Ben Roethlishberger blames coaching staff for loss

[Melrose Munch]

Ben Roethlisberger: Call to throw into end zone came from sideline
There are plenty of things from the Patriots’ 27-24 win over the Steelers being dissected on Monday morning, but the biggest may be the Steelers’ final offensive play of the game.
After a short completion to Darrius Heyward-Beyon the Patriots’ 7-yard-line with seconds to play, the Steelers rushed to the line for what many expected would be a spike to stop the clock and set up a game-tying field goal. Ben Roethlisberger took the snap and the Steelers offensive line stood up as if a spike were coming, but Roethlisberger pumped the ball and then tried a pass to Eli Rogerson a slant.
Patriots corner Eric Rowe broke up the pass and safety Duron Harmon intercepted it to seal the win for New England. After the game, Roethlisberger explained what happened in the moments leading up to the fateful play.

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[SpookyTsuki]

And if he got a touchdown?

 

[Dakota Sioux]

Didn’t realize the coaching staff threw that ball into triple coverage

 

[HoseEmDown]

The pass to Hayward-Bey was dumb by him too. With that little time left and no timeouts you shouldn't throw short unless you know they can get a TD or out of bounds. Should've thrown that away and so you had more time for the 3rd down play.

 

[tony d]

I think the bogus TD reversal really cost them. Still why don't you go for a field goal to close regulation instead of doing the pass which ended up as an INT.

 

[What the Faulk]

Still amazes me that we're several days removed from this and people still think the call was "bogus".

 

[mouser]

Ben's been throwing the coaching staff under the bus all season. He's not happy with Tomlin.

 

[YEM]

Still amazes me that we're several days removed from this and people still think the call was "bogus".

most people are casual fans and that play is a TD at each and every other level of football, including other professional leagues, except for the NFL

 

[DangleCity]

Still amazes me that we're several days removed from this and people still think the call was "bogus".

You call me crazy all the time when I say the national bias against the Pats is out of control, but this a prime example. The rule was 100% without a doubt enforced correctly but people honestly believe the refs blew the call cause it's the Patriots. The call we should all be talking about is the Dallas game when Dallas was giving a 1st down when the ball clearly was short.

 

[Canes]

You call me crazy all the time when I say the national bias against the Pats is out of control, but this a prime example. The rule was 100% without a doubt enforced correctly but people honestly believe the refs blew the call cause it's the Patriots. The call we should all be talking about is the Dallas game when Dallas was giving a 1st down when the ball clearly was short.

Granted some Pats haters will always say the league favors the Patriots no matter the situation but I think most of it in this situation comes from people having no clue of the rules and the incompetent sports media fueling the fire because they don't know the rules either.

 

[What the Faulk]

most people are casual fans and that play is a TD at each and every other level of football, including other professional leagues, except for the NFL

I don't see why that's a problem

For some context, it's good to look at the other levels of football.

The NCAA uses a similar rule to that of the NFL, including the mandate to "perform an act common to the game." Yet the vast majority of high schools use something different. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) football rule 2-4-1 says:

A catch is the act of establishing player possession of a live ball which is in flight, and first contacting the ground inbounds while maintaining possession of the ball or having the forward progress of the player in possession stopped while the opponent is carrying the player who is in possession and inbounds.

Essentially: Possession and a foot.

There was a time when I wished all three levels of football - NFHS, NCAA & NFL - used the same rulebook. But one of my mentors, a respected former college official, set me straight earlier this year explaining that every level of football is different and mandates a different rulebook.

As I watch and officiate more and more football from the eyes of an official, I understand exactly what he meant. I haven't officiated an NFL game, but I have officiated high school football and junior college football in Southern California. There is a dramatic difference between the two in size and speed of the players and speed of the game. Just the step from high school to junior college is a huge one.

It makes sense that NFHS would have a more simple rule, with thousands more officials to train and athletes who aren't as big, strong or fast. Watching a high school player attempt a reception, and watching defenders try to stop him, is like watching football in three-quarters speed compared to junior college. It's easier to be consistent and make split-second observations at "high school speed."

