Big Ben passes first test

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ben Roethlisberger passed the audition.
The weather -- a first-half downpour that trailed the back edge of a hurricane -- couldn't have been much worse. The distractions -- a 71/2-hour delay and a loss of power in the team hotel -- could have been unsettling.
No matter, Roethlisberger became the first Steelers rookie to win his initial NFL start since Mike Kruczek in 1976 -- and, unlike Kruczek, Roethlisberger wasn't backed by the defending Super Bowl champions.
Despite being intercepted on his first throw and leading an offense that scored only three points in the first half, Roethlisberger played just well enough Sunday night to lead a 13-3 victory at Miami.
Tall tales
No doubt when Roethlisberger relates the story to his relatives some distant day in the future, they won't believe the part about the hurricane that had just departed or the ankle-deep water on the field.
"Talk about getting thrown into the fire," said Roethlisberger, using a not-so-fitting analogy.
It was more like getting thrown into a monsoon.
The field was so slick and the rain was so hard during the first half, it seemed unlikely either team would get much going on offense.
But the rain let up enough for Roethlisberger to find Plaxico Burress on a 42-yard reception that set up the first of two Jeff Reed field goals, a 40-yarder, and the Steelers never trailed.
In the second half, Roethlisberger finished the only touchdown drive of the game by hitting Hines Ward for a 7-yard score just inside the right front end-zone pylon on a perfectly thrown pass.
Call it the one perfect play of an imperfect game, but coach Bill Cowher liked what he saw of a quarterback who figures to be the starter for at least five more weeks as Tommy Maddox heals from a right elbow injury.
"He never lost his composure and he played liked I thought he would," Cowher said.
"This is a great learning experience. ... After the first play when he threw an interception, he bounced back and made good decisions and gave guys a chance to make some plays."
Quickly took control
With the Steelers' running game not doing much until late in the game, when the rain let up and Duce Staley got most of his 22 carries for 101 yards, Roethlisberger was forced to shoulder most of the offense for three quarters.
"It was rough for a little bit, but he held his own," Ward said. "He came out and did a tremendous job. He settled down. ... he played his heart out."
Ward also said the first-round draft pick didn't take long to take control of the huddle.
"For a rookie, I figured he was a little shy for little bit, but we have a great group of guys in the huddle," Ward said.
"If he's not saying anything to someone, someone else will take control and step up."
Roethlisberger said his teammates didn't treat him like a rookie.
"They'll come up to me with suggestions such as 'Speak up' or other little things that will make a difference," he said.
The Steelers will try now to do something they couldn't do a year ago: make something of consecutive home games following a 2-1 start.
A year ago, they were taken apart by Tennessee (30-13) and Cleveland (33-13) at home and went on to finish 6-10.
This time, they've got the Bengals (1-2) and Browns (1-2) the next two weeks in what would appear to be winnable games, even with a rookie quarterback leading them.