember, Ben was a MAC conference QB that was coming out as a junior and played mostly WR in Highschool because the coach's son was the QB. People were thinking more of Byron Leftwich or Chad Pennington compared to a more athletic son of Kellen Winslow Sr.

I remember hearing Ben on the Jim Rome show and he said he didn't like holding doors open for women, because he wants to be first thru the door...that is how competitive he is. Also, I read a workout that he was throwing a football with one knee on the ground from the 30 yard line, 40 and finally 50. Add to that his record and the fact he was named MAC special team player of the week one week for his punting and I thought.....WE Have A Football Player Here!!

Bought my kid a #7 jersey before the preseason I was so hyped.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

ImmaculateGreenePolamalu wrote:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/story/_/id/15232563/the-day-browns-passed-big-ben
Great article on ESPN about the Browns decision to pass on Ben in favor of Winslow. I still can't get over that. Using your sixth overall pick on a TE? So glad he fell to us. Ben really was and still is the perfect QB for this team.

You have to remember, Ben was a MAC conference QB that was coming out as a junior and played mostly WR in Highschool because the coach's son was the QB.  People were thinking more of Byron Leftwich or Chad Pennington compared to a more athletic son of Kellen Winslow Sr.

I remember hearing Ben on the Jim Rome show and he said he didn't like holding doors open for women, because he wants to be first thru the door...that is how competitive he is.  Also, I read a workout that he was throwing a football with one knee on the ground from the 30 yard line, 40 and finally 50.  Add to that his record and the fact he was named MAC special team player of the week one week for his punting and I thought.....WE Have A Football Player Here!!

Bought my kid a #7 jersey before the preseason I was so hyped.

True but a TE that early sounds absurd. I never knew he won for his punting. I remember him punting a couple of times in our games. That 2004 season was just magical the way it unfolded. Almost a stroybook ending if not for the cheats but we won next year anyhow.

ImmaculateGreenePolamalu wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

ImmaculateGreenePolamalu wrote:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/story/_/id/15232563/the-day-browns-passed-big-ben
Great article on ESPN about the Browns decision to pass on Ben in favor of Winslow. I still can't get over that. Using your sixth overall pick on a TE? So glad he fell to us. Ben really was and still is the perfect QB for this team.

You have to remember, Ben was a MAC conference QB that was coming out as a junior and played mostly WR in Highschool because the coach's son was the QB.  People were thinking more of Byron Leftwich or Chad Pennington compared to a more athletic son of Kellen Winslow Sr.

I remember hearing Ben on the Jim Rome show and he said he didn't like holding doors open for women, because he wants to be first thru the door...that is how competitive he is.  Also, I read a workout that he was throwing a football with one knee on the ground from the 30 yard line, 40 and finally 50.  Add to that his record and the fact he was named MAC special team player of the week one week for his punting and I thought.....WE Have A Football Player Here!!

Bought my kid a #7 jersey before the preseason I was so hyped.

True but a TE that early sounds absurd. I never knew he won for his punting. I remember him punting a couple of times in our games. That 2004 season was just magical the way it unfolded. Almost a stroybook ending if not for the cheats but we won next year anyhow.

Chiefs traded up to get Tony Gonzales at #13. Lots thought Winslow was sure thing like his father. Browns always absurd.

placed 3-of-3 punts inside the Rocket 20-yard line in the Toledo win and was named the MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week http://www.miamiredhawks.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/roethlisberger_ben00.html

ImmaculateGreenePolamalu wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

ImmaculateGreenePolamalu wrote:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/story/_/id/15232563/the-day-browns-passed-big-ben
Great article on ESPN about the Browns decision to pass on Ben in favor of Winslow. I still can't get over that. Using your sixth overall pick on a TE? So glad he fell to us. Ben really was and still is the perfect QB for this team.

You have to remember, Ben was a MAC conference QB that was coming out as a junior and played mostly WR in Highschool because the coach's son was the QB.  People were thinking more of Byron Leftwich or Chad Pennington compared to a more athletic son of Kellen Winslow Sr.

I remember hearing Ben on the Jim Rome show and he said he didn't like holding doors open for women, because he wants to be first thru the door...that is how competitive he is.  Also, I read a workout that he was throwing a football with one knee on the ground from the 30 yard line, 40 and finally 50.  Add to that his record and the fact he was named MAC special team player of the week one week for his punting and I thought.....WE Have A Football Player Here!!

Bought my kid a #7 jersey before the preseason I was so hyped.

