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Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was recently asked on his Footbahlin podcast who was the most underrated wide receiver that he played with in his NFL career. The future Hall of Famer named two receivers — Jerricho Cotchery and Mike Wallace.
“I’m going to feel bad because the show’s going to be over, I’m going to be like ‘Oh, I should have said so and so,” Roethlisberger said. “I would probably say, just off the top of my head, I thought Jerricho Cotchery was such a good, I didn’t get to play with him long enough, I wish I could have played with him a lot longer. I thought he was just a really good teammate, really good receiver, great slot guy. Really brought a lot to our team.
“And then one of the first ones that came to my head, and maybe people will disagree with me because maybe they’ll be like he got a lot of credit, but maybe that makes me feel like he should have got even more, was Mike Wallace. Burnell (Wallace’s birth name) was just, he could flat out run, but he could do more than just run fast. He was such a weap, he affected defenses even when he wasn’t catching passes. They were always like man, we got to know where that guy is. Safeties always had to be looking, always had to be deep. Maybe that’s not a good one, but I would say that Mike was very, very good receiver and maybe, in my opinion, didn’t get the credit he deserved.”
Cotchery played only three years with the Steelers (2011-2013), but he had a career-best year in terms of touchdowns with 10 in 2013.
Cotchery’s banner season with the Steelers in 2013 landed him a two-year, $5 million contract with the Panthers in 2014. Cotchery wasn’t a flashy receiver, but his workman-like approach was appreciated by all three teams that he played for in the NFL — the New York Jets, Steelers and Carolina Panthers.
In 2017, Cotchery joined the Panthers coaching staff as the assistant wide receivers coach. He is currently the head coach at Division II Limestone University in South Carolina.
Wallace had a completely different playing style than Cotchery, as he was a speedster. In just four years as a Steeler (2009-2012), Wallace sco(red 32 touchdowns and averaged 17.1 yards per reception.
The most noticeable play of his career was when he caught a 19-yard game-winner at the buzzer from Roethlisberger against the Green Bay Packers in 2009. Wallace’s 95-yard touchdown reception against the Arizona Cardinals in 2011 was another standout play during his time in the Black and Gold.
Wallace was a star in Pittsburgh, but it was for just a short amount of time. He signed a massive contract with the Miami Dolphins in free agency in 2013, but he never had the same kind of success in Miami, Minnesota, Baltimore or Philadelphia, compared to his time in Pittsburgh.
Ben to Wallace at the buzzer #TBT
— Steelers History (@SteelersHistory) November 9, 2023
: #GBvsPIT 11/12 at 1 PM ET on CBS pic.twitter.com/HLuy3wbDgY
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