The Pittsburgh Steelers are primarily known for their history of stellar defenses. But they’ve also had some excellent players on offense, including Ben Roethlisberger, arguably the greatest quarterback in Steelers history. Many people don’t consider Roethlisberger one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. However, Dave Dameshek recently made the case that Roethlisberger is a better all-time quarterback than New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees.
“Drew Brees is more circumstantial, in my opinion, than Ben Roethlisberger is…” Dameshek said on his Football America podcast. “Ben Roethlisberger with Sean Payton? Brees obviously benefits from that. Playing in a dome… I’ll make my case for Roethlisberger.
“Fourth-quarter comebacks, I actually did the homework on this. His fourth-quarter comeback rate is higher, 16.5 percent of the games he rallied in. Brees’ [was] only 12.5. That’s significant over the course of a career. He was a better deep-ball thrower, 11.7 yards per completion versus 11.2. Again, that doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is over the course of 18 or 20 seasons in pro football. Then, he was better in the postseason.
Roethlisberger played from 2004-2021, while Brees’ career spanned from 2001-2020. They played in the same era, so it’s a fair comparison.
Most people would probably rank Brees above Roethlisberger. He’s ahead of Roethlisberger in nearly every major statistical category. Brees finished with 80,358 passing yards, 571 touchdown passes, and 243 interceptions. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger threw for 64,088 yards, 418 touchdown passes, and 211 interceptions. Brees briefly held the NFL record for career passing yards.
However, Dameshek argues that the Saints’ system was instrumental in Brees’ gaudy stats, which is fair to an extent. Payton, one of the NFL’s best offensive minds, was Brees’ head coach for basically all of his time in New Orleans. Payton’s offense remains potent today as the Denver Broncos’ head coach.
Brees’ career would’ve been different without Payton. But he was a solid quarterback before he was a Saint, winning Comeback Player of the Year in 2004 with the San Diego Chargers. Even so, Payton’s coaching and scheme certainly elevated Brees.
Meanwhile, other factors worked in Roethlisberger’s favor. He began his career in a great situation with the Steelers. Roethlisberger was the final piece added to a loaded roster, which is why he was able to compete in the playoffs so early in his career. While Roethlisberger had more postseason success than Brees, that was more about the team. Roethlisberger was a key component, but he wasn’t the sole reason why Pittsburgh won games.
Maybe Roethlisberger would’ve had statistical success comparable to Brees if he spent most of his career paired with an offensive genius. However, you could also argue that Brees would’ve had more postseason accomplishments if he were surrounded by the talent Roethlisberger was.
There are good arguments to be made for either quarterback to be better than the other. Dameshek’s status as a Steelers fan might be influencing his opinion here. However, it’s undeniable that Roethlisberger was one of the best quarterbacks of his generation, and he’ll find himself in the Pro Football Hall of Fame alongside Brees one day.
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