True but a TE that early sounds absurd. I never knew he won for his punting. I remember him punting a couple of times in our games. That 2004 season was just magical the way it unfolded. Almost a stroybook ending if not for the cheats but we won next year anyhow.

I think they win the Super Bowl his rookie season if the Cheatriots didn't cheat.
Where's a Delorian when you need one

A little story for everyone if you're interested:
The '04 season is what got me hooked on the NFL and the Steelers. I used to LOVE and I mean LOVE the NHL (I can't stand the 82 exhibition games and the fact when you lose you still get a point. No one can tell me why that is) Anyway, that was the year of the BIG lockout and the only thing on TV for me up in Toronto, Canada was football. Normally I would get the good ol' Buffalo Bills as they are my regional team. Well lucky me they sucked that year. So the next game CBS or FOX would pick up was the Steelers. I remember the first game I watched was the one against Dallas and then a few weeks later the Jags for a GWD.
I haven't looked back since, because as of the 2005 season I haven't missed a single game/play/down whether I'm at the game or I watch it at home.

Hopefully 7 gets 7 this season!

SteelersNorth wrote:

ImmaculateGreenePolamalu wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

ImmaculateGreenePolamalu wrote:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/story/_/id/15232563/the-day-browns-passed-big-ben
Great article on ESPN about the Browns decision to pass on Ben in favor of Winslow. I still can't get over that. Using your sixth overall pick on a TE? So glad he fell to us. Ben really was and still is the perfect QB for this team.

You have to remember, Ben was a MAC conference QB that was coming out as a junior and played mostly WR in Highschool because the coach's son was the QB.  People were thinking more of Byron Leftwich or Chad Pennington compared to a more athletic son of Kellen Winslow Sr.

I remember hearing Ben on the Jim Rome show and he said he didn't like holding doors open for women, because he wants to be first thru the door...that is how competitive he is.  Also, I read a workout that he was throwing a football with one knee on the ground from the 30 yard line, 40 and finally 50.  Add to that his record and the fact he was named MAC special team player of the week one week for his punting and I thought.....WE Have A Football Player Here!!

Bought my kid a #7 jersey before the preseason I was so hyped.

True but a TE that early sounds absurd. I never knew he won for his punting. I remember him punting a couple of times in our games. That 2004 season was just magical the way it unfolded. Almost a stroybook ending if not for the cheats but we won next year anyhow.

I think they win the Super Bowl his rookie season if the Cheatriots didn't cheat.
Where's a Delorian when you need one

A little story for everyone if you're interested:
The '04 season is what got me hooked on the NFL and the Steelers. I used to LOVE and I mean LOVE the NHL (I can't stand the 82 exhibition games and the fact when you lose you still get a point. No one can tell me why that is) Anyway, that was the year of the BIG lockout and the only thing on TV for me up in Toronto, Canada was football. Normally I would get the good ol' Buffalo Bills as they are my regional team. Well lucky me they sucked that year. So the next game CBS or FOX would pick up was the Steelers. I remember the first game I watched was the one against Dallas and then a few weeks later the Jags for a GWD.
I haven't looked back since, because as of the 2005 season I haven't missed a single game/play/down whether I'm at the game or I watch it at home.

Hopefully 7 gets 7 this season!

We got into the team around the same year. I had been an on and off again casual Steelers fan since 1995 when we played the Cowboys in XXX but 2004 was the first year I really paid attention. It was pretty cool. I had two teachers that year (my senior year of HS) that were Steelers fans and it was just a fun year. But I think you're right. I think if we beat NE, we win the SB with a rookie QB but what happened happened I guess and hey we got HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEATH in 2005.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

ImmaculateGreenePolamalu wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

ImmaculateGreenePolamalu wrote:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/story/_/id/15232563/the-day-browns-passed-big-ben
Great article on ESPN about the Browns decision to pass on Ben in favor of Winslow. I still can't get over that. Using your sixth overall pick on a TE? So glad he fell to us. Ben really was and still is the perfect QB for this team.

You have to remember, Ben was a MAC conference QB that was coming out as a junior and played mostly WR in Highschool because the coach's son was the QB.  People were thinking more of Byron Leftwich or Chad Pennington compared to a more athletic son of Kellen Winslow Sr.

I remember hearing Ben on the Jim Rome show and he said he didn't like holding doors open for women, because he wants to be first thru the door...that is how competitive he is.  Also, I read a workout that he was throwing a football with one knee on the ground from the 30 yard line, 40 and finally 50.  Add to that his record and the fact he was named MAC special team player of the week one week for his punting and I thought.....WE Have A Football Player Here!!

