Big Ben is riled up, again

[hawaiiansteel]

Big Ben is riled up, again

Posted by Mike Florio on December 10, 2013



Like Peyton Manning, there’s a chance Ben Roethlisberger is happy only when he’s unhappy about something.

Last month, reports that the Steelers quarterback possibly wants out of Pittsburgh pissed Ben off — and sparked a winning streak. Now that the Steelers have lost a pair of winnable games in a row, Ben is upset about something else.

He doesn’t like the perception that he took a shot at offensive coordinator Todd Haley after Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins.

“It’s unbelievable,” Roethlisberger told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, via ESPN.com. “It gets blown up and it’s by reporters that come in there and ask the dumbest questions after a game, and it makes it ridiculous when they only take part of your answer.

“It was taken way out of context. There is absolutely no issue between Coach Haley and I. I love where this offense is right now.”

As we’ve explained once or twice (or 50 times), there’s a huge difference between taking a quote out of context and isolating a quote. Isolating a quote in a way that doesn’t give it a different meaning when lifted out of its context is fair.

Here’s what Roethlisberger said that created the sense problems linger, via Adita Kinkhabwala of NFL Network, when asked about why the team got away from the running game in the second half against the Dolphins: “No idea. Coach Haley’s over there. You can ask him.”

Roethlisberger now says that the suggestion to pose the question to Coach Haley wasn’t intended to be a reflection on the man to whom Roethlisberger referred reporters.

“They take one little blurb of a whole sentence and it was not directed at Coach Haley, like ‘Go ask him, I don’t know why we didn’t do it,’” Roethlisberger said Tuesday. “It was, ‘He’s our coordinator, if you want to ask questions about play calling, go ask him about it. He’s the guy that calls the plays. If you want to ask me about the no-huddle and I’m calling [plays], then you can ask me.’”

That extra context isn’t doing much to change our own perception that Roethlisberger’s answer reflected frustration with Haley’s play calling. Otherwise, Ben would have shared some of the nuggets he has picked up during the past two years of working directly with Haley to help explain why the offense did what it did in that situation. Or maybe Ben would have provided some of the insights he acquired while talking to Haley during, you know, the game.

“In no way shape or form was the comment directed negatively at him,” Roethlisberger insisted. “I think the offense is as good as it’s been in a long time. We’ve got guys doing some great things. I genuinely am enjoying this offense and what Coach Haley is doing and where we’re going. We’re getting [better] every week, and I think we can keep getting better.”

That doesn’t explain why Roethlisberger also reportedly declined to answer the question of whether he thinks changes need to be made on offense.

Maybe the media was unfairly taking his non-answer out of context, too.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...iled-up-again/[/URL]

[squidkid]

I would like to see Ben have a press conference. Call all the reporters over and tell them to 'go F yourselves and never approach me for an interview again'

[kindlecatsb'ng]

Florio must be having a slow day in media land to write this.

I listened to Ben on the 93.7 The Fan today and he made his point. I do not feel he was being a drama queen on this one. Also listened to the interview in the locker room after the game and could not believe when the woman reporter (I am a woman also) asked him how it feels to have 2 losing seasons. There is timing to everything and that sure wasn't the time to ask something like that.



Kindle

[costanza2k1]

10 years in the league and he hasn't figured out to stfu...shouldn't his agent help guide him from a self marketing perspective?

[DukieBoy]

Florio ought to be commenting on Susan Lucci's comments about not winning the Daytime Emmy Award. Go ask the director.

[NJ-STEELER]

10 years in the league and he hasn't figured out to stfu...shouldn't his agent help guide him from a self marketing perspective?

huh?

did you read what happened?

[Slapstick]

10 years in the league and he hasn't figured out to stfu...shouldn't his agent help guide him from a self marketing perspective?

Read Florio's BS again, specifically the last few sentences....even when Ben doesn't have a comment, it's taken as a comment...

[Iron City Inc.]

Florio sounds like a school kid who was told something they don't like and are pouting over it. The media plays an important roll but hey there are media folk out there who are just not any good at their craft.

[NorthCoast]

...........................That doesn’t explain why Roethlisberger also reportedly declined to answer the question of whether he thinks changes need to be made on offense.

Maybe the media was unfairly taking his non-answer out of context, too.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...iled-up-again/[/URL]

Let me help you out Florio. "...well Mike we lost 8 games so far this season, so yea, we need to take a look at what we can do to change that. So yea, I could see us making some changes to improve."

I want a job in media.... gotta be one of the easiest jobs out there.

[hawaiiansteel]

ROBINSON: Roethlisberger defends Haley — again

December 10, 2013
By Alan Robinson



Ben Roethlisberger is going from offense to defense – yet again, he is defending Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

Following the 34-28 loss Sunday to the Dolphins, Roethlisberger was asked why Le’Veon Bell was used sparingly as a running back in the second half. Bell touched the ball an equal amount of times in each half, but his primary role past halftime was as a receiver.

Roethlisberger responded by saying, “No idea. Coach Haley’s over there. You can ask him.”

The comments were like several made previously by the quarterback following games this season, and were interpreted by some as him being critical of the play-calling.

But Roethlisberger strongly denied that during his weekly 93.7 FM radio show Tuesday, saying he and the coordinator have an excellent relationship in an offense that he said is working. The Steelers are No. 16 in the league offensively.

“It was taken way out of context. There is absolutely no issue between coach
Haley and I,” Roethlisberger said on the radio show. “I love where this offense is right now.”

He added, “No way, shape or form was it directed negatively at him. I think the offense is as good as it’s been in a long time. We’ve got guys doing some great things. I genuinely am enjoying this offense and what coach Haley is doing with it and where we’re going. We’re getting better every week, and I think we can keep getting better.”

Roethlisberger said he made the remarks because Haley was calling the plays, except when he was doing so in the no-huddle formation.

“He’s our coordinator, if you want to ask questions about play calling, go ask him about it,” Roethlisberger said, explaining his post-game remarks. “He’s the guy that calls the plays. If you want to ask me about the no-huddle and I’m calling them, then you can ask me.’”

Despite the Steelers’ 5-8 record, Roethlisberger is on pace for one of the best seasons of his career statistically. He is 320 of 500 for 3,724 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and he has a 94.1 passer rating.

He is on pace to easily surpass his previous career high of 513 passes in 2011.

Roethlisberger’s 320 completions through 13 games are 44 more than he has had in any previous season. And his 3,724 yards are nearly 200 more than he has had in a season to date; his owns the team record of 4,328 yards in 2009.

Antonio Brown also could set some team single-season receiving records. He already has 90 catches; Hines Ward and Brown are the only receivers in team history to make that many catches.

[URL]http://blog.triblive.com/steel-mill/2013/12/10/robinson-roethlisberger-defends-haley-again/#ixzz2nEiy5dxr[/URL]