The Pittsburgh Steelers' awkward teaming of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley has produced mixed results this season.
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Big Ben shouldered the blame for Sunday's overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but he openly questioned a game plan that left tight end Heath Miller out of the mix for much of the second half. Asked if Miller's disappearing act had something to do with Rob Ryan's defense, Roethlisberger indirectly pointed the finger at another coordinator. His own.
"I just don't think we called the right plays to get (Miller) the ball," Roethlisberger told reporters. "There were a couple of times we called plays that we didn't execute correctly."
Something isn't right in Pittsburgh. Big Ben is at his best calling plays from the no-huddle, but the no-huddle was scrapped for much of the final two quarters Sunday. Roethlisberger is running out of softly worded excuses for why.
"It's tough for me to answer right now," Roethlisberger said. "In the second half, we didn't do much of it -- and it's disappointing. ...
"The end of the first half, we were getting into the no-huddle stuff. That's when we started moving the ball. Taking shots, taking the short stuff, whatever they were giving us, so that's when we're at our best and that's what we need to do."
But that's not what Roethlisberger's coach wants to do, at least not exclusively. The Steelers -- at 7-7 and facing a season-defining game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday -- are running out of time to figure out this one.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
