Fact is Roethlisberger was a gamer. Not just in the stats but in the sheer guts. No losing seasons. 3 trips to the big dance. Lots of crazy 4th quarter drives. And just plain fun to watch. The only question to me is 1st ballot or not. Given the off the field stuff I’d say not 1st ballot.
I look at his (draft) contemporaries:
Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger. I assume that 1 might be left out in the cold by the HoF. Which? I figure Philip Rivers is on the outside looking in. Could they take all 3? Probably. These days they seem to. But I have 2 of them going and it’s a pick ‘em between which goes first, Eli or Ben.
Rivers probably takes the longest to get in. But he did put up amazing numbers and if he’d played for a team that didn’t suck might even have a ring. Eli gets in if only for ending the unbeaten season. Eli will go first if only for having the 2 year head start. He’s another probably not a 1st ballot guy, but 2nd or 3rd ballot at the latest.