{"id":814205,"date":"2024-12-23T22:11:51","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T04:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/23\/roethlisberger-defends-russell-wilsons-fumble-i-wouldve-been-mad-if-he-slid\/"},"modified":"2024-12-23T22:11:51","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T04:11:51","slug":"roethlisberger-defends-russell-wilsons-fumble-i-wouldve-been-mad-if-he-slid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/23\/roethlisberger-defends-russell-wilsons-fumble-i-wouldve-been-mad-if-he-slid\/","title":{"rendered":"Roethlisberger Defends Russell Wilson\u2019s Fumble: \u2018I Would\u2019ve Been Mad\u2019 If He Slid"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In hindsight, a Russell Wilson slide would\u2019ve avoided a Russell Wilson fumble contributing to a Pittsburgh Steelers loss. Trying to score at the end of a long scramble, Wilson attempted to cut to the left but was tackled by Baltimore Ravens\u2019 safety Ar\u2019Darius Washington. Wilson lost control of the football on the way down, and the Ravens recovered. While many fans were clamoring for Wilson to get down, former QB Ben Roethlisberger wasn\u2019t one of them.<\/p>\n

Sharing his thoughts on the play on the latest episode of his Footbahlin podcast<\/a>, Roethlisberger said Wilson shouldn\u2019t think about giving himself up if that situation arises again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like if he would\u2019ve slid and we would\u2019ve went back and watched it, the fans would\u2019ve been like, why\u2019d he slide?\u201d Roethlisberger told co-host Spencer Te\u2019o. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t he try to make a play? You\u2019ve got a guy that\u2019s, I don\u2019t care if he\u2019s 35, 36, 37, how old Russ is. Russ is an athlete. When you watch that end zone view, and you see him running, there\u2019s one guy coming from the center of the field. There\u2019s no reason that Russ shouldn\u2019t beat that guy.\u2019<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s look at it from the end zone and aerial views.<\/p>\n

Wilson has plenty of green grass, but this view shows how early he cut back to the inside, nine yards away from the defender. Perhaps a later cutback would\u2019ve increased the odds of breaking the tackle, but the defender was able to change his ankle and tackle through Wilson, which was a hard hit that caused Wilson to lose control.<\/p>\n

Roethlisberger agreed with Te\u2019o that the worst part of Wilson\u2019s decision was taking a hard hit\u2014not only to his hip but also to his hand as he reached into the hornet\u2019s nest that became a pile, attempting to recover the ball. But he stands by the decision to go for gold.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he should have slid. I think I would\u2019ve been mad if I would\u2019ve watched him slide and then saw the sky view and him sliding. No, go get in the end zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a similar answer to OC Arthur Smith,<\/a> who told reporters Monday he didn\u2019t offer Wilson coaching points after the play.<\/p>\n

In most parallel universes, Roethlisberger believes Wilson wouldn\u2019t have fumbled. And in the same scenario, a slight adjustment breaks the tackle.<\/p>\n

\u201cA hundred times, Russ fumbling is, like, less than 1 percent. Maybe I\u2019d even put him getting just tackled at less than 5 percent. Because I think Russ makes that guy miss 95 percent of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seeing the All-22 view, it\u2019s hard to justify that take. Perhaps a decade ago, Wilson could\u2019ve. Roethlisberger said he would\u2019ve run the diminutive Washington over, suggesting Wilson could\u2019ve used a spin move on him. That seems like an even worse idea.<\/p>\n

But Roethlisberger\u2019s career was defined by never giving up, be it in the pocket or scrambling in the open field. Football is a competitive sport, and quarterbacks are among its most competitive people, making Wilson\u2019s choice unsurprising despite the negative outcome.<\/p>\n