Cook: Loss leaves Big Ben in agony

[stillers4me]

It's nice that Ben Roethlisberger stood up and took blame for the Steelers loss Sunday to the Cincinnati Bengals. It's nice that he went to many teammates in the locker room to say, "I'm sorry I let you down." It's nice that he told the media later, "They need more play and better play from the quarterback."

You expect nothing less from Roethlisberger.

"That's what captains and quarterbacks do," Steelers safety Ryan Clark said.

What you couldn't possibly have expected was that Roethlisberger would come up so small in such a big game. It wasn't just his interception in the final 24 seconds that led to the Bengals' 13-10 win or his interception in the first quarter that was returned for the Bengals' only touchdown. He was awful the whole game.

A few questions:
What has happened to Roethlisberger?..........


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/ron-cook/cook-loss-leaves-big-ben-in-agony-

[zulater]

"I told Ben it wasn't all on him," Clark said. "It's never on one player because it's never all about one play ...
"We just never meshed everything together as a team. When the defense played well, we needed the special teams or the offense to make a play and it didn't happen. There were other games when we as a defense didn't get it done. The Oakland game ... we couldn't stop them and they couldn't stop our offense. That's why we're in this position. We all contributed to this."
The Steelers offensive line had a rough day. Roethlisberger took a fierce pounding and was sacked four times. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins, with 2 1/2 sacks, had his way with rookie guard David DeCastro.
"Probably going to be tough to sleep tonight," DeCastro said.

"It's not just all on Ben," Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey said. "It's not like he was out there by himself."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/...#ixzz2FypJj7vx

As fans sometimes we need to understand as bad as this hurts us it hurts most of these guys 100 times more.

Glad to see Ben's teammates got his back and appreciate what he's given this team over the years. too bad the same doesn't hold true for many of the fans.

[SteelerFanInStl]

Glad to see Ben's teammates got his back and appreciate what he's given this team over the years. too bad the same doesn't hold true for many of the fans.

Exactly! Hard to believe some of the crap that I've read on here recently.

[polamalubeast]

As fans sometimes we need to understand as bad as this hurts us it hurts most of these guys 100 times more.

Glad to see Ben's teammates got his back and appreciate what he's given this team over the years. too bad the same doesn't hold true for many of the fans.

I agree with you

And this is probably the worst moment of Roethlisberger since 2006

[BnG_Hevn]

It's all lip service from BR. Of course he'll point to himself, question is does he actually mean it.

I can't stand it when players "screw up" and pat their chest like it means something to acknowledge what everyone already knows.

As far as it "coming down to 1 or 2 plays", well, Ben gets accolades when he is clutch, so now he gets the criticism when the screws up.

[zulater]

It's all lip service from BR. Of course he'll point to himself, question is does he actually mean it.

I can't stand it when players "screw up" and pat their chest like it means something to acknowledge what everyone already knows.

As far as it "coming down to 1 or 2 plays", well, Ben gets accolades when he is clutch, so now he gets the criticism when the screws up.

How's it "lip service"? You think he doesn't understand he lost that game almost single handed? That he has to carry this with him for a whole offseason. You don't think he hurts worse than any of us?

Go ahead and berate his play yesterday. That's more than fair.

But this whole thought that seem to be creeping into Steelers fans heads that Ben is no longer elite or capable of taking this team on a Super Bowl run is mind boggling to me!

9 years in the league, 3 times the Steelers have gone to the Super Bowl with him as a starting quarterback, and that's all meaningless today?

Right.

so tell me what's your life accomplishments?

[BnG_Hevn]

How's it "lip service"? You think he doesn't understand he lost that game almost single handed? That he has to carry this with him for a whole offseason. You don't think he hurts worse than any of us?

Go ahead and berate his play yesterday. That's more than fair.

But this whole thought that seem to be creeping into Steelers fans heads that Ben is no longer elite or capable of taking this team on a Super Bowl run is mind boggling to me!

