When will ESPN catch on?

Cold Hard Football Facts is loaded with good stuff.

The freaky Goth chicks of the gridiron

Contrary to popular belief, Ben Roethlisberger ranks pretty high all-time among QBs. He is seventh in passer rating and eight in post-season passer rating.

In the play-offs Big Ben is just behind Troy Aikman and Tom Brady and ranks higher than Steve Young and Brett Favre.

Only five QBs make both lists. Young is interesting because of the dramatic drop-off between regular season and play-offs. He is the anti-Montana on that score: #16 actually did better in the post-season than in regular season games. (Montana joins Bart Starr, Kurt Warner, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman in that elite club).

As CHFF notes, the QB rating is highly correlated with winning. When Big Ben has a rating above 100, the Steelers are 29-1. It is a far better predictor of victory than the sexy fantasy stats.

The Steelers are 3-5 when Ben passes for more than 300 yards.

They are 6-4 when he has three or more TD passes.

Another overlooked statistic. Hines Ward is tied for 4th all time in post-season receptions. It is quite possible that he will pass Thurman Thomas,, Andre Reed and Michael Irvin this year if the Steelers make another playoff run.