STEELERS Haley: ‘We just can’t throw an interception’
ByDale LolleyPosted on December 21, 2017 PITTSBURGH STEELERS QUARTERBACK BEN ROETHLISBERGER (7) TALKS TO OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR TODD HALEY. MATT SUNDAY / DKPS
COMMENTS
There has been plenty written and said about the final sequence of the Steelers’ 27-24 loss to the Patriots at Heinz Field.
But Todd Haley, the man in charge of calling the plays the Steelers ran down the stretch, hadn’t had his shot to explain what happened. At least until Thursday.
Haley, who is only made available to the media on Thursdays, defended what happened on the offense’s final possession of the game, which ended with Ben Roethlisberger throwing an interception in the end zone with five seconds remaining.
His solution to what happened?
“Have the first touchdown be a touchdown, No. 1,” said Haley. “The only thing I’ll say is that’s an incomplete-or-out-of-bounds situation after the ball was ruled an incompletion. We don’t want the ball in the field of play. I’m never going to question Ben’s decision or thinking that (Darrius) Heyward-Bey could get out of bounds. But, as far as scenario, we’re in an incomplete-or-out-of-bounds situation and the clock is running if things go the way they’re supposed to go. Then you’re getting the guys on the field that you want to have on the field.”
For those not aware of the situation to which Haley is referring, here’s a look at what he called “the first touchdown.”
Jesse James caught what was initially ruled a touchdown before it was overturned upon replay review because the ball hit the ground and moved when James reached for the goal line.
That gave the Steelers a second-and-goal situation with 34 seconds remaining and Haley went with a package that included James at tight end, Le’Veon Bell, Eli Rogers, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Heyward-Bey on the field. Martavis Bryant, who had earlier caught a 4-yard TD pass in a similar situation, was on the sideline.
The 6-4 Bryant was on the sideline because Haley felt instead of using a number of different receivers in place of Antonio Brown, who had left early in the second quarter after suffering a calf injury, the Steelers would keep everyone else where they would normally play and had practiced all week. Heyward-Bey was simply inserted into Brown’s position.
So, on second down, after a nearly four-minute review overturned James’ touchdown, Heyward-Bey ran a crossing route while the other four receivers ran patterns that placed them in the end zone.
The argument also has been put forth he should have had more than one play called in the huddle during the break while James’ touchdown catch was being reviewed.
But, as Mike Tomlin said Tuesday, the team had a number of scenarios that were being presented in that situation it had to consider.
“There’s lots of times we have two plays called in the huddle,” said Haley. “(But) that’s an incomplete or out-of-bounds situation. You cannot in that situation get caught in the field of play. We call plays accordingly. That normally would be AB coming across the field, which would get a lot of attention. We had four guys in the end zone. They made us hot, which they hadn’t done all day. We’ve probably got to make sure Hey-Bey gets out of bounds or throw the ball away.“
But, it was an error, nonetheless. And it was not what the Steelers’ receivers are taught, according to Haley.
“We teach the receivers if they don’t think they can get out of bounds to drop the ball. Both guys thought it would go different and it didn’t. It’s a great learning situation as far as that goes. We practice that every Friday. We go through the last seven plays. Go out of bounds. If you can’t catch the ball and get out bounds, drop it. We got one caught in bounds and (Martavis) is standing next to me.”
With the clock running and precious few seconds remaining.
Heyward-Bey said Thursday that his instincts took over on the play.
“When you look back, you’re like, do I drop it?” he asked. “You just try to make plays, you just try to play football. There’s a million things that can happen in the game. You try to go with the one in your gut. That’s how football is.That’s why we play it and a lot of people watch.”
Instead of getting out of bounds, Heyward-Bey was tackled at the New England 7 with the clock running and Roethlisberger hurried his team back to the line of scrimmage with approximately 15 seconds remaining.
Then, this happened.
“We just can’t throw an interception,” Haley said in regard to Roethlisberger’s final pass attempt to Rogers, which was tipped into the air and intercepted by Duron Harmon. “We live and die down in that area of the field with the decisions made. That’s one where I have no issues with what we did. We just can’t make that mistake.”
Some have attempted to argue that the Steelers weren’t prepared for that situation and that the Patriots somehow were. Yet New England allowed a 69-yard catch-and-run by Smith-Schuster to the 10 to set up the final sequence and more than half of the team’s defense stood and watched as Roethlisberger’s final throw took place.
I posed the question to Heyward-Bey. Had the Patriots kept their composure while the Steelers had lost theirs?
“Composure? It’s football. We had a play. They made an interception,” Heyward-Bey said. “They got lucky. Composure? I’m not buying into that.”
https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/2017/12/21/haley-just-cant-throw-interception/
