Scott Brown, ESPN Pittsburgh Steelers reporter 9y

Mutual respect, admiration between Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger lavished praise on the player who will be his counterpart Sunday at Heinz Field.

And Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck couldn’t say enough good things about Roethlisberger.

“His ability to extend plays is incredible [and] maybe the best in the league what he does in finding an open guy if something breaks down,” Luck said. “I know as a quarterback if you can [do] that every now and then, it can be demoralizing for a defense, and he certainly does a great job at it.”

Luck, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 NFL draft, has been demoralizing teams with his right arm. The third-year quarterback has passed for more than 300 yards in five consecutive games, tying a Colts record held by Peyton Manning.

Luck leads the NFL with 333 passing yards per game.

“He’s emerging as one of the best in the league, and I think a lot of us saw that coming,” Roethlisberger said. “I always enjoy watching other quarterbacks because anything you can take, whether they’re older or younger, and use it in your game, I think you’ve got to do it. Hopefully he has a bad day because our defense is playing well.”

Roethlisberger is hoping to play enough well enough to deliver a victory, one that would leave the Steelers with a 5-3 record at the halfway point of the season, and reach a career milestone.

Roethlisberger will try to win his 100th career game on Sunday, and the 11th-year quarterback would join some pretty exclusive company.

If Roethlisberger beats the Colts, he will become just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to win 100 games in 150 or fewer starts, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Sunday will be Roethlisberger's 150th start.

The only other players to accomplish that feat are Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.

“Amazing, great football player,” Luck said of Roethlisberger. “I know when I was a rookie, I watched a lot Steelers tape to try and learn [former Steelers and Colts offensive coordinator] Bruce Arians’ offense and ended up watching a lot of Ben and the things he does, did [and] still does. So a ton of respect for how he plays football."

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