It has been a year of changes on and off the field for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
During the past calendar year, the former Miami University standout graduated from his alma mater, became a first-time father and has had to adjust to a new offensive coordinator.
During the past calendar year, the former Miami University standout graduated from his alma mater, became a first-time father and has had to adjust to a new offensive coordinator.
While Roethlisberger called fatherhood awesome and said there have been some late nights up with Ben Jr., who was born a month ago on Friday, it has been the Steelers’ quarterback’s relationship with offensive coordinator Todd Haley that has been in the forefront again as Pittsburgh gets set to host the Bengals on Sunday in a pivotal AFC North contest.
During the offseason, the Steelers effectively fired Bruce Arians and went with Haley. The pairing of the two, who both aren’t afraid to let their feelings known, has had its share of friction. There was plenty of perceived friction after last Sunday’s 26-23 overtime loss to Dallas in which wondered why the Steelers didn’t feature tight end Heath Miller more in the second half or run more plays out of a no-huddle mode.
Roethlisberger later apologized for the comments because of the attention they attracted and both Haley and head coach Mike Tomlin tried to put the issue to bed quickly. In Tomlin’s eyes the fact it is being brought up now is because Pittsburgh has lost four of its last five and needs a win to keep its postseason hopes alive.
Said Roethlisberger of his relationship with Haley: “There are obviously times that we don’t (see eye to eye) but we get that ironed out. You work it out, you talk about it and you get it figured out.”
When the Steelers got off to a 2-3 start, the Roethlisberger-Haley dynamic was under the microscope. That abated a little bit when a four-game winning streak started with a 24-17 win over the Bengals in Week 7 when Roethlisberger threw for 278 yards and a touchdown.
Things began to steadily unravel again during a Monday night game against Kansas City on Nov. 12 when Roethlisberger suffered a sprained right shoulder and a dislocated rib which threatened his aorta and caused him to miss three games. Since then, Pittsburgh has dropped four of five including both of Roethlisberger’s starts since coming back.
Roethlisberger isn’t the only one who has had to battle injuries this year. Only four players on the offense have started every game and the line has seen nine different starters. Running back is also unsettled as three players have been the lead back at different times.
“I feel like we’re doing pretty well with a lot of injuries. We have a lot of moving parts,” he said. “Obviously, we want to be more successful, we want to score more points and we want to win games. In that sense, I feel like we need to be better as a unit.”
Statistically Roethlisberger is having one of his best seasons – the 22 touchdowns are his third highest in nine seasons and the six interceptions are his second lowest. What Haley and Steelers fans look at first though is the record, which is 7-7 and a game behind the Bengals in the chase for the final playoff spot.
If the Bengals win Sunday’s pivotal AFC North contest at Heinz Field, it will mark only the third time in Roethlisberger’s nine seasons that Pittsburgh hasn’t advanced to the postseason, which is something neither one wants.
“The expectations are truly where we say they are. It’s Super Bowl or bust,” Haley said. “It’s not to have the highest-rated quarterback, most rushing yards or highest-rated receivers. The good thing is we are alive and kicking, and there are a lot of teams that aren’t. We have our biggest game of the year this week.”
Roethlisberger though has had a lot of success against the Bengals, winning 14 of 18 games, including the last five. He has thrown for 300 yards only once, which was in the 2005 regular-season loss at Heinz Field.
Both sides though say a lot has changed between the last meeting on Oct. 21. While Roethlisberger battled injuries, the Bengals defense finally came into its own and is one reason why they have won six of seven since the bye week.
“They are playing well. They got some continuity and are understanding each other and feeding off each other. You could see that in past couple games,” Roethlisberger said.
The defense got three sacks of Roethlisberger in the first meeting but the Steelers had six pass plays of 20 yards or more. As usual the key is maintaining coverage when Roethlisberger tries to make something out of nothing and for the defensive line to not bite on the pump fakes.
Defensive end Michael Johnson said the natural reaction is to bite on the pump fakes but that because of what Roethlisberger can do, the biggest thing this time is to keep going after him.
“He does such a good job on the pump fakes if he starts to move he gets you off balance. So you start to move your hands with the pump fake and then he steps back inside and buys himself some more time. We have to make sure we know where the targets are,” defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said.