9 years in the league, 3 times the Steelers have gone to the Super Bowl with him as a starting quarterback, and that's all meaningless today?

Right.

so tell me what's your life accomplishments?

I would never argue that Ben isn't elite ... or that he is a drama queen. IMO, you take the good with the bad. After the plays he made in the SB vs Arizona "noone" can argue that, overall, he isn't clutch.

What I'm saying is that when you're clutch you get the praise. When you screw up you get the criticism. That is the price for being in the spotlight.

What I AM saying is that it sickens me to see players "take the blame" .... but who cares? I'd rather he not screw up in the first place but that goes without saying.

Also, if he can't make throws due to not being physically able then DON'T PLAY THE GAME. Sit until you CAN play.

[zulater]

I would never argue that Ben isn't elite ... or that he is a drama queen. IMO, you take the good with the bad. After the plays he made in the SB vs Arizona "noone" can argue that, overall, he isn't clutch.

What I'm saying is that when you're clutch you get the praise. When you screw up you get the criticism. That is the price for being in the spotlight.

What I AM saying is that it sickens me to see players "take the blame" .... but who cares? I'd rather he not screw up in the first place but that goes without saying.

Also, if he can't make throws due to not being physically able then DON'T PLAY THE GAME. Sit until you CAN play.

Thanks for clarifying.

All fair points. But I still prefer a mea culpa when you screw up in life.

[Devilsdancefloor]

i kinda see where you would wonder if it is lip service or genuine, cause i really think what comes from coach T at times is lip service or it is beginning to feel that way.

[zulater]

i kinda see where you would wonder if it is lip service or genuine, cause i really think what comes from coach T at times is lip service or it is beginning to feel that way.

Unless every Steeler beat reporter is lying or a Hemmingway in the making I would say it's quite genuine.

Now if you want to ask will Ben do the things asked of him and that are neccessary in the offseason to see this doesn't happen again, well I guess I can see that point.

But 9 years into his career and to question whether Ben is a true competitor, which in my opinion lip service in this situation would imply, just doesn't jive with me.

Sorry I don't mean to offend anyone else's opinion. But I stand strong in the opinion that Ben's after game emotions were genuine.

[BnG_Hevn]

Unless every Steeler beat reporter is lying or a Hemmingway in the making I would say it's quite genuine.

Now if you want to ask will Ben do the things asked of him and that are neccessary in the offseason to see this doesn't happen again, well I guess I can see that point.

But 9 years into his career and to question whether Ben is a true competitor, which in my opinion lip service in this situation would imply, just doesn't jive with me.

Sorry I don't mean to offend anyone else's opinion. But I stand strong in the opinion that Ben's after game emotions were genuine.

That's your first mistake.

Giving lip service, IMO, has nothing to do with wanting to win (competitiveness), it is a matter of "going through the motions" b/c that is what is expected of him. The question is if today's sports / players weren't so scrutinized for "what they say and how they say it", would he have muttered a word about it?

I may be wrong, obviously noone outside of Ben's "circle" knows the truth. I'm just tired of seeing players screwing up on the field and pointing to themselves as though acknowledging what they did / didn't do gives them a free pass. That primarily comes from other games I've seen lately, not necessarily a Steelers' game.

[jmen09]

It's nice that Ben Roethlisberger stood up and took blame for the Steelers loss Sunday to the Cincinnati Bengals. It's nice that he went to many teammates in the locker room to say, "I'm sorry I let you down." It's nice that he told the media later, "They need more play and better play from the quarterback."

You expect nothing less from Roethlisberger.

"That's what captains and quarterbacks do," Steelers safety Ryan Clark said.

What you couldn't possibly have expected was that Roethlisberger would come up so small in such a big game. It wasn't just his interception in the final 24 seconds that led to the Bengals' 13-10 win or his interception in the first quarter that was returned for the Bengals' only touchdown. He was awful the whole game.

A few questions:
What has happened to Roethlisberger?..........


