In this series we’ve been trying to answer the question of who made who, AB or Big Ben?

We’ve looked at both of the guys in some detail, and there can be no question that they are both supremely talented players who are, perhaps, once-in-a-lifetime type talents.

But is one the beneficiary of the other’s greatness?

I have my opinion, and I guess it’s about time I got around to stating it. I promise you that by the end of this, I won’t pull a Hollywood cop-out and say ‘It was all just a dream” (or in this case, that they are both just great and make each other better, which of course they do.)

I will pick somebody.

But let me start with a little flashback to a Steelers Nation Unite chat session I was in last year…

It was a live chat with Darrius Heyward-Bey and I was lucky enough to have him answer one of my questions. I asked him what it was like working with Antonio Brown and if his work ethic was as incredible as we have been told.

I also asked if that carried over and inspired the rest of the receiving group.

“Yes, working with Big Ben and AB is awesome. Their hard work rubs off on everybody on the team. Simple as that,” was his response.

I could have posted that in the last version, but I didn’t, because it was noteworthy to me that even though I asked specifically about AB, DHB made sure to point out that it is both BEN and AB that make the impact.

I think an argument can be made that AB wouldn’t be AB without Ben, and while AB would still be great, maybe he wouldn’t be this great.

In the four games Ben didn’t play last year, AB averaged only 58.8 yards a game. In the others, with Ben, he’s averaged 135.1 yards a game.

That’s nearly double the output.

Okay, I admit, in Ben’s absence it wasn’t like AB was getting balls thrown to him from Drew Brees, or Philip Rivers or (puke) Tom Brady – it was Landry Jones and Michael Vick.

There is an argument to be made that with an above average (or maybe even average) quarterback, AB would have had better numbers. He almost certainly would have. I still maintain that without Ben, his numbers are still less than the other-worldly ones he is putting up now.

It is true that I don’t think AB is AB without Ben.

Let me say that in some ways the same is true in reverse. Without AB, without the chemistry that they have, Ben probably isn’t putting up the numbers he is. The trust he has in AB is special, and without it, he might not be willing to throw the ball into some of the places he does knowing AB will get it. With another receiver, even with some of the amazing throws he has made, they might not make those catches. These two guys feed off of each other and make each other better.

AB may not be AB without Ben, but Ben probably isn’t everything he is right now without AB either. It’s a symbiotic relationship and one we are blessed to be able to watch.

It’s the chemistry between these two: it’s something that doesn’t always happen between a quarterback and a receiver no matter how long they play together. It’s something that has been growing since the game where AB caught that ball off of his helmet against the Ravens. These guys have one mind. They know each other. They know with a look what to do, and where to go, and Ben trusts AB to make plays that he might not trust another receiver to make.

This is a magical combination, and one we are lucky to be able to watch.

I was lucky enough to see all of Lynn Swann and John Stallworth’s Steelers careers. The chemistry they had with Bradshaw was good, and in some ways similar to what Ben and AB have. But it wasn’t the same. These guys are just in sync, and we should enjoy it while it lasts.

But I’m not going to totally cop out and say that “they both are really awesome and let’s leave it at that” either.

Ben’s story is almost written, and if he retired today, I think he’s earned his place in the Hall of Fame.

AB’s story is still in the middle chapters. If he keeps this up, we will be looking at what will certainly be a Hall-worthy career.

The real test will be what happens to AB when Ben finally decides it’s time to retire. Will he be able to be the AB we all have come to expect, or will his numbers drop off dramatically?

To be honest, I expect neither of those things to happen. I expect him to drop off some, but still be a leading receiver in the league. I think he is a Hall of Fame talent in his own right. He has made himself into that kind of player. Even after Ben retires I expect AB to be great – just maybe not as great.

The truth is they are both special players, but Ben has a long ball acumen that is just different. His long ball accuracy is such that he puts the ball where nobody else can. AB gets the advantage of playing with a QB like that.

I know the argument can be made in the other direction, that Ben gets the advantage of a guy who catches everything that comes his way. I am giving the smallest of nods to Ben being a bigger advantage for AB than AB is for Ben.

The slightest.

Last year, an injured Ben Roethlisberger very nearly won a divisional playoff game without AB. AB would not have had that kind of impact on that game without Ben. Ben threw for 339 yards, going 24/37 with a QB rating of 94.3. No question, if AB was playing, those numbers probably would have been better. But AB wasn’t playing and he still had a great game.

I honestly believe that Ben made Mike Wallace. He should have given half that big contract he got in Miami to Ben, because he sure wasn’t the same receiver with Ben that he was without him.

I would say the same for Santonio Holmes, although by the time we traded him to the Jets, he was not the player he had been.

I love AB, and I honestly think he would be a potential Hall of Fame player with any elite quarterback, and maybe even with some less than elite ones. But he wouldn’t be as good as he is when he’s playing with 7.

So, while I don’t think it’s truly fair to say Ben made Antonio, I do think it’s fair to say that Antonio probably benefits more from playing with Ben than Ben does from playing with Antonio.

I think the next 3 years are going to be a pretty special time for the Steelers. Ben should be able to maintain and maybe even improve on his play during that time, and AB will only continue to get better. His influence could turn players like Martavis and Sammie and Eli into stars in their own right. Imagine what we might have in front of us if you had 3 AB-like receivers, all with speed, one with height, and Ben throwing to them?

Lord help the rest of the NFL.

I’ve seen this sentiment all over the place – “All I want for Christmas is for the Steelers to win the Super Bowl”.

I understand that, and I agree, but let me shout out one more wish – All I want for Christmas is for Kevin Colbert and the Steelers to find a way to keep these guys together for the next 4/5 years!

What a sight that will be!

I can’t imagine AB in anything but Black and Gold, and I don’t think he can either. As I’ve said repeatedly during this series, the chemistry between Ben and AB is special – special beyond my meager talents to explain. Let’s enjoy it while it lasts!

Until next time Nation!