Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that the team’s receivers need to stop dropping balls or they will find themselves “replaced by those that will catch it.”
The Steelers lead the league in drops and had seven of them in Monday’s loss, but quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a different take on what needs to happen for the team to improve in that area. During his Wednesday press conference, Roethlisberger put the burden on himself.
“I just need to give them more catchable balls, put them in position to catch balls where they’re not gonna get hit,” Roethlisberger said. “I’m not gonna worry too much about pulling them aside and having heart-to-heart, like ‘You need to catch the ball.'I need to give them balls that are more catchable and I need to be my best so they can be at their best. When they’re at their best, we’re pretty good.”
Roethlisberger cited a fourth-and-1 pass to running back Anthony McFarland in the fourth quarter on Monday as an example of where he could have done a better job. Roethlisberger said the throw should have been more inside given the target and that he “shouldn’t put a rookie running back in position to make a wide receiver-type catch.”
Sunday night’s game against the Bills will offer a chance to see if Roethlisberger and his receivers have come up with a way to improve on the dropped passes front.
