Typically, when a team wins the coin toss they elect to defer, the other team takes the football and the other team then gets the football coming out of halftime. It’s a smart strategy and almost universally accepted.
Except not always. On Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger chose to receive after winning the toss and according to the postgame, he was the one who told head coach Mike Tomlin he was doing it, not the other way around.
“We always send our defense out first to set the tone, but our offense can do the same thing,” Roethlisberger.
You have to appreciate the confidence. Especially in light of the fact the Steelers hadn’t been very lucky with scoring on their opening drives. But Roethlisberger bet on himself and it paid off as the Steelers marched down the field and scored.
However, given how the second half went, it might have been nice to get the football first and perhaps slow down some of that momentum the Titans came out with. Not to mention, how many teams let their quarterback make these kinds of decisions anyway?
But I want to pass the question off to you. Are you OK with Roethlisberger dictating the coin toss or is this the decision of the head coach?
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