Bought my kid a #7 jersey before the preseason I was so hyped.

True but a TE that early sounds absurd. I never knew he won for his punting. I remember him punting a couple of times in our games. That 2004 season was just magical the way it unfolded. Almost a stroybook ending if not for the cheats but we won next year anyhow.

Chiefs traded up to get Tony Gonzales at #13.  Lots thought Winslow was sure thing like his father.  Browns always absurd.

placed 3-of-3 punts inside the Rocket 20-yard line in the Toledo win and was named the MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week http://www.miamiredhawks.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/roethlisberger_ben00.html

I guess top ten for a TE sounds silly to me but fair enough. Wow though three out of three punts inside the 20 no wonder why he can do the emergency punt in a pinch decently.

Of course even though the Browns passed on Ben the Steelers almost passed on him as well (with Tommy Gun Maddox at QB why waste the pick on a QB ) were it not for Dan Rooney  

Imagine what might have occurred in the past decade had the Steelers drafted offensive lineman Shawn Andrews in the first round in 2004 instead of Ben Roethlisberger.

That was their intention, until Dan Rooney stepped in.

Rooney, in his 2007 autobiography, wrote that as the countdown to the 11th pick of the '04 draft continued "our people seemed to have focused on Shawn Andrews, a big offensive tackle from Arkansas as our likely number-one pick.

"But when our turn came, I couldn't bear the thought of passing on another great quarterback prospect the way we had passed on Dan Marino in 1983, so I steered the conversation around to Roethlisberger. After some more talk, we came to a consensus and picked Roethlisberger."

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2010/02/07/Roethlisberger-broke-many-of-the-team-s-passing-records-en-route-to-2-NFL-crowns/stories/201002070190

Atlanta Dan wrote:

Of course even though the Browns passed on Ben the Steelers almost passed on him as well (with Tommy Gun Maddox at QB why waste the pick on a QB   ) were it not for Dan Rooney  

Imagine what might have occurred in the past decade had the Steelers drafted offensive lineman Shawn Andrews in the first round in 2004 instead of Ben Roethlisberger.

That was their intention, until Dan Rooney stepped in.

Rooney, in his 2007 autobiography, wrote that as the countdown to the 11th pick of the '04 draft continued "our people seemed to have focused on Shawn Andrews, a big offensive tackle from Arkansas as our likely number-one pick.

"But when our turn came, I couldn't bear the thought of passing on another great quarterback prospect the way we had passed on Dan Marino in 1983, so I steered the conversation around to Roethlisberger. After some more talk, we came to a consensus and picked Roethlisberger."

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2010/02/07/Roethlisberger-broke-many-of-the-team-s-passing-records-en-route-to-2-NFL-crowns/stories/201002070190

Sometimes it's great to be the boss. I love the idea that he "steered the conversation around to Roethlisberger" and somehow they came to the "consensus" that they should draft him.

Atlanta Dan wrote:

Of course even though the Browns passed on Ben the Steelers almost passed on him as well (with Tommy Gun Maddox at QB why waste the pick on a QB   ) were it not for Dan Rooney  

Imagine what might have occurred in the past decade had the Steelers drafted offensive lineman Shawn Andrews in the first round in 2004 instead of Ben Roethlisberger.

That was their intention, until Dan Rooney stepped in.

Rooney, in his 2007 autobiography, wrote that as the countdown to the 11th pick of the '04 draft continued "our people seemed to have focused on Shawn Andrews, a big offensive tackle from Arkansas as our likely number-one pick.

"But when our turn came, I couldn't bear the thought of passing on another great quarterback prospect the way we had passed on Dan Marino in 1983, so I steered the conversation around to Roethlisberger. After some more talk, we came to a consensus and picked Roethlisberger."

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2010/02/07/Roethlisberger-broke-many-of-the-team-s-passing-records-en-route-to-2-NFL-crowns/stories/201002070190

I also think that people need to give credit to Cowher.

Colbert: "Coach [Bill] Cowher unselfishly made the statement that, for the sake of the organization, if a quarterback is available, we should give it serious thought. Was that the most immediate need? No, because we didn't plan on Ben playing his rookie year. ... Tommy [Maddox] gets hurt in the first game, the rest was history."

