Roethlisberger travels long road in record time

AMID all the whooping and the hollering, one man was strangely subdued.

Ben Roethlisberger had just become the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl, yet all he could do was stare at the floor of the Pittsburgh Steelers' locker room in Ford Field.

Around him buzzed jubilant team-mates, while the world's media waited, with microphones poised, to record anything Roethlisberger had to say.

Yet still he just sat there.

Perhaps he was suffering some personal disappointment at the way he played, because Roethlisberger collected his ring despite a poor display by his own high standards.

'Big Ben' made nine-of-21 passes and threw two interceptions for 123 yards as he struggled to get going.

But he still came up with a couple of key plays to get the Steelers started. The first came with Steelers on third-and-28 and 3-0 down in the second quarter.

The Seahawks' defence was gathering momentum, but Roethlisberger turned things around with a 37-yard pass to Hines Ward on the Seahawks' three-yard line.

That set up his second key play as he dived into the end zone for the first touchdown, despite a review in which replays seemed to show the ball did not break the plane.

The other side of Roethlisberger's performance was shown when he threw a costly interception into the arms of Kelly Herndon at the Seattle four-yard line. It had appeared Pittsburgh were about to take a decisive 21-3 lead. Instead, Seattle scored on the resulting drive and the game was back in the balance at 14-10.

"That was one where my mind was telling me to throw it over the top and my arm didn't throw it over the top," Roethlisberger later said.

Pittsburgh's victory caps a rapid rise for 23-year-old Roethlisberger, who has trodden an unusual route to Super Bowl glory.

In high school, he played wide out until his final year, because his coach at Findlay High School, Ohio, went with his son at quarterback instead.

"It was frustrating," said Roethlisberger. "At the time I was a little upset about it, a little bit frustrated but you accept your role. His son wound up going to college to play receiver, and I went to college to play quarterback.

"I look at it now, and I think if I'd have played quarterback in my junior year I probably would have gone to a bigger school and I might not have made it to the NFL and made it here so I'm just happy to be here now."

Roethlisberger turned pro after winning the Mid-American Conference championship as a junior, but had to wait until the 11th pick to be drafted by the Steelers. He had been expected to go higher, so despite achieving his dream of reaching the NFL was he disappointed?

"Yes, definitely. That was a comedown," he said.

"That first year I was like, 'Man, I can't believe that' but I just felt that 'Hey, there's a reason for that' so I let it go, and it's worked out.

As the Seahawks failed to capitalise on the Steelers' mistakes, Roethlisberger's nerves no doubt settled and the Pittsburgh defence held firm in the final quarter. It was not the way Roethlisberger pictured himself winning the game, but the result will be the thing he remembers.

"When you think about the Super Bowl you imagine yourself coming out and playing your best football and it wasn't that way," he said.

"I couldn't get it done throwing the ball today for whatever reason. But we got the win, and that's all that matters. Boy, it feels so good."

What should also have felt good for Roethlisberger is the long-awaited shave he had yesterday. He began to grow his beard to fend off the harsh Pennsylvania winters, but it became a superstition to keep it through the play-off run. Behind it is a fresh-faced young quarterback the youngest ever to win the Super Bowl.

The Steelers' 21-10 victory was their record-tying fifth Superbowl, their first since 1980 and the first ever for Jerome Bettis and coach Bill Cowher.

"It's been an incredible ride," according to Bettis.

It was sweet validation for Cowher, with the longest tenure in the NFL in his 14th season as coach. Having lost a Super Bowl, 10 years ago, to Dallas, he was in tears as he embraced Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren.

"A lot of people tell you can't do it, but you know what, it doesn't mean you don't go out and try," Cowher said. "History was not going to determine our fate. Our effort today decided this game.

"This is a special group of coaches, a special group of players. I was one small part of this."

Pittsburgh have now tied San Francisco and Dallas with its five Super Bowl titles.

Perhaps the most special moment for Cowher came when he presented the Vince Lombardi Trophy to 73-year-old owner Dan Rooney.

"I've been waiting a long time to do this," Cowher said. "This is yours, man."

"This is a tough pill to swallow," Seahawks coach Holmgren said, "but we accomplished a lot this year. While you don't have a great feeling after a game like this, I want them to remember this feeling, so they can build on it."