Even though the Steelers have won five straight over the Bengals, Roethlisberger knows that streaks mean nothing when it comes to division games. They had won six straight over Cleveland before losing last month and were underdogs against Baltimore in Week 13 before winning late in the fourth quarter.
That is why he sees the Steelers having no extra advantages in this game even though the Bengals are still looking for that defining win to prove they can be a division contender.
Said Roethlisberger: “From the outside looking in people would say that but from the inside when you play AFC North games you have to throw everything out. It’s a division game and everyone plays tough for each other. You’re going to get the best from each team.”
Roethlisberger later apologized for the comments because of the attention they attracted and both Haley and head coach Mike Tomlin tried to put the issue to bed quickly. In Tomlin’s eyes the fact it is being brought up now is because Pittsburgh has lost four of its last five and needs a win to keep its postseason hopes alive.
Said Roethlisberger of his relationship with Haley: “There are obviously times that we don’t (see eye to eye) but we get that ironed out. You work it out, you talk about it and you get it figured out.”
When the Steelers got off to a 2-3 start, the Roethlisberger-Haley dynamic was under the microscope. That abated a little bit when a four-game winning streak started with a 24-17 win over the Bengals in Week 7 when Roethlisberger threw for 278 yards and a touchdown.
Things began to steadily unravel again during a Monday night game against Kansas City on Nov. 12 when Roethlisberger suffered a sprained right shoulder and a dislocated rib which threatened his aorta and caused him to miss three games. Since then, Pittsburgh has dropped four of five including both of Roethlisberger’s starts since coming back.
Roethlisberger isn’t the only one who has had to battle injuries this year. Only four players on the offense have started every game and the line has seen nine different starters. Running back is also unsettled as three players have been the lead back at different times.
“I feel like we’re doing pretty well with a lot of injuries. We have a lot of moving parts,” he said. “Obviously, we want to be more successful, we want to score more points and we want to win games. In that sense, I feel like we need to be better as a unit.”
Statistically Roethlisberger is having one of his best seasons – the 22 touchdowns are his third highest in nine seasons and the six interceptions are his second lowest. What Haley and Steelers fans look at first though is the record, which is 7-7 and a game behind the Bengals in the chase for the final playoff spot.
If the Bengals win Sunday’s pivotal AFC North contest at Heinz Field, it will mark only the third time in Roethlisberger’s nine seasons that Pittsburgh hasn’t advanced to the postseason, which is something neither one wants.
“The expectations are truly where we say they are. It’s Super Bowl or bust,” Haley said. “It’s not to have the highest-rated quarterback, most rushing yards or highest-rated receivers. The good thing is we are alive and kicking, and there are a lot of teams that aren’t. We have our biggest game of the year this week.”
Roethlisberger though has had a lot of success against the Bengals, winning 14 of 18 games, including the last five. He has thrown for 300 yards only once, which was in the 2005 regular-season loss at Heinz Field.
Both sides though say a lot has changed between the last meeting on Oct. 21. While Roethlisberger battled injuries, the Bengals defense finally came into its own and is one reason why they have won six of seven since the bye week.
“They are playing well. They got some continuity and are understanding each other and feeding off each other. You could see that in past couple games,” Roethlisberger said.
The defense got three sacks of Roethlisberger in the first meeting but the Steelers had six pass plays of 20 yards or more. As usual the key is maintaining coverage when Roethlisberger tries to make something out of nothing and for the defensive line to not bite on the pump fakes.
Defensive end Michael Johnson said the natural reaction is to bite on the pump fakes but that because of what Roethlisberger can do, the biggest thing this time is to keep going after him.
“He does such a good job on the pump fakes if he starts to move he gets you off balance. So you start to move your hands with the pump fake and then he steps back inside and buys himself some more time. We have to make sure we know where the targets are,” defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said.
Even though the Steelers have won five straight over the Bengals, Roethlisberger knows that streaks mean nothing when it comes to division games. They had won six straight over Cleveland before losing last month and were underdogs against Baltimore in Week 13 before winning late in the fourth quarter.
That is why he sees the Steelers having no extra advantages in this game even though the Bengals are still looking for that defining win to prove they can be a division contender.
Said Roethlisberger: “From the outside looking in people would say that but from the inside when you play AFC North games you have to throw everything out. It’s a division game and everyone plays tough for each other. You’re going to get the best from each team.”
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