“I’m so used to Ben just responding like that because it’s just Ben to me now. I don’t look at it like, ‘Oh wow, that’s amazing,’ because I am just so used to seeing it but he is just a special player. I wouldn’t want to play with any other quarterback. He is a guy who is always composed in the pocket. I will watch him, even when I am running my routes, and sometimes when he doesn’t throw me the ball I am just watching him throw it to somebody else and he just never seems rattled. I don’t know how you get that, playing in the pocket, when you have got big guys, 300 pounds, trying to take your head off, but he is so composed and always keeps his cool, and you got to respect him for that, and I am glad I play with him.” — Le’Veon Bell.



From Jeremy Fowler, ESPN.com:

100916These are the games championship-caliber teams usually win. Shrug off a few sluggish moments to put a bad team away.

And these are the games recent Pittsburgh Steelers teams might have randomly lost — just like two years ago, against this same New York Jets squad in MetLife Stadium.

At least through five games, the 2016 Steelers seem to have a resolve emblematic of the franchise’s history. Fresh off a 31-13 win against the Jets, that renewed attitude will only strengthen their case for a second AFC North title since 2011.

How the Steelers (4-1) responded late in the third quarter illustrates that point. After three flat drives, they came back with a nine-play, 80-yard affair that ended in a classic touchdown moment between Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger. From the 5-yard line, Brown runs a crossing route, sees traffic, then fades to an open spot in the middle of the field for Big Ben, who waits for his guy to find daylight.

Sunday wasn’t always a smooth ride. The Jets were desperate at 1-3. Their defense closed the door on deep plays after Sammie Coates’ dazzling 72-yard touchdown grab on the opening drive. Coates’ beautiful/painful experience continues with two touchdowns and three drops, including one in the end zone so head-scratching that coach Mike Tomlin calmed down his receiver from the sideline after the play.

With New York shutting down the deep plays, Roethlisberger surgically moved the ball downfield with screen passes to Le’Veon Bell and the occasional throw to Brown, who was well below his normal pace before the fourth quarter. He finished with nine catches for 78 yards.

Roethlisberger is dealing at an MVP clip. His 15 touchdowns are the most in franchise history during the first five games, and two of his 12 career passing performances of at least four touchdowns have come in back-to-back games.

And Bell dramatically changes things for this offense. When the big play isn’t there, Bell can simply find himself open and do what he did today, catching nine passes for 88 yards to accompany his 66 rushing yards. The Steelers lost a dimension when Bell got suspended for three games, but the wait was sweeter. This is Bell’s best work yet with 332 total yards through two games.


You can read more from Mr. Fowler here.

You can watch Ben’s post-game interview here.

And you can see photos from today’s game here.