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/story/_/id/15232563/the-day-browns-passed-big-ben

OL was clearly the focus at that time but the front office definitely was not against using their first round pick on QB. I think they just didn't expect that Ben would fall that far at that time. They knew that they wouldn't trade up and the Browns needed a QB. The Bills also liked Ben that they might trade up and picked him ahead of Steelers. Once the Browns passed Ben, I was sure that there were a lot of interesting conversations in the Steelers war room.

kan_t wrote:

I also think that people need to give credit to Cowher.

Colbert: "Coach [Bill] Cowher unselfishly made the statement that, for the sake of the organization, if a quarterback is available, we should give it serious thought. Was that the most immediate need? No, because we didn't plan on Ben playing his rookie year. ... Tommy [Maddox] gets hurt in the first game, the rest was history."

 

So true, Tomlin only wins due to Cowher's unselfish act.

If Ben had been drafted by the Browns, he would have been a bust.

OX1947 wrote:

If Ben had been drafted by the Browns, he would have been a bust.

I agree with this actually but you know it has to gnaw at them big time.

OX1947 wrote:

If Ben had been drafted by the Browns, he would have been a bust.

People probably said the same thing to the Steelers in 60s.

If Ben had been drafted by the Browns, he would not have been a bust. Great player makes the team good. But it's moot because if the Browns were smart enough to pick Ben, they would not have been the Browns.

Roethlisberger surprised Browns didn't draft Wentz

By Chris Wesseling
Around the NFL Writer
Published: Sept. 21, 2016

Cleveland fans are all too familiar with feelings of lamentation for franchise saviors bypassed by the Browns.

A native of northern Ohio, Ben Roethlisberger watched his hometown team eschew his obvious talents in favor of tight end Kellen Winslow back in 2004.

Has lightning struck again in Cleveland, with Eagles hotshot rookie Carson Wentz serving as a weekly reminder that the Browns preferred a bundle of draft picks to a quarterback they believed would never graduate to above-average starter, much less the face of the franchise?

Emphasizing that the Browns needed a franchise quarterback "like the Earth needs our sun," Around The NFL's Marc Sessler openly wondered in April if the team was passing on the second coming of Roethlisberger.

That wonderment was shared by Roethlsiberger.

"I was really surprised," Roethlisberger said in a Wednesday conference call, via The Plain Dealer. "I thought I would be facing him two times a year in Cleveland."

Roethlisberger expressed a similar sentiment minutes later, telling the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "I thought he was AFC North all the way."

It's no surprise that Roethlisberger is high on Wentz's potential. The two share the same agent and worked out together in California this past offseason.

"He's a heady player," Roethlisberger said on the conference call. "He's smart. Understands the game. Physically gifted, both with his legs and his arm. He can make all the throws."

Much like the hulking Roethlisberger, Wentz is custom-made for the harsh AFC North elements, standing 6-foot-5, weighing 240 pounds and sporting a strong arm capable of cutting through the fiercest December winds.

Rather than pulling the trigger on Wentz, the new Browns regime hand-picked third-round signal-caller Cody Kessler, the latest in a recent string of undersized quarterbacks straining to overcome physical limitations by the shores of Lake Erie.

"I understand where everybody's coming from, but you've got to trust me on this one," coach Hue Jackson said in response to post-draft skepticism surrounding the Kessler choice. "This is a guy that we feel very comfortable with, and we feel he's going to have an opportunity to ascend."

That opportunity has arisen much more quickly than Jackson planned, thanks to injuries that struck down the veteran duo of Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown in the first two weeks of the season.

Roethlisberger is 19-2 in 21 starts versus the Browns over 13 seasons. If Jackson doesn't unearth or develop a quarterback solution to pull his organization out of a two-decade drought, every Wentz victory for Philadelphia might just cut as deep as the annual border-war losses to Pittsburgh.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000707056/article/roethlisberger-surprised-browns-didnt-draft-wentz

I still have the receipt for my Roethlisberger jersey somewhere. It's dated July 2, 2004.

Merril hoge just lambasted the Browns this morning on WDVE about their scouting and failure to draft Wentz. Humorous, if not anything.

jak341 wrote:

Merril hoge just lambasted the Browns this morning on WDVE about their scouting and failure to draft Wentz. Humorous, if not anything.

I heard they not only were quite disinterested in Wentz but that they actually fired scouts that did advocate for him. Stupid. Browns are going to back to the drawing board again looking for a QB. The USC kid they got isn't the answer nor was RGIII or is McCown.

enough said

you can't build a winning franchise changing team managment what seems like every year.