Mike Wallace | Larry Brown Sports

Ben Roethlisberger says he’s been begging Mike Wallace daily to stay with Steelers

Mike Wallace is a restricted free agent but the Steelers likely won’t be able to match an offer he receives. If the play-making wide receiver leaves Pittsburgh, it won’t be because the team didn’t show him love. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says he’s been begging Wallace daily to stay with the team.

“Nervous is not the word,” Big Ben replied when asked about the thought of Wallace leaving during an interview on WDVE Wednesday. “[I'm] scared to death. I communicate with Mike, I wake up every day and I’m like, ‘Mike, please don’t go anywhere. I’m begging you.’ I’m going to say right now over the radio ‘Don’t go anywhere Mike.’

“Mike is too good of a player, but Mike’s an even better person. He’s a great teammate, he’s a great guy, and he’s someone that we need to have here. I’ll be disappointed if he goes somewhere. I’ve got a good feeling that he’s not. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve just got a feeling he’s not going to go anywhere, but I’m still begging every day and praying that he doesn’t go anywhere.”

Unfortunately for Ben, it’s expected that Wallace will leave the Steelers. Pittsburgh has even less of a chance to retain him if the report that he’s looking for a contract greater than Larry Fitzgerald’s is true.

Below is audio from Roethlisberger’s interview on WDVE. He spends most of it talking about Hines Ward.

Thanks to Steelers Depot for the story and transcription.

Ravens’ Lardarius Webb: Antonio Brown is Better than Mike Wallace

If Mike Wallace is widely considered to be one of the best receivers in the NFL, then Antonio Brown must be right up there with Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, if you believe Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb. Even though Wallace is one of the fastest players in the game and an unbelievable deep threat, Webb is more impressed by Wallace’s teammate, Antonio Brown.

“Every time somebody asks me [a question], they’re always talking about Mike Wallace,” Webb said on Wednesday when asked about having to cover Wallace. “But they have a guy No. 84 in Antonio Brown who is better than 17 [Wallace] in all aspects of the game. He’s a great returner, a great wide receiver.”

Through eight games, Wallace has 43 catches, 800 yards, and 5 touchdowns. Brown, on the other hand, is having a more modest season and has caught 34 passes for 431 yards and one touchdown. Both receivers could turn out to be a huge part of the Pittsburgh offense for the coming years, but Wallace is obviously the superior talent at this point. Unless you ask Webb.

As ESPN’s Jamison Hensley noted, Webb’s praise of Brown is likely due to a past experience; Webb was burned by Brown for a 58-yard pass last season in the playoffs.

Brown is emerging as a legitimate option for Ben Roethlisberger, but I wouldn’t go grabbing him ahead of Wallace in fantasy leagues next season. In fact, I wouldn’t be drafting him ahead of about 30 other guys unless he absolutely tears it up over the final eight games.