Ben Roethlisberger Praises Several Former Ravens Stars

While Baltimore Ravens fans will never like the Pittsburgh Steelers, their former quarterback gave praise to several former adversaries that donned the Purple and Black

Jan 18, 2009; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is pushed into the ground by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (52) after a sack during the second half of the AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Don Wright-Imagn Images | Don Wright-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers have competed in some of the NFL's most violent, competitive, and best games over the last 20 years. Since 2004, the Steelers or Ravens have won the AFC North 15 times. The two franchises have also met in the postseason four times, with both teams winning two of those games. With a combined four Super Bowl appearances and three world championships in that span, the Steelers and Ravens have been two of the premier franchises in the NFL over the last 20 years.

What makes this rivalry what it is are the great players that compete on both sides. Several legends and Hall of Famers have donned both teams' colors. And as those players step away, the on-field hate grows into an even greater respect. That is certainly the case for former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who named several former Ravens as his toughest competitors in the latest edition of his podcast Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger.

"We talk about teams you play twice a year," Roethlisberger told Mel Blount. "And this is a guy that I faced, that came off the edge, that he intercepted me on screen passes, wide receiver screens - Terrell Suggs. He was up for the Hall of Fame this year. I thought he should have gotten in. I don't know how he didn't get in, but yeah, Terrell Suggs was just a wrecking ball because he could do so much. He beat you with speed, he beat you with power. He was long, and just an incredible competitor and athlete."

Roethlisberger also gave love to Ed Reed.

"Ed Reed was a guy that would line up over here, he'd line up over here, he'd be over here," Roethlisberger said. "I joked that I'd break the huddle up and be like 'Okay, Ed Reed's back there. He's 15 yards deep in the left hash.' And I'd kind of get everybody situated. I look up - where's Ed? Oh, now he's over here. Okay, all right. Ed's over here, and I got you. Okay, start your cadence. Ed's not there. Ed's over here on the line of scrimmage. Now I'm like, 'What is he doing?' And [his] ball skills... And if he did get the ball in his hands, it was probably gonna be a touchdown."

It's clear that the respect runs deep between the old foes, and that Big Ben has big respect for the superstars he used to face twice a year.

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