BlitzburghRockCity
01-07-2008, 01:16 AM
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_546175.html
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, January 7, 2008
A pass rush made all the more ferocious by numerous breakdowns along the Steelers' offensive line forced Ben Roethlisberger to step up into the pocket time and time again Saturday night.
The quarterback stepped up one more time after the Steelers' numbing 31-29 loss to the Jaguars in an AFC wild-card game at Heinz Field.
"I'm ashamed of the way I played," Roethlisberger said. "I told the guys 'I apologize,' and it's unfortunate it had to end this way."
It was a bitter end to the Steelers' season, Mike Tomlin's first one as a head coach.
The Steelers wiped out an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter at a frenzied Heinz Field only to watch the Jaguars pull out the victory after the less-celebrated quarterback in the game, David Garrard, made the biggest play in the wild, back-and-forth affair.
Roethlisberger threw for almost 200 yards in the second half and directed three drives that resulted in touchdowns.
But after the loss, he couldn't shake the three interceptions he threw in the first half. Those miscues helped Jacksonville build a 21-7 halftime lead, and the Steelers ultimately couldn't overcome them.
"I take the heat for that," said Roethlisberger, who set playoff career highs for passing yards (337) and completions (29) but also tied his postseason high with the three interceptions. He lost a fumble as well. "I dug us a hole. We got out of the hole a little deep, but it was too deep."
Steelers nemesis Rashean Mathis helped put Roethlisberger and the Steelers in that hole.
He intercepted Roethlisberger twice in the second quarter, returning one of them 63 yards for a touchdown.
Mathis, who beat the Steelers in 2005 when he returned a Tommy Maddox interception for a touchdown in overtime of a regular-season game, took advantage of throws that were made into heavy coverage.
The other interception, which prevented the Steelers from getting at least a field goal before halftime, came when Roethlisberger threw the ball right to Jacksonville defensive tackle Derek Landri on a middle screen.
"It's frustrating because only one of the interceptions was a bad one," said Roethlisberger, who will play in his first Pro Bowl next month. "The others were just great plays on their part. It's hard to sit here and say 'Take care of the ball,' 'Make better decisions,' because I felt like the decision-making was pretty good."
The one decision regarding Roethlisberger that was most open to second-guessing came near the end of the game.
With the Steelers trying to protect a one-point lead and just under three minutes left, they called a running play for Roethlisberger on third-and-6.
He gained just one yard, forcing a punt that gave the Jaguars excellent field position, and Garrard's 32-yard run on a fourth-down play set up Josh Scobee's game-winning field goal.
Said Tomlin on the Steelers' third-down call, "That was something we worked on all week and we felt good about it. We actually had the look and we didn't execute it. Good job by them."
And a long offseason for the Steelers.
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, January 7, 2008
A pass rush made all the more ferocious by numerous breakdowns along the Steelers' offensive line forced Ben Roethlisberger to step up into the pocket time and time again Saturday night.
The quarterback stepped up one more time after the Steelers' numbing 31-29 loss to the Jaguars in an AFC wild-card game at Heinz Field.
"I'm ashamed of the way I played," Roethlisberger said. "I told the guys 'I apologize,' and it's unfortunate it had to end this way."
It was a bitter end to the Steelers' season, Mike Tomlin's first one as a head coach.
The Steelers wiped out an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter at a frenzied Heinz Field only to watch the Jaguars pull out the victory after the less-celebrated quarterback in the game, David Garrard, made the biggest play in the wild, back-and-forth affair.
Roethlisberger threw for almost 200 yards in the second half and directed three drives that resulted in touchdowns.
But after the loss, he couldn't shake the three interceptions he threw in the first half. Those miscues helped Jacksonville build a 21-7 halftime lead, and the Steelers ultimately couldn't overcome them.
"I take the heat for that," said Roethlisberger, who set playoff career highs for passing yards (337) and completions (29) but also tied his postseason high with the three interceptions. He lost a fumble as well. "I dug us a hole. We got out of the hole a little deep, but it was too deep."
Steelers nemesis Rashean Mathis helped put Roethlisberger and the Steelers in that hole.
He intercepted Roethlisberger twice in the second quarter, returning one of them 63 yards for a touchdown.
Mathis, who beat the Steelers in 2005 when he returned a Tommy Maddox interception for a touchdown in overtime of a regular-season game, took advantage of throws that were made into heavy coverage.
The other interception, which prevented the Steelers from getting at least a field goal before halftime, came when Roethlisberger threw the ball right to Jacksonville defensive tackle Derek Landri on a middle screen.
"It's frustrating because only one of the interceptions was a bad one," said Roethlisberger, who will play in his first Pro Bowl next month. "The others were just great plays on their part. It's hard to sit here and say 'Take care of the ball,' 'Make better decisions,' because I felt like the decision-making was pretty good."
The one decision regarding Roethlisberger that was most open to second-guessing came near the end of the game.
With the Steelers trying to protect a one-point lead and just under three minutes left, they called a running play for Roethlisberger on third-and-6.
He gained just one yard, forcing a punt that gave the Jaguars excellent field position, and Garrard's 32-yard run on a fourth-down play set up Josh Scobee's game-winning field goal.
Said Tomlin on the Steelers' third-down call, "That was something we worked on all week and we felt good about it. We actually had the look and we didn't execute it. Good job by them."
And a long offseason for the Steelers.