NFL

Big Ben glad to take heat on field

After the longest offseason of his life, even the boos sounded sweet to Ben Roethlisberger last night at New Meadowlands Stadium.

The scandal-scarred Steelers quarterback saw his first live action since NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handed down a six-game suspension in April, and neither a hostile reaction from Giants fans nor a mediocre performance were going to dim Roethlisberger’s postgame demeanor.

In fact, Roethlisberger was almost giddy as he stood in front of his locker after starting and taking 19 snaps in the Steelers’ 24-17 preseason win over the Giants.

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“I would have gone the whole game if they’d let me,” Roethlisberger said after completing 6 of 8 throws for 76 yards with a sack and an interception. “From the standpoint of getting a feel for the field and the speed of it [again], it went good.”

Apparently concerned about the reception Roethlisberger would get at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field after his second sex-related incident in less than a year prompted Goodell’s hammer, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin hadn’t used Big Ben at all in the preseason opener last week.

It might sound illogical, but the road was considered a more hospitable spot for Roethlisberger’s preseason debut. The announced crowd of 76,469 was more interested in how the Giants looked, creating a low-pressure evening for the Pittsburgh passer.

“It was great to see him out there,” Steelers safety Troy Polamalu said. “I’m sure he felt even better about it after a definitely unique offseason.”

Even so, Roethlisberger admitted to a few knots in his stomach in warmups and on the Steelers’ first series.

Roethlisberger didn’t have to wait long for some contact as the Steelers’ patchwork offensive line had him scrambling almost from the outset.

That pressure contributed to Roethlisberger’s biggest mistake of the night, an underthrown deep ball on the Steelers’ second series for wideout Mike Wallace that was picked off by Corey Webster.

But Roethlisberger quickly bounced back, using up almost eight minutes on the next series to march the Steelers to the Giants’ 6-yard line before the lone sack he endured helped to force a field goal.

Roethlisberger then somewhat grudgingly gave way to Byron Leftwich, who is expected to be his replacement during the suspension.

“If we’d stayed in there, we could have done some pretty good things,” Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger also is waiting — perhaps in vain — to hear if Goodell is going to follow through on his anticipated decision to reduce the suspension to four games.

“It’s on his time,” he said of Goodell. “Whenever he feels like he wants to say something, I’m sure I’ll be one of the first to know.”

bhubbuch@nypost.com