Bruce Arians still has plenty of love for Ben Roethlisberger. Offensive coordinator and quarterback for several seasons and sharing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ sideline for many more, Arians credits Roethlisberger for playing his best football when the moments mattered most. So much so that if Arians ever needed a game-winning drive and could pick any quarterback to do it, it’d be Roethlisberger. Sorry, Tom Brady.

“In big games, I’d take him over all of them,” Arians said appearing on the Pat McAfee Show Monday, revealed as a now-weekly guest on his show.

Arians coached in Pittsburgh from 2004-2011 and served as Roethlisberger’s offensive coordinator for his final five seasons. Over that span, Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls. In Super Bowl XL, Roethlisberger made plays but the game was won on the backs of Pittsburgh’s running game and elite defense. In Super Bowl XLII, Roethlisberger played a central role. After the Steelers’ defense gave up the lead on a long touchdown by WR Larry Fitzgerald, Roethlisberger led Pittsburgh on an eight-play, 78-yard drive that took barely more than two minutes. Capped off by one of football’s greatest throws, Roethlisberger perfectly placing a corner pocket pass to WR Santonio Holmes for the touchdown and win.

“He’s the only one that I’ve had that had to go 92 yards to win the Super Bowl,” Arians said. “And he won. And Hines shouldn’t even been in the game. His knee was gone. Nate [Washington] had a separated shoulder. He only had two guys that could catch Santonio and Heath. And of course he kept feeding Tone.”

Though officially a 78-yard net drive, a Chris Kemoeatu holding call backed the Steelers up, all the way to their own 12 after . That officially made it an 88-yard drive. Ward was nearing the end of his career and playing through a badly sprained MCL injury. Nate Washington had a bad shoulder, which might’ve been new information from Arians. A quick look at the archives makes no mention of Washington playing hurt that night. Combined, Ward and Washington finished with just three catches for 54-yards.

Roethlisberger’s favorite targets were TE Heath Miller (5 for 57) and Santonio Holmes (9 for 131 and a touchdown). On that final drive, five of Roethlisberger’s attempts went Holmes’ way. He completed four of them. Fans remember the touchdown most, but a 40-yard completion two plays prior put Pittsburgh in range. The only incompletion was a pinpoint Roethlisberger throw that skimmed right through Holmes’ hands. He made up for it on the next play.

Holmes was named MVP for his catch. Arians thinks it should’ve gone the other way.

“The throw was better,” Arians said when McAfee remarked what the great catch Holmes made. “Ben should have been MVP. I’m still pissed about it.”

Arians stopped short of calling Roethlisberger the greatest quarterback ever and made clear his comments referred to big-game moments. But if clutch moments define quarterbacks – and they certainly do – there shouldn’t be much separation between the two in Arians’ mind.

For his career, Roethlisberger put up clutch numbers. He still ranks third all-time in comebacks (41), is tied with Drew Brees for third in game-winning drives (53), and was never one to shy away from embracing a memorable moment.

Arians might have a point about Roethlisberger being MVP. But when you win a Super Bowl, the individual accolades fall by the wayside. No one remembers the individual awards. The Lombardi? Those memories? They last forever.