The Pittsburgh Steelers
dropped a narrow affair to the Denver Broncos this past week, losing their
first game since all the way back in Week 4.
One of the biggest plays of
the game came when rookie wide receiver James Washington attempted to make a
diving catch on a long pass from Ben Roethlisberger.
As you can see in the video
below, there was absolutely no reason for the former Oklahoma State standout to
actually dive for the ball. If he had run through the ball, it would’ve been a
touchdown for the Steelers.
That’s just a foolish attempt
to make a highlight-reel play. The end result of this drive was zero points for
a Steelers team that lost by the score of 24-17.
In talking about the play at
hand, Big Ben absolutely blasted his young pass catcher.
“Yes, he’s a rookie, but you’re not going to be out there if you’re
not going to make those plays for us,” Roethlisberger said, via
the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “He needs to have confidence in himself. When you have trust and
confidence in yourself, you use your hands and you catch the ball. I felt like
when he jumped and dove, whatever you want to call it, it showed a lack of
confidence in himself and his hands.”
The game might have ended on a
Roethlisberger interception in the end zone, but no way is he wrong here.
Pittsburgh is a legit contender to win the Super Bowl. It needs those on the
field to actually step up.
Whether it’s a confidence
issue or something else, Washington proved himself incapable this past weekend.
That doesn’t bode well for his playing time moving forward. Period.
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