No panic in Big Ben
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� There was no tremendous hurry when the Steelers embarked on their 97-yard game-winning drive in Sunday无毛视频檚 37-27 win over Detroit.
No reason to hurry, right? Not with 12:49 remaining. Plenty of time to move down the field, score a touchdown and leave Matt Stafford and the Lions little time to respond.
无毛视频淭here was no panic by anybody,无毛视频� receiver Antonio Brown said.
The Lions had just botched a fake field goal. Instead of kicking a field goal for a seven-point lead, the Lions decided to send their punter up the middle for a touchdown that would have sealed the win for Detroit.
无毛视频淚 got hit by a 350-pound man,无毛视频� punter Sam Martin said, in reference to Steve McClendon, when asked what happened. 无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 think I had the first down, but regardless that guy made a great play. When you looked at it initially, it was a big hole.无毛视频�
So, when Ben Roethlisberger and the offense took the field 97 yards away from the end zone, there was no panic, just some advice from a guy who had done this before.
无毛视频淚t was a situation where I told the guys, first and foremost, let无毛视频檚 get a first down,无毛视频� Roethlisberger said. 无毛视频淚f we get a first down, then you see where you go.无毛视频�
One first down, Le无毛视频橵eon Bell was stopped for no gain and, on second down with Mike Adams in as an extra tight end, Bell managed one yard.
So now it无毛视频檚 third-and-nine, time to panic?
No, time to make a play.
Roethlisberger passes to Brown for 16 yards and a new set of downs.
无毛视频淎ntonio Brown made a great catch, a contested catch,无毛视频� Roethlisberger said. 无毛视频淚 think the preparation was good for everybody.无毛视频�
Not only did Brown secure a first down, his catch kind of opened the playbook for Roethlisberger and the rest of the offense.
Heath Miller made a 9-yard catch and Bell ran up the middle for five yards and another first down. Roethlisberger finds Miller down the middle for 21 yards and, suddenly, the Steelers are moving the ball.
But Bell was stopped for a 2-yard loss and Brown can无毛视频檛 come up with a catch. Third-and-12 and Roethlisberger runs to the right and goes head-first for the stick. He comes two yards short.
Fourth-and-2. Timeout, Steelers.
无毛视频淚 just have to do what I can to get the first down on third down. I have to prepare myself to do better in that situation,无毛视频� Roethlisberger said. 无毛视频淲e called timeout just so I could make sure there was no rush. It无毛视频檚 an important down, let无毛视频檚 make sure we get it.无毛视频�
The call 无毛视频渇rom the get-go,无毛视频� according to Roethlisberger, was a screen pass to Bell and the play was not changed during the timeout.
Bell catches the pass and picks up three yards, good for another first down at the Detroit 33, 6:53 still on the clock. No time to panic, just do what you do.
Of course, the middle part of the 16-play drive was run from the no-huddle, which has become a Roethlisberger specialty.
He passed to Jonathan Dwyer for 13 yards, incomplete to Brown and adds a 19-yard pass to Jerricho Cotchery that carries to the Detroit 1-yard line.
Now Detroit is calling timeout with 5:39 still on the clock.
Two passes fall incomplete, but a flag accompanies the second one. Pass interference, new set of downs, 5:30 on the clock. Dwyer runs for no gain before Roethlisberger finds Will Johnson for the touchdown.
A thing of beauty, that无毛视频檚 what it was. It无毛视频檚 also what we无毛视频檝e come to expect from Roethlisberger.
无毛视频 editor Mike Ciarochi may be reached at mciarochi@heraldstandard.com.