The NFL's catch rule is better than you think

 

[YEM]

well that one guy's random opinion sure does settle that

 

[What the Faulk]

well that one guy's random opinion sure does settle that

Cool, we're going to be pedantic about this today. That's always fun. Great points as always mmvvpp.

 

[c9777666]

Shouldn't have come to that.

Pittsburgh got jobbed- should have had a TD.

But the NFL's rule stupidity struck.

 

[What the Faulk]

Shouldn't have come to that.

Pittsburgh got jobbed- should have had a TD.

But the NFL's rule stupidity struck.

Nope, they didn't. It was acutakky a really good call. The NFL should be commended for the tough decision they made.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Shouldn't have come to that.

Pittsburgh got jobbed- should have had a TD.

But the NFL's rule stupidity struck.

The rule might be stupid, but it is the rule and the correct call was made. No one was jobbed.

 

[GKJ]

The rule, as it's written, was called correctly.

The rule, however, is v bad.

The worst rule is the stupid touchback on a fumble.

 

[reckoning]

I don't see this as Roethlisberger throwing the coaching staff under the bus. He's just stating a fact. Tomlin is a risk taker.

That play call last year at the end of the Christmas game against Baltimore was a similar situation; try a throw in the middle of the field with no timeouts left instead of kicking the field goal to send it to OT. If Brown couldn't make the extension, they lose and Tomlin gets roasted by the media. But since it worked, it's all good. Sometimes it doesn't work- live by the sword, die by the sword.

On the "controversial" call that overturned the TD, it was the correct call, but is still a stupid rule. If a player has possession when the ball crosses the goalline, it should be a touchdown. These replay reversals are reminiscent of the overturned goals in the NHL in the mid-90s because the tip of a players skate was in the crease.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Play was broken from start and Big Ben still decided to throw awful pass into triple coverage instead of throwing it away to take another chance or settle for FG

The pick is 100% on Roethlisberger

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

The most damning, frustrating thing is coming out of the review is the Steelers not being prepared and not having Bryant out there. They were not prepared for the call being over turned. That was clearly the case when Ben wanted to clock it on that 2nd play and Haley told him to run the play.
Ben should of either spiked it anyway or thrown it thru the goal posts when nothing was there
I think there is more mis trust/dislike between Ben and Haley then Ben and Tomlin

 

[GKJ]

Ben has never trusted Haley

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

Gee, I thought it was good catch by James. Caught it, went to a knee and then reached the ball forward...sure looks like a "football play" to me. And then breaking the plane of the goal line before losing control...should have been a touchdown.
Yea, I don't understand why the Steelers didn't spike the ball and then get organized. Yea, the defence gets organized too. Maybe Tomlin/Ben should have been prepared for the worse case scenario, the the James play was deemed an incomplete pass, and then gone through the best options for the next play with the clock starting almost immediately. There certainly was time to be prepared considering how long the James play was been judged.

 

[DangleCity]

Gee, I thought it was good catch by James. Caught it, went to a knee and then reached the ball forward...sure looks like a "football play" to me. And then breaking the plane of the goal line before losing control...should have been a touchdown.
Yea, I don't understand why the Steelers didn't spike the ball and then get organized. Yea, the defence gets organized too. Maybe Tomlin/Ben should have been prepared for the worse case scenario, the the James play was deemed an incomplete pass, and then gone through the best options for the next play with the clock starting almost immediately. There certainly was time to be prepared considering how long the James play was been judged.

If they spiked the ball it would have been 4th down

 

[Babe Ruth]

My opinion, if anything.. Ben should be criticizing the Steelers' secondary (& their coaching).
Covering Gronk is hard for any team/coaching staff. But he consistently puts a hundred yards on Pittsburgh. And got almost 170 yards in this game; that's wild for a TE. And the catch-after-catch final drive for Gronk, really made Pittsburgh's D look weak. It's a deal-breaking Achilles heel for Pittsburgh (vs. New England).

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

Losing Joe Haden really changed everything for that Steelers secondary.