Boys will be boys.
At least that is Ben Roethlisberger's explanation for offensive coordinator Todd Haley being caught on camera yelling "Shut the f-- up, Ben," after the team bungled a two-point conversion try in its 20-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Roethlisberger was asked about the incident during his weekly call-in show on 93.7 The Fan and said coaches and players yelling at one another on the sideline during a game is nothing new.
"That's nothing new, him screaming at me during games," Roethlisberger said. "You guys don't ever see it. I don't know that he was yelling at me through the head set because I didn't hear that. I did look over to the sideline because he was definitely screaming.
"I know they're making a big deal about it on social media and that's how you are seeing and hearing about it. I know there was some coach-to-coach arguing, him hollering. You've just got to move on. You can't really get caught up in that stuff. That's why I was focused in what was going on."
What was going on was the Steelers were in the process of being forced to call a timeout when they couldn't get properly lined up for the two-point try after they had tied the game on a Vance McDonald touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter.
With the Steelers trailing 17-15, Roethlisberger called a timeout. Then, when the Steelers still couldn't successfully line up for the same play after the timeout, they took a delay of game penalty, moving the ball back to the 7.
"The only thing I heard was Todd was saying to kick it and (Mike Tomlin) was like, 'No,'" Roethlisberger said after the game. "'Let the offense go.' I didn't take a second timeout because I was figuring the same -- let's take the penalty and give us some more room."
Roethlisberger completed the conversion pass to Martavis Bryant on a crossing route to tie the game on a play Haley called.
"I know that obviously you want to be closer to the goal line and it's easier to score there, but you give yourself a little more room to work there," Roethlisberger said Monday. "We got Martavis open in the middle. Obviously, you don't want that to happen, but it is what it is."
It wasn't the only time the two clashed Sunday.
According to Roethlisberger, Haley also wanted the offense to huddle with just over one minute remaining after a 13-yard completion to Le'Veon Bell left the Steelers with a third-and-4 play from their own 31.
Instead, Roethlisberger hurried the team to the line and threw a short pass on a crossing route to Bryant that turned into a 19-yard gain to midfield. Four plays later, Chris Boswell kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give the Steelers their first lead of the game -- and the only one that would matter.
"He was kind of yelling for us to huddle and I was like, 'No, you know what? We've just got to move and go.'" Roethlisberger said. "I made the play to Martavis. Those things happen more than people know. There's frustration. There's competitiveness. There's all kind of things that happen during a game. If he was hollering at me, it wasn't coming through my headset that I remember."