Sonstiges » Ben Roethlisberger didn’t want to get into hypotheticals.

Maybe because doing so would only make the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ painful late swoon all the more painful.“Would’ve http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-isaiah-johnson-jersey , could’ve, should’ve,” Roethlisberger said after Pittsburgh’s season ended a half-game shy of a fifth straight postseason berth. “I can sit here and say ‘Yeah, we’d be dangerous in the playoffs.’ But we didn’t make it, so it doesn’t matter.”Roethlisberger’s tone was a mixture of pragmatism and disappointment with a dash of resolve. As difficult and occasionally weird as 2018 was — from the season-long absence of running back Le’Veon Bell to the occasionally erratic behavior by star wide receiver Antonio Brown to a series of losses in November and December in which the Steelers let second-half leads slip away — the longtime quarterback remains adamant the Steelers are on the right path.“Anytime you can kind of keep that core group, keep people together, the less turnover the better usually,” Roethlisberger said. “So, from the top down I think that is important.”Maybe, but there is bound to be some level of change over the next few months as a team that featured the NFL’s passing leader and six Pro Bowlers tries to reconcile all that talent with an inability to lock up a third consecutive AFC North title.Offensive line coach Mike Munchak could be a hot property for one of the head coaching vacancies. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler’s unit tied for the league lead with 52 sacks but produced just 15 turnovers, third-fewest in the NFL.The special teams were erratic Devin Bush Jersey , penalty-riddled and largely ineffective under Danny Smith.And still the Steelers appeared to be in good shape after a six-game midseason winning streak pushed them to 7-2-1 by Thanksgiving.Four losses over the final six weeks followed, each setback coming in a game Pittsburgh led after halftime.“There were plenty of opportunities to be made and we didn’t capitalize on them,” defensive end Cam Heyward said.Four turnovers in Denver , the last a pick in the end zone by Roethlisberger. A slow, methodical meltdown over the final 30 minutes against the Los Angeles Chargers, when the Steelers lost a 16-point home lead for the first time in franchise history.Another in an increasingly long line of pratfalls in Oakland, this one coming when the Raiders went the length of the field twice in the fourth quarter . A wrenching 31-28 setback in New Orleans two days before Christmas that featured a couple of questionable calls against cornerback Joe Haden and a gutsy but ill-fated fake punt attempt in the final minutes that came up a half-yard short of a first down.“I don’t know what the problem is,” guard David DeCastro said. “Football is an honest sport. That’s why I love the game. It’s honest. It lets you know exactly how it feels about you, what you get in and what you get out. The record is what it is.”And what does 9-6-1 mean?“Wasn’t good enough, that’s for sure,” DeCastro said.The issue http://www.steelersfootballauthentics.com/diontae-johnson-jersey-authentic , Heyward insisted, wasn’t coaching or the steady trickle of off-the-field headlines, be it Bell’s refusal to sign his $14.4 million franchise tender or Brown’s series of missteps.The only player in NFL history with six straight 100-catch seasons suggested he wouldn’t mind getting traded after a former team employee tweaked him on Twitter and threatened to harm a reporter who attempted to do an in-depth piece on Brown’s personal life. The drama continued into the final week.Multiple reports on Monday — citing sources — said Brown sat out Sunday’s 16-13 win over Cincinnati as punishment for skipping meetings and getting into a heated disagreement with a teammate.“There’s plenty of circuses that go around and everybody likes to make a big deal about my team,” Heyward said. “But you know, that doesn’t mean we shy away from it. When we were winning, (the questions were) ‘How do you guys keep doing it with the wins?’ I don’t really follow that as something that deters me or distracts me. Everybody in this locker room wants to win. When we don’t win, it hurts us bad.”Pittsburgh did win — extending its streak of non-losing seasons to 15 — just not when it absolutely mattered. A play here or there and the Steelers are in the postseason and a threat to play into February.Instead, a year that got off to a weird start with the offensive line publicly venting about Bell opting not to end his standoff with the team ahead of Week 1 followed immediately by a six-turnover tie in Cleveland and never really seemed to get to some semblance of “normal” ended with Pittsburgh watching the videoboard at Heinz Field hoping Cleveland could knock off Baltimore.It was strange, momentarily exhilarating and ultimately futile.“It’s tough but that’s the bed we made,” Heyward said. “It’s something we have to live with. We put ourselves in this situation and we can’t look at anybody’s fault but ours.” FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — A five-game losing streak has assured the Atlanta Falcons of their first losing season since 2014 Justin Layne Jersey , and the usually upbeat coach Dan Quinn said he’s alarmed by the ugly results and looking for fixes.Quinn said all players and coaches are in the spotlight after Sunday’s 34-20 loss at Green Bay locked in the losing season for the Falcons (4-9).It is a bitter reality for an Atlanta team only two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance. The Falcons would have to win two of their last three just to match their last losing record, a 6-10 finish in 2014.Quinn has turned up the heat on his team as Atlanta prepares for a visit from Arizona on Sunday.“Some of you may have questions regarding the program and staff and players,” Quinn said. “As we’re sitting here in week 15, we have four wins. So you better believe we’re evaluating everything and doing anything to get it right.”Quinn complained about “self-inflicted wounds,” including 13 penalties and two turnovers in the loss to the Packers.“I thought our toughness was right but our focus is not,” he said.He said the errors and lack of focus are not new concerns.“It hasn’t been to the level that we needed to for a while,” he said. “… To have some of these inconsistencies show up over a period of time has definitely been something that has been at the forefront of my mind.”Quinn doesn’t have an answer to why the focus has become an issue, saying, he “can’t tell you the amount of sleep” he has lost “on that question alone.”Matt Ryan’s second-quarter pass for Austin Hooper was intercepted by Bashaud Breeland and returned 22 yards for a touchdown. The Falcons also botched a shotgun snap in the red zone that was recovered by Green Bay.Quinn said those were among the mistakes “that made me think lack of focus.”It was a mixed weekend for team owner Arthur Blank, who also owns the MLS Atlanta United. One day after watching Atlanta United win the MLS Cup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Blank was in Green Bay for another Falcons loss.Blank gave Quinn a postgame hug one week after saying he still has confidence in the coach and general manager Thomas Dimitroff.Quinn is 36-30 in his fourth season in Atlanta http://www.steelersfootballauthentics.com/benny-snell-jr.-jersey-authentic , including a 3-2 postseason mark.For the second straight week, Quinn tweaked his starting offensive line, inserting Ty Sambrailo at right tackle ahead of Ryan Schraeder. Zane Beadles made his second straight start at right guard.“I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to go out and show what I can do,” Sambrailo said Monday. “The opportunity came and I felt I did all right.”The line helped produce a much-needed boost in the running game . Atlanta ran for 107 yards, only its third 100-yard game of the season. Rookie Ito Smith had 11 carries for 60 yards as he continued to have a more prominent role. Tevin Coleman ran for 45 yards on 10 carries.There were other personnel moves. Rookie Isaiah Oliver shared time with cornerback Robert Alford. Brian Hill played at running back and fullback while fullback Ricky Ortiz was inactive. Defensive end Steven Means also returned to the playing rotation.More changes could come.“Nobody is OK with this record,” Quinn said.NOTES: Quinn second-guessed himself for allowing Matt Bryant to attempt a 53-yard field goal into the wind in the first quarter. Bryant’s kick was short. “That would be one I’d like to have over,” Quinn said. … Quinn said TE Austin Hooper avoided serious injury when he left the game with an apparent knee injury.