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/ron-cook/cook-loss-leaves-big-ben-in-agony-

Todd Haley happened......

[SteelerEmpire]

This has got to be the worse offense I've ever seen this team have. Hopefully it's just adapting to the new Haley offense, but I'm suspecious it's just bad football by the team.

[Count Steeler]

It is up to the coaches to work with Ben to get him to where he was pre injury. We had a consistent O Line, 3 games with a 100 yard rusher, Ben looked sharp. The receivers were a little wanting throughout the year. Hope that is just adjusting to a new offense and adjusting to teams getting used to them.

[Edman]

I know I'll likely catch hell for this but...

Hey, Ben. How about making an effort to get your teammates and your offense on page with you, instead of heaping all of the blame on yourself for whatever goes wrong?

I think this is all a part of some intricate 'Superhero' complex he's carrying. Ben wants all the praise when he succeeds so he can say "It wasn't all me, we did this". When the offense fails, he'll happily blame himself, but doesn't make an effort to get his offense in line so they don't make the same mistakes and failures again. This team has lacked a leader, and it seems Ben is not that great a leader if he doesn't ever want to hold his teammates accountable for their constant screw ups.

I believe this is all lip service for his lazy habits. He better come back with a vengeance next year.

[Seven]

I know I'll likely catch hell for this but...

Hey, Ben. How about making an effort to get your teammates and your offense on page with you, instead of heaping all of the blame on yourself for whatever goes wrong?

I think this is all a part of some intricate 'Superhero' complex he's carrying. Ben wants all the praise when he succeeds so he can say "It wasn't all me, we did this". When the offense fails, he'll happily blame himself, but doesn't make an effort to get his offense in line so they don't make the same mistakes and failures again. This team has lacked a leader, and it seems Ben is not that great a leader if he doesn't ever want to hold his teammates accountable for their constant screw ups.

I believe this is all lip service for his lazy habits. He better come back with a vengeance next year.

What lazy habits? I keep hearing about these lazy habits he has and it never shows up on the field. Or hasn't for a couple seasons at least. He is in the best shape I've seen him in since maybe his second season just by the eye test. He ran this offense excellently prior to his injury. Anyone who still thinks "he can't read defenses" after the insane proficiency he showed this year is full of shit. And this misnomer that he doesn't study film has been refuted time and time again by people close to the situation. So what lazy habits are you talking about exactly?

[Edman]

What lazy habits? I keep hearing about these lazy habits he has and it never shows up on the field. Or hasn't for a couple seasons at least. He is in the best shape I've seen him in since maybe his second season just by the eye test. He ran this offense excellently prior to his injury. Anyone who still thinks "he can't read defenses" after the insane proficiency he showed this year is full of shit. And this misnomer that he doesn't study film has been refuted time and time again by people close to the situation. So what lazy habits are you talking about exactly?

This last Sunday demonstrates it best.

We have a must-win game. Steelers are in a do or die situation to survive, and our STAR QB responds with his worst game of the season. We lose, miss the postseason, and are on pace for the first losing season since 2003.

To be so ill-prepared for such a game when your team needs you the most, is inexcusable. Like I said, If Ben scraps his lackadaisy attitude and develops an adherence for losing instead of trying to make buddy-buddy with everyone, then chances are this doesn't happen.

[Seven]

This last Sunday demonstrates it best.

We have a must-win game. Steelers are in a do or die situation to survive, and our STAR QB responds with his worst game of the season. We lose, miss the postseason, and are on pace for the first losing season since 2003.

To be so ill-prepared for such a game when your team needs you the most, is inexcusable. Like I said, If Ben scraps his lackadaisy attitude and develops an adherence for losing instead of trying to make buddy-buddy with everyone, then chances are this doesn't happen.

Again, I don't see any "lazy habits" being named there. Did he play poorly at the worst possible time? Sure. But I don't think calling him ill-prepared is fair. I can buy into your "super hero complex" trait somewhat, though.