After Monday’s disappointing 23-17 loss to the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did exactly what you thought he would.
Roethlisberger stepped up to the virtual podium after the game and fell on his sword for the Steelers offensive failings. This is what a leader does but we need to think about how much is warranted and how much is simply posturing by Big Ben.
In the big picture, the problems with the Steelers offense is not Roethlisberger’s fault. For two straight weeks, his skill players have let him down with nearly 20 drops in two games. This puts Roethlisberger in a tough spot when he drops back and wonders which guy he can count on to make a play.
It also isn’t Roethlisberger’s fault the offensive line seems to have forgotten how to run block. Or that the Steelers running backs are pretty average talent. This is part of why Roethlisberger is forcing the passing game. His line does a great job in pass protection and the talent on the offense is at wide receiver.
However, the one area where Roethlisberger needs to take some heat is in his decision making. Let’s not pretend that this offense and the playcalling isn’t under Big Ben’s control. He walked to the line of scrimmage over and over again on Monday, surveyed the defense, saw a stacked box and continued to try that dink and dunk passing game. He made it easy on the Washington defense by basically throwing into the teeth of the defense.
