Big Ben becoming one of best

DENVER -- The second youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl woke up Sunday morning in the opponent's city and decided to make a Chamber of Commerce moment.
Hours before the Pittsburgh Steelers were to play the Broncos at Invesco Field at Mile High, Ben Roethlisberger, 23, decided to take a walk around the lake near the Steelers hotel.
Asked what he was thinking about on the crisp January morning, Roethlisberger replied, "How beautiful Colorado is, looking at the mountains, saying 'I could live here.' Just clearing my mind."
Asked if he always takes a nature walk before a game, Roethlisberger made the jammed-filled interview room laugh when he replied: "No, because we don't always play in a state as beautiful as Colorado. I mean, the lake was right there, the mountain behind you.
"I was out a little early and it was an opportunity for me to enjoy the opportunity the Lord has blessed me with today."
Stature back homegrowing exponentially
Live in Colorado? Not anytime soon if Steelers fans have anything to say about it. After guiding the Steelers to a 34-17 defeat of the Broncos to earn a Super Bowl trip, Roethlisberger's stature in a town that worships stars who excel in Black-and-Gold uniforms is growing exponentially.
Ask his teammates why the Steelers did so well in winning three straight playoff games on the road and they'll credit Big Ben.
"It's his confidence," eight-year wide receiver and former college quarterback Hines Ward said of the progress Roethlisberger has made since last year's AFC Championship Game. "I heard Jerome [Bettis] mention it earlier -- it was last year when [he] was trying to put it all on [his] shoulders."
Ward said a quarterback sometimes falls into the trap of believing "I have to go out and make plays by myself. This year is totally different. He's starting to have trust in everybody.
"He's letting his team work for him," Ward said. "He does a great job of managing the game, throwing the ball where it is supposed to be thrown. When you play like that, you gain a lot of confidence and guys are going to do whatever it takes to make a play for him."
Left guard Alan Faneca said, "Ben really learned the offense this year. He was able to play football instinctively today and play a little bit looser."
Shortchanged ifmeasured by numbers
Acknowledging that Roethlisberger's statistics aren't as profound as the Colts' Peyton Manning or the Patriots' Tom Brady, Ward said, "he needs to be mentioned with the great quarterbacks of today. He's been the leader of this team."
In Sunday's first half, Roethlisberger again started stronger than most imagined, completing six of seven passes for 77 yards. His eighth pass was the first play of the second quarter and he used it to find wide receiver Cedric Wilson in the corner of the end zone for a 10-0 Steelers lead.
By halftime, the lead grew to 24-3 and one reason was the Steelers' third-down conversion success (six of seven).
Roethlisberger, the quarterback of the run-dominant Steelers, finished the half with a passer rating of 149.1 (a perfect rating is approximately 158.3).
"He's much more mature than his age would indicate," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "He's very much in control, he's a great competitor.
"He's got a great feel for the game and a lot of self-confidence," Cowher said. "I don't think he knows what not having success is."
But Roethlisberger says he does know failure. In the week leading up to the AFC Championship Game, he constantly reminded the media that he was to blame for last year's 41-27 AFC Championship Game loss to the Patriots at Heinz Field.
Not thrilled withdraft-day placementAnd he has admitted that he took offense after he slipped to No. 11 on draft day after Eli Manning was selected first and Phillip Rivers fourth.
"Last year I did because it was fresh," Roethlisberger said. "Now I don't. I'm happy with the situation I'm in. It fuels the fire when people see you as the third best quarterback."
Roethlisberger also is mastering "quarterbackese" -- the art of avoiding answering questions about one's own self-worth by praising others.
Asked about mastering the mental part of quarterbacking, Roethlisberger said, "I'm a long way from mastering anything."
Asked about his development, he said, "you have to give a lot of credit to [his linemen]. They are such a big part and don't get the credit they deserve. I wish they could be standing up here talking. I love them all to death."
Asked about the Steelers conversion from run-dominant to pass threatening, Roethlisberger admitted that he and the linemen were offended when analysts said the Steelers couldn't win the game if they were forced to throw.
"Myself, the line, we took offense at that," Roethlisberger said. "The last couple of weeks, we've proven that's not the case."
Hit the wall in 2004after long season
Roethlisberger says he hit a wall in 2004, a year that began with workouts for pro scouts then was followed by the draft and spring minicamp.
Roethlisberger was behind Tommy Maddox on the Steelers' depth chart until Maddox injured an arm in the second game, a loss to the Ravens at Baltimore.
Roethlisberger took over and managed the Steelers to 13 consecutive wins (a rookie record that should stand a long time), the AFC North Division title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
His season ended on Jan. 23.
"I feel a lot older than I did last year at this time, a lot more comfortable and not run down. We'll enjoy this for the next couple of days.
Roethlisberger can't beat Dan Marino's record for youngest starting quarterback in a Super Bowl. But because Marino lost the only title game he played, Roethlisberger has a chance of surpassing the Hall of Famer who grew up in Pittsburgh but found NFL fame in Miami.
Make that an excellent chance.
XTom Williams is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com.