FOXBOROUGH — Brian Hoyer spent the past few days at Patriots practice playing the role of Ben Roethlisberger, a task he joked would necessitate he “grow a few inches’’ and “put a few pounds on’’ to truly fill out the thick, towering profile of the Steelers quarterback. Hoyer makes a more believable facsimile of Patriots teammate Tom Brady, whose lanky, narrow frame would fit inside Roethlisberger’s, with room to spare.
Truth is, neither Brady nor Roethlisberger has had much need for backup quarterbacks through their many NFL years, a fact that isn’t simply remarkable in an age when quarterback shelf life is shrinking by the week, but even more notable when the two get set to take the field together. If Sunday’s monumental meeting in Pittsburgh is rightfully billed as the biggest game of the season to date because of the playoff implications it holds, so too should it be hailed as a clash of the quarterback titans, an amazing intersection of two of the best players of their generation, a reason to stop and appreciate how long and how well each man has played the position for his franchise.
“I think those guys have been the faces of their respective teams, they’ve played big in big situations, they’ve been there, there in uniform,’’ Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater marveled this past week. “You know 7 and 12 are going to be there on Sunday and beat whoever they line up against.
“It’s very impressive. Obviously the good Lord has given them some good health over the years, which is a blessing, but the way they work, the way they prepare, the way they compete, they both have played through injuries, they both showed a great deal of toughness, and they’ve both been so consistent for their respective franchises, and I think that speaks a lot to their greatness. Availability is often times more important than ability and those guys have been there game after game and year after year for their teams.’’
The mutual admiration society welcomed all members across a week of pregame hype, from coaches Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin to players on both sides, and through the words of both quarterbacks themselves. For Brady, it was the way Roeth lisberger has stood so tall in his pocket, using his 6-foot-5-inch, 240-pound body like a battering ram in some moments and like a snake in others, sloughing off tacklers as if he was brushing off lint, wiggling out of grasps as if he was 50 pounds lighter, all the while keeping his eyes and arm trained on a downfield target, still able to complete a play.
“He’s a hell of a player,’’ Brady said. “I’ve always loved his style. It’s pretty unique — big guy that extends a lot of plays and tosses guys off and chucks the ball down the field. He’s got great command and great leadership and hangs in there, he’s tough, and [I] always really liked the way he plays.
“He’s won two Super Bowls, so he does a great job, and he’s been impressive to watch.’’
Of course the two Super Bowls is where they diverge. Brady has won five. For Roethlisberger, that head-to-head statistic hangs over his head, stays there forever unless he manages to win a third Super Bowl by going through the Patriots, which he didn’t have to do in winning it all in 2005 and 2008. For all of the amazing statistical comparison here — ESPN noted this first meeting between quarterbacks each having more than 50,000 career passing yards and multiple Super Bowl wins — Brady’s career 7-2 record against Roethlisberger, including the playoffs, tips the scale. Even Roethlisberger calls him the best, gushing this past week about receiving a signed jersey from Brady that mentioned their longstanding friendship and mutual respect.
“Coming from a guy like that, it means a lot,’’ Roethlisberger said. “I think he’s supremely talented. His preparation is second to none. His ability to see a football field is second to none. I think it also helps to have stability. Having just one coach, that stability really goes a long way. When you understand a system as long as he has and I have, you’re able to really kind of make it yours. I just think having all those things combined are just a few of the reasons that make him the greatest.’’
Each of them is part of this great generation of quarterbacks, bridging the Brett Favre-Peyton Manning days gone by to the Dak Prescott-Carson Wentz ones to come, standing tall in a season that has forced the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck, Carson Palmer, Deshaun Watson, and most recently Wentz to the sidelines with injuries.
It’s rare enough to have one quarterback of this stature on the field any given Sunday — when two of them collide, it’s something extra special. As they meet, Brady’s Patriots are No. 2 in the AFC standings (10-3) and he is No. 1 in NFL passing yards (3,865), while Roethlisberger’s Steelers are No. 1 in the AFC standings (11-2) and he is No. 2 in NFL passing yards (3,744).
That’s why Tomlin was comfortable saying out loud what Belichick never would, that Sunday’s game is a mere Part 1 to an eventual AFC Championship rematch. That the right to host that potential game could hang on Sunday’s outcome is one of the many reasons the stakes are plenty high. Or maybe it’s just that this could be it.
If Roethlisberger is serious about the retirement hints he’s been dropping, if he returns to the post-Week 5 shell of himself who’d thrown five interceptions in a loss to Jacksonville and wondered if he maybe he didn’t “have it anymore,’’ if either team falters on the way to their anticipated AFC Championship appointment, might this be the final clash of these two titans?
Just another reason to savor it.
Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at tara.sullivan@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @Globe_Tara.
