Ben Roethlisberger said he took complete blame for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but he also took the opportunity to publicly question offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s decision-making. Roethlisberger said he was disappointed that the team strayed away from the no-huddle in the second half and wondered why tight end Heath Miller was not more involved after his big first half.
Apparently Big Ben later realized that calling out one of his coaches in public was unprofessional.
“I actually came in (Monday) and apologized to Todd, apologized to Mike (Tomlin), apologized to Mr. (Dan) Rooney, just because I did let my frustrations jump out after a game,” Roethlisberger said Wednesday according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I don‘t usually do that, I usually keep it under control, (it was) just frustrations on myself. I‘ll be better at that.
“I apologized for the storm it created and caused.”
The fact that Roethlisberger has not been thrilled with Haley since the offseason is hardly a secret. However, the important thing to remember about Sunday’s loss to Dallas is that Roethlisberger threw a crucial interception in overtime that handed the Cowboys the ball in field goal range. You could argue that the Steelers could have avoided overtime with a better offensive plan in the second half, but Roethlisberger had the ball in his hands with a chance to win the game. Haley didn’t throw the interception.
As for the future, Haley and Roethlisberger need to find a way to work together if Pittsburgh hopes to make the playoffs. If the Steelers lose to the Bengals this weekend, the fans aren’t going to care if the issue was playcalling or execution.
H/T Around the League
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE
