Big Ben Tolling

Quarterback Carson Palmer, a California native, was Ohio's chosen son Sunday night, when he led the Bengals to a close primetime win against the Miami Dolphins.

Palmer's first home start coincided with the Queen City's own Oktoberfest, the largest in America, as thousands of attendants crowded downtown Zinzinnati for brats and beers, before joining the crowd in sold-out Paul Brown stadium to prove that Palmer was no cream puff.

One hundred fifty miles north, in the small city of Findlay, Ohio, forty thousand people also celebrated. They didn't care if the Bengals won. In fact, they wanted Cincinnati to falter in the fourth and slip down the division ladder.

Most everyone in Findlay is a Pittsburg Steelers fan.

The only Blumen-Kronen the people of Findlay cared about Sunday was the one passed from Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox -- who suffered a potentially season-ending elbow injury against the Ravens -- to rookie first-round selection Ben Roethlisberger, a Findlay native.

Roethlisberger threw two touchdowns and two interceptions against Baltimore's league-best defense in relief duty for Maddox, but his hometown retinue expects better.

In his senior year at Findlay High -- the only season he took the football field as a quarterback -- Roethlisberger threw for over 4,000 yards and accounted for an astonishing 61 touchdowns, earning Ohio's Division I Offensive Player of the Year. His sophomore and junior years, Roethlisberger was too busy to quarterback, earning all-district honors in basketball and baseball.

Splitting time as a senior, he still managed to bat .300 on the diamond and put up 26 points, nine rebounds, and five assists per game as a starting point guard.

When universities started calling from places like North Carolina and Florida, Roethlisberger decided to go with Miami -- in Oxford, Ohio. RedHawks coach Terry Hoeppner promised Roethlisberger, already 6'4", 200 pounds, a shot at playing quarterback. More appealing to Big Ben was the chance to visit his family and friends in Findlay on the weekends.

But, Findlay didn't interfere with Roethlisberger's visits to the football field. In three seasons at Miami -- only 38 games -- he managed eleven thousand total yards, a 65.5 completion percentage, 91 touchdowns, and 13 consecutive wins as a junior, capping his career with a 376 yard, four touchdown performance to lead the RedHawks to victory over Louisville in the GMAC Bowl.

Roethlisberger's performance as a junior garnered national attention, and his stock exploded as the 2004 NFL draft approached. Scouts loved his amalgam of size, speed, and composure. More impressive was Roethlisberger's development through limited experience -- he had started less than 50 games in high school and college and had never suffered a serious injury.

Ass the calendar moved toward the draft, however, despite once being projected as high as the first overall pick, Roethlisberger's stock -- inexplicably -- began to fall.

The media fell in love with two other quarterbacks -- Eli Manning and Philip Rivers.

Manning, brother of Peyton and son of Archie, had the pedigree and the awards to back up his impressive ability, while Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer, who held the first overall pick, had grown enamored with Rivers at the Senior Bowl.

Big Ben? Well, he was just -- big.

Too big, some scouts began to argue. He was mobile -- he logged a 4.7, 40-yard time at the combine -- but not mobile enough. Roethlisberger would have trouble playing under center, others said, because of his size. His delivery looked slow, even though it wasn't, and that was also a concern.

The warts piled up, and when the first ten picks passed on April 24th, Manning and Rivers among them, Roethlisberger was left sitting backstage in New York. Findlay, Ohio, held its collective breath.

Finally, Roethlisberger got a call from Steelers pro scout Phil Kreidler.

"It's unbelievable and a great opportunity," the Findlay native told ESPN.com of going to Pittsburgh with the 11th pick. But his hometown knew, in the back of his mind, Big Ben was ticking.

Manning and Rivers would both have solid chances to start for their new teams. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger would be buried behind veterans Tommy Maddox and Charlie Batch on the depth chart.

"It's a good situation we have with (Maddox) in front of him," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said.

The quarterback who needed game experience most would hold a clipboard for 2004.

"You can't simulate games in practice," Roethlisberger said.

Times change quickly in the NFL, however, and Big Ben will take the field next weekend against Miami, while Manning and Rivers hold the clipboards.

"It's kind of funny. They say, you get your feet wet," Roethlisberger said of his first NFL regular season action vs. the Ravens on Steelers.com. "I got my whole leg wet."

In the middle of three rivers, Roethlisberger will meet Carson Palmer and Cincinnati in week 4, when Ohio's chosen son will be looking to win his title back in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Forty thousand people in Findlay, Ohio, will be waving their Terrible Towels.

Not even in your fantasies...

While Roethlisberger is not a viable fantasy option at this point, he actually improves the value of several Pittsburgh players. Initially, Duce Staley should see an increase in carries as Cowher tries to ease Big Ben into the offense. That could mean more scoring opportunities for Staley and Jerome Bettis.

As the season develops, however, look for the Steelers to pass more than they would have with Maddox. Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress should both see a significant jump in the number of long passes thrown their way. The emergence of Roethlisberger makes Ward, already fantasy's best receiver through two weeks, even more appealing.