Steelers Legend Ben Roethlisberger Calls Out Mike Tomlin Decision

Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had some thoughts on head coach Mike Tomlin's decision making.

Sep 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin yells at down judge Dana McKenzie (8) in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first loss of the season to the Indianapolis Colts, partially due to a lack of scoring on their final drive when they were down three points.

When running back Najee Harris couldn't get out of bounds on a long third down play, Tomlin let the clock run before taking an unsuccessful play on fourth and long with just over 40 seconds on the clock, turning the ball over and effectively ending the game.

On his Footbahlin podcast, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger called Tomlin out on his decision making late in the game.

"You're in fourth down, you have one play," Roethlisberger said. "You need to call your timeout; you've got to figure out your best play. You can't rush that play call. I understand where he is coming from a little bit. But to me, that play is too important not to call a timeout."

There is an argument to be made on Roethlisberger's behalf, as time on the clock aside, the play itself didn't see that well planned. The deep pass to wideout Van Jefferson never truly looked like a sure thing, and the Steelers seemed to have no contingency plan for a shorter play that would have kept the drive alive. If the timeout gets called, the Steelers have a chance to create a play where they could have Fields go through multiple reads and keep them in the game.

When Tomlin was asked about the end of the game during media availability postgame, he addressed the fact that he left a timeout on the board.

"I just wanted to hold it in my hip pocket. Sometimes working at a pace is an advantage for an offense. It doesn't give the defense an opportunity to get specialized people in the game to ponder calls and get in perfect calls," Tomlin said.

On one hand, it makes sense that Tomlin wouldn't want the defense to have the optimal personnel to stop their attempts, but he did not offer his team the same opportunity, and they had a lot more riding on that drive in terms of a win.

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