PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger believes, despite just four offensive touchdowns in the first three games. They are close to getting their offense going.
The 39-year-old captain says it's just a couple of bad plays along with a few drops and penalties that are holding them back.
"There's not this one big glaring thing," Roethlisberger said Wednesday. "It's a little thing here. A little thing there. Which I think is why we can be encouraged as an offense that it's not that far off."
Roethlisberger said some of the penalties are correctable, especially the grabbing penalties. The veteran questioned a few of the flags against them, most notably the Chase Claypool offensive pass interference call.
They've had moderate success in no-huddle situations. Roethlisberger says it's not something you can run all the time, especially with the inexperience on offense right now.
"You have to walk a fine line of guys getting tired," Roethlisberger said. "Last week when JuJu got banged up and Diontae was down. We brought Cody (White) in. He did a great job. When guys are getting banged up and getting thin. You have to be careful of what you are doing."
Roethlisberger says he is still heavily involved with the game planning. He wasn't pointing to it as a factor as to what is happening. Rather he puts it more on himself and the others in the huddle.
"We need to just execute the plays that are called," Roethlisberger said. "Our coach does a great job of taking the blame and he doesn't need to take any more. We as players need to take more accountability and blame that the plan is right. We need to execute the plan & make it work."
It's also an offense, through the first two games, that has started slow. Yet to score a point in the first quarter. Also slow out of the half with only a pair of field goals in Buffalo as points in the third quarter. Roethlisberger says it's something that has plagued him personally going back to his college days.
"I need to start faster," Roethlisberger said. "Traditionally I never have been a fast-start guy. I need to start faster. Coaches are doing a great job of scripting things whether it's screens or getting the ball out. Plays that you really like. As an offense, we need to start faster. It kind of starts with me."
Even taking a few more hits against Cincinnati, Ben says his health is 'not bad'. He will keep 'plugging along'.
"We're a group that is close, I believe," Roethlisberger said. "We are a group that has to believe in each other, which I think we do. We're a group that's not going to panic."
The non-panic crowd is starting to become an exclusive group.
