It comes across as a little shady to say the least

He said..."I think it's probably a communication issue in that the guys saw him practicing and assumed he was going to play but didn't know what all was happening," Bettis said. "The frustration is, 'What's the deal We thought we had him We thought he was playing,'" Bettis said. "I think it's a little blown up because it's Ben Roethlisberger."He went on to say Monday, that he doesn't expect a rift to develop in the locker room following comments made by wide receiver Hines Ward. "I don't see it as being a big issue."And Bettis' reasonings proved correct when Ward was later quoted, after the fact, as saying...his comments were a product of frustration as he thought Roethlisberger would play.It is what they were being lead to believe all week long. In fact Santonio Holmes made similar comments of his own..."We would have liked for him to play," wide receiver Santonio Holmes said. "If he had the opportunity, he should have played for us, but he didn't. And we didn't get the job done."Sounds to me like Ward was not the only person seemingly let down by Big Ben.Knowing the competitor inside Ward it is not hard at all to believe he would say those things.

In fact, I think he was more let down that the players themselves were not told of what was going on until Saturday evening when Ward made those comments.He did not make them directly before the game as many were lead to believe, they were made the day before and only televised before the game.I find it even more interesting that Tomlin admits that even after he knew Ben was not playing, he didn't tell the team as a whole.Tomlin said he didn't tell the players why Dixon took most of the snaps with the first-team offense during the Steelers' Saturday walk-through for several reasons..."At the time, I was more concerned about getting Dennis ready to play," Tomlin said.I also find it interesting that the incident was explained this way...Maroon's recommendation came Saturday after Roethlisberger experienced exertion-induced headaches all week.That doesn't sound like what the fans or Ward were being told all week, including what Ben was saying himself. It comes across as a little shady to say the least.I feel that Tomlin was a big part of the problem as to why these players were frustrated and said the things they did, although it certainly doesn't make them right. He certainly should have keep them in the mix as far as being updated on Ben.Tomlin later adds more fuel to the fire in my opinion by saying...and I quote..."and I proceeded with the assumption that our men understood what kind of competitor (Roethlisberger) is. If they don't, I will tell them."Sounds to me like he is blaming his players for his lack of communication skills. Had he told his team as soon as he found out, this may have never happened at all. And to now accuse them of being bad teammates is not the way to solve this problem.That statement alone is enough to cause a rift among the players and this coach.It seems to me like Tomlin may not be beyond his years as of yet, and may still need time to develop into the leader we all hope he can be.Ward's comments came in the heat of the moment, minutes after he found out Ben was not going to play, while Tomlin's were after the fact and in response to what Ward had said.He had more time to think things through and I do not believe he chose his words very well.Lets all hope that things are mended in time for a final run to the playoffs.

A little controversy and a few close loses tend to make teams stronger once they make it there. . The Southeastern Conference is playing a BCS Championship Game semi-final this weekend. But the Gators and Crimson Tide are not playing in the biggest game of the week.That title belongs to the match between the Texas Longhorns and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.I am aware that the SEC game is a matchup between the top two teams in the BCS rankings. And boy would that create a mess.If you don't believe me, ask Bob Stoops.The Cornhuskers could throw the proverbial wrench into the system with a victory over the Longhorns. That's third in the country behind Tennessee's five and Florida's six.If Horns fans think McCoy is going to carve up this defense, then a surprise is in store.Nebraska has only allowed a team to rush for a touchdown six times this season. That is 13 total touchdowns this season given up by the black shirts.Texas will have a tough time stopping Lee and company Running back Roy Helu, Jr. has been great for the Huskers as well.The Longhorns are still the No.