Stopping upstart QB is goal of Philadelphia

Ben Roethlisberger doesn't get rattled and he hasn't made too many mistakes.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Jim Johnson's defensive schemes usually give young quarterbacks fits. Ben Roethlisberger is no ordinary rookie.
Along with nearly everyone who has watched Roethlisberger lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 6-1 start, Johnson, the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coordinator, is impressed with the talented quarterback.
"Nothing rattles him. People pressure and blitz him and nothing rattles him. He's hanging in there and winning games," Johnson said. "He's a unique guy. Right now he's a very cool customer. He's not making big mistakes. He has people in his face and he's still making the throws, a real poised guy."
Objective
Johnson hopes his defense can slow Roethlisberger in Sunday's marquee instate matchup between the Eagles (7-0) and Steelers (6-1).
Since taking over for the injured Tommy Maddox, Roethlisberger is 5-0, the best start by an NFL rookie quarterback since Pittsburgh's Mike Kruczek was 6-0 in 1976.
Last week, Roethlisberger threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Steelers past New England 34-20, ending the Patriots' NFL-record 21-game winning streak.
"What he did against the Patriots and to have a passer rating of 126 against a good defensive team and no sacks, that was a great showing," Johnson said.
The Eagles faced a raw, untested Roethlisberger in a preseason game in Philadelphia. Roethlisberger, the No. 11 pick in the NFL draft, was sacked on his first play and finished 7-of-11 for 74 yards and one interception.
Like Culpepper
"We just saw a big strong guy," Johnson said. "We saw a guy we tried to tackle a couple times and bounced off, and we said, 'This guy is like a (Daunte) Culpepper.' He's really improvzed since then, no question about that. Couldn't have imagined him being a starting quarterback and doing what he's doing right now."
Roethlisberger is 96-of-137 for 1,133 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions in six games, but has only two interceptions in his five starts. His 70.1 completion percentage is on pace to easily surpass Dan Marino's rookie record of 58.45 percent.
Marino already compared Roethlisberger to himself. Others have compared the former Miami of Ohio star to John Elway, Troy Aikman and Terry Bradshaw, the last quarterback drafted in the first round by the Steelers.
Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb isn't surprised by Roethlisberger's success, considering the Steelers' offense includes standout receivers Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress and proven 1,000-yard rushers Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis.
Run game helps
"There's a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but I think one thing that helps Ben out is the fact that he has a 100-yard rusher, he has a team with two possible Pro-Bowl caliber receivers," said McNabb, who developed into a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback after moderate success as a rookie.
Johnson certainly will rely on complicated blitzes and various coverages to try to confuse Roethlisberger. He also stressed sure tackling because the 6-foot-5, 241-pound Roethlisberger is difficult to bring down, having been sacked just seven times.
"We know it'll be tough to bring him down because of his size," free safety Brian Dawkins said. "Some guys are big and timid. He's not timid. He'll break arm tackles."