Roethlisberger sorry for speaking out

PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger doesn't think he and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley need to be best friends to coexist.

The quarterback, however, also knows he can't start calling Haley out when things don't go as planned, no matter how bothered the Steelers captain may get by the play-calling.

It's why Roethlisberger apologized to Haley, coach Mike Tomlin and owner Art Rooney II after making pointed remarks about the direction of the offense following a 27-24 overtime loss to Dallas on Sunday.

"I let my frustrations jump out after a game, I don't usually do that," Roethlisberger said. "Usually, I keep it under control. I was just frustrated with myself and I'll be better at that."

Roethlisberger completed 24 of 40 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns against Dallas but also threw a critical interception on the second play of overtime that set up the game-winning field goal. Afterward he expressed disappointment in Haley's decision to stay away from the "no-huddle" offense. And he wondered why Haley didn't feature tight end Heath Miller, who had six receptions for 85 yards in the first half and just one catch for seven yards in the second.

Looking back, Roethlisberger — who took full responsibility for the loss — figures he probably should have just kept quiet.

"We do have a lot of talks behind closed doors about things, about plays, play-calling," he said. "If I'm doing something that's not right on the field, we have talks about everything."

FLORHAM PARK, New Jersey — It all began as an intriguing idea, the thought of Tim Tebow running around as an exciting spark for the New York Jets' offense.

Then it all fizzled — before it really even started.

Rex Ryan acknowledged Wednesday that he had higher expectations for the seldom-used Tebow in the Jets' wildcat-style offense. And, so did the NFL's most popular and maligned backup quarterback.

"For some reason, it hasn't panned out to my expectations and maybe Tim's, either," Ryan said. "Defenses have attacked us a little differently. Maybe that's a contributing factor to it."

Ryan would not go into detail about why he chose Greg McElroy over Tebow to replace the struggling Mark Sanchez as the team's starting quarterback with two games left in a lost season. He reiterated his comments from Tuesday that it was his decision — and his alone — saying it was a "gut" call.

It was one that, predictably, didn't sit well with Tebow.

"Obviously, I'm a little disappointed," he said. "You try to handle it the best you can."

Tebow paused for a second when asked if he felt passed over by Ryan choosing McElroy instead of him.

"All you can ask for and all you want is a chance," he said. "A chance to go out there and play the game you love, and help this team win football games."

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