The Steelers' season came to a fitting end yesterday after a game full of sustained incompetence, inexplicable coaching, and a legacy-impacting stink bomb from Big Ben. We will have full analysis on our podcast tonight, but here are a few quick thoughts.
- Roethlisberger emptied his entire arsenal of "This one's on me" after the game yesterday, and that's how it should be. Not only was he mediocre during his best moments yesterday, but looming over him the entire game was the one question that, when lingering, is often the kiss of death for quarterbacks: when is the backbreaking interception coming?
First quarter:
@gtogartistry Might as well. I'll text you when we have our game losing fourth quarter turnover.
— GTOG Finesse (@GTOGFinesse) December 23, 2012
And moments before the interception on the game-losing 4th quarter drive:
Really nervous about pick 6 here
— GTOG Finesse (@GTOGFinesse) December 23, 2012
Zero confidence in BenGone are the days when you could arguably include Roethlisberger in the discussion of "which QB do I want down a score in the 4th quarter?" It's not like he's bad now -- I'm still glad he's the Steelers' quarterback -- but his resume is increasingly filled with "what ifs?" and "this one's on me." What's most frustrating about all of this is that despite the two Super Bowls he already has, he is the only reason that he doesn't have more.
— GTOG Finesse (@GTOGFinesse) December 23, 2012
Remember the three picks in the 2004 AFC title game? Remember these stats from 2006: 75.4 QB rating, 18 TDs, 23 interceptions, 8-8 record? Remember the three picks in the wild card loss to the Jaguars? Remember the five game losing streak and no playoffs in 2009? (Yes, Dennis Dixon lost one of those games). Remember that the six games Roethlisberger lost in 2009 were decided by 3, 3, 6, 3, 3, and 7 points? Remember the heinous pick-6 against the Packers in a Super Bowl the Steelers lost by 6 points? Remember the horribly discombobulated 2-minute drill the Steelers butchered at the end of that game? Remember the three sacks he took on the final 4th-quarter drive against Denver in last year's playoff game that kept the Steelers from getting in field goal range? And remember the game-losing plays this year to Denver, Dallas, and now Cincinnati?
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| And remember this? |
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| And remember this press conference? |
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| And remember this press conference? |
None of this is meant to denigrate what he has accomplished, which is incredibly impressive. It's just to say that no longer does the conversation about his legacy begin and end with "That guy's a winner." It may still begin that way, but there's a "but."
- Obviously, the Steelers shouldn't trade Roethlisberger for Kirk Cousins, or anyone for that matter. That's something we call the "Recoil Test" -- the best measure of a player's worth is your gut reaction to suggestions for trading him. And I threw up on myself typing that headline. So, yes, let's keep Ben.
- The Steelers' defense was very good yesterday. We thought all along that the defense would be the downfall of this team. What a shame that it now seems like another year of a good defense wasted.
- Having said that, like the playoff loss to Jacksonville 5 years ago, maybe this loss is a blessing in disguise. Going 7-9 is a lot less damaging to the team's legacy than losing 45-14 in New England in the first round of the playoffs would have been.
- We will break down all the implications of the Steelers loss on tonight's podcast. Make sure to watch for it.
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