Roethlisberger says he’s ‘earned the right’ to criticize Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is doubling down on his blunt assessment of his teammates and coaching staff.
One day after criticizing receivers Antonio Brown and James Washington as well as his team’s play calling in a radio interview, Roethlisberger stood firm on his remarks, indicating they were intended to help his teammates.
“I think I have earned the right to be able to do that with as long as I have been here,” Roethlisberger said Wednesday. “I’ll just be just as critical on myself as well in front of you guys.”
Roethlisberger’s comments come in the heels of a 24-17 National Football League loss Sunday to the Denver Broncos.
“You have to know how to motivate different guys in different ways,” Roethlisberger said. “I think that’s part of being a leader, being a captain, just understanding players. So sometimes you just grab them off to the side, and sometimes you have to be honest with them.”
Broncos defensive tackle Shelby Harris intercepted a thirddown throw late in the game to seal the win, though Roethlisberger felt the pass intended for Brown could have been picked off by cornerback Chris Harris.
“(Harris) did undercut AB, so who knows what would’ve happened,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on 93.7 The Fan. “That’s why I talked to AB and said ‘AB, you have to come flat. You can’t drift in the end zone because those undercuts can happen.’ So would he have had a chance to intercept it? Yes, I definitely think he would’ve had a chance. I can’t control that guy. I can only control the safety.”
Late in the third quarter of the game, Washington dove for a pass deep down the right sideline the dropped the ball when he crashed to the ground.
“He has to make (the catch),” Roethlisberger said in the radio show. “I just think he didn’t trust his hands. For some reason, he jump slash dove. I’m not really sure what he was doing. We looked at it. Coach got on him pretty good yesterday. We took a long, hard look at it. James needs to run through that, and it’s a touchdown.”