From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

Ladarius Green was signed by the Steelers this offseason to be a weapon for Ben Roethlisberger in the offense, and with four games under his belt after coming off an ankle injury, he is doing just that.

Green pulled in six receptions for 110 yards against the Giants last week, the first 100-yard game of his career, and also scored his first touchdown in the black and gold, a 20-yard grab on a play that he hadn’t even run before.

“That is a play, I don’t think he ran that specific play yet,” said Roethlisberger. “For me to call it and him to execute it flawlessly speaks volumes for the work he has put in mentally. To not get that rep physically, but mentally be ready to do it, able to do it, be the actor, the fake block and then make the play. That is just awesome on his part.”

Roethlisberger and Green are developing a rapport on the field, one that both admit needs to continue to grow. While they hooked up for six receptions on Sunday, both know there were plays left on the field, including an incompletion late in the game that could have moved the chains and kept the clock going with 1:43 to play in the game. Instead Randy Bullock came on for a 38-yard field goal, and the Giants got the ball back, driving down for a touchdown.

“It’s just making the plays that are there,” said Roethlisberger. “I could have hit him on that last play on the third down, I overthrew him trying to be a little too cautious. I just have to put it up there for him to make the play. That is on me. Some of the combative catches, I know he wants to make the catches where there is a guy right on him. He made the one on third down where there were two guys on him. That was awesome. There just needs to be more consistency on my part and his part working together. That just comes from repetition and working together. I have all of the confidence in the world in him.”

Part of that confidence comes from the mental approach Green took while he was injured, not just sitting back and […]

From Ben’s radio show this morning on 93.7 The Fan:

Coming off the Steelers 24-14 victory over the New York Giants this past week, you’d think Ben Roethlisberger would want to open The #1 Cochran Ben Roethlisberger Show talking about the offense hitting on all cylinders, but instead he had a message for the Pirates…keep McCutchen.

“I should start this off by saying, lets keep Cutch in Pittsburgh. He should be a Pirate for life, that’s just my opinion.” Ben also shared with us that he has spoken with McCutchen this week about the trade rumors swirling around him.

Turning his focus to the game he played this past week, Ben had a glowing review of tight end Ladarius Green who had a big performance catching 6 passes for 110-yards and a touchdown.

“We haven’t had a lot of game time together, and even practice time,” Ben said. “You would have thought that we’ve been playing for years,” Ben said about the way he and Green have been able to improvise together.

Another one of Ben’s weapons in the offense had a big game in Antonio “Ronald” Brown, as he told reporters he wants to be known as from now on. Ben joked with the guys about Brown saying he wants to be known as Ronald and what a unique character the team’s top receiver is.

“I have no idea, I don’t know where it came from, he was calling himself Ronald Ocean and was calling me Billy for whatever reason, I have on idea.”

Looking at the big picture this year, Ben talked about the close race in the AFC North and how they need to take care business now if they want to be serious Super Bowl contenders.

“We need to shoot for 4-0, we are in the thick of this AFC North division race, we gotta win the division. At this time of year, the Super Bowl champ has probably lost their last game, so you have to take that approach that we need to go win every game we play anymore.”

All season long, it looked like the Patriots would be the team standing in the way of any team looking to win an AFC Championship, but injuries to keep players like Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola have brought them back to the pack. […]

From Jeremy Fowler, ESPN.com:

Ben Roethlisberger won’t let Steelers fall out of playoff picture

Nearly four weeks ago, Ben Roethlisberger stood near his locker and delivered two simple words about his leadership plans for the season’s second half: Follow me.

Since then, Roethlisberger has 1,085 yards passing, eight touchdown passes, one interception and three wins, none bigger than Sunday’s over the New York Giants, 24-14.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers faced trouble midway through the third quarter, Roethlisberger delivered the kind of drive that only a handful of humans could orchestrate.

He strong-armed a 33-yard completion through a pocket full of Giants.

He launched a well-timed ball to the sideline to a toe-tapping Antonio Brown.

“Total trust. I trust him, and he trusts and believes in me.” — Ben, on that touchdown pass to Antonio Brown.

He lofted a pass over the head of safety Landon Collins for a 20-yard score to Ladarius Green, who’s clearly become the Steelers’ second receiving option behind Brown.

On a day the Steelers had to have it, Big Ben was at his biggest, answering a Giants touchdown drive and keeping the lead at 14 before letting Le’Veon Bell handle most of the fourth quarter. Roethlisberger was 4-of-4 for 71 yards on that drive.

It was brilliant performance and the difference in the game.

And don’t think he’s not still motivated by playing Eli Manning, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft and 10 picks above Roethlisberger — who looked like the better quarterback 12 years later.

The defense was just as bullish, baiting Manning into two interceptions and holding Odell Beckham Jr. to 105 yards, a handful of those in garbage time.

Whatever Roethlisberger is doing on offense, James Harrison is matching it on defense; two thirtysomethings putting up numbers at the right time. Harrison has five sacks in his past five games and has applied pressure many other times.

On the game-sealing sack of Manning on fourth down midway through the fourth, at least four Steelers were involved in the takedown. Ricardo Mathews got the credit, but many Steelers were around the ball all game. That includes Sean Davis with his first career interception, Mike Mitchell with two third-down pass breakups and Lawrence Timmons’ field-flipping interception from underneath coverage.

“It’s that time of year when we have […]