From Steelers.com today:


Re: Being disappointed about his play after the game:

Yeah I was. There were three, four or five plays I’d like to have back but you could probably say that about any game. Some of them are going to be plays that you guys don’t even know about. Obviously the fumble but just a couple things here and there that I’d like to have back.


Do you feel at home at Cleveland?

Well it’s a very hostile environment and I anticipate, and I’m sure a lot of guys around here or people that have been here for a while, this is as big of a game probably in Cleveland in a while. Just because of their record, our record, us coming in there, AFC North (and) the rivalry that’s there. I anticipate it being a hostile environment, maybe like nothing I’ve ever seen up there before.


Do you get up more to play the Browns?

Heck yeah. Well I’m a competitor. It’s a division rival. It’s my home state. Yeah I always get up a little bit more.


Re: Red zone scoring issues and if they need to run the ball more frequently in that area of the field:

No, we need to just execute. We were 1-of-4 last week. I think the week before we were a lot better. We’re going to take what the defense gives us. Last week it was throwing the ball. We just need to execute better.


Is the pass heavy play-calling in the red zone a by-product of operating out of the no-huddle?

Some of it is but that’s me calling plays (and) feeling like we had the advantage in the pass game down there. So I called passes and I don’t regret any of it.


Re: Having lots of big plays in the first half against Cleveland and if that was a mind-set approach or what the Browns did:

A little bit of both. You never really expect a screen, I think we had two screens early, to go real big. You expect to get first downs and things like that. But for them to go as big as they did I think it’s just a by-product of what they gave us.


Does it feel like more of a rivalry based on how things are going this year?

I don’t know […]

And we have something special to share with you, Steeler Nation:



Members of the 557 Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan send a Shout-Out to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are deployed from Fort Indiantown GAP and Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.


Go Steelers indeed…and GO 557th!!

From Steelers.com:

The annual Black and Gold Style features current players and their families modeling clothing from American Eagle, Nike, and the NFL, benefiting the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program and the Cancer Caring Center.

This year, Black and Gold Style will celebrate 40 years of Steelers Style. It is chaired by Greta & Art Rooney II and Kiya & Mike Tomlin with two current Steelers players serving as co-captains. The event includes dinner and a high-energy runway fashion show extravaganza prominently featuring your 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers and their families.

When: October 24th at 6:00 p.m.
Where: East Club Lounge, Heinz Field
Tickets: $250 per person

Join the Pittsburgh Steelers as they continue their winning tradition by raising much needed funds for the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program and the Cancer Caring Center.


You can get more info, including how to purchase tickets, here.

You can see more photos of that beautiful couple above from last year’s event here.


Photo credit: Dr. Ronald Cypher

Ben joined The Cook and Poni Show today for his weekly appearance on the #1 Cochran Ben Roethlisberger Show.


The recap from CBS Pittsburgh this evening:

Ben opened the show talking about how he almost came to Pittsburgh earlier in his career after he considered playing at Pitt.

He also talked about what it’s like to return to his native state of Ohio to play the Browns this weekend, but the big subject was about the decision to try and get Antonio Brown his record over taking a knee and running out the clock.

Roethlisberger told Andrew Fillipponi that it was important to Antonio Brown to extended his streak of 5 receptions and 50 yards so that is why he consulted Coach Tomlin about calling a final play.

“It’s important to AB, important to the offense, it’s important to all of us so we always ride together,” Roethlisberger said. “You know we won the game so I don’t know why this is such a big issue.”

Roethlisberger said it’s not a problem for anyone in that Steelers locker room but rather to the media and certain fans.

“We won the game. Isn’t that all that matters?” Roethlisberger said. “That’s all that matters to us. We won the game so we move on.”

The Steelers did win the game 17-9 over the winless Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday but it took an interception returned for a touchdown for the Steelers to secure the victory. The Steelers offense was only able to put together 10 points against a defense that was on pace to give up the most points in the history of the NFL.

“It was nearly as bad as it felt afterwards,” Roethlisberger said. “We need to be better. Looking back on it, my personal opinion on it is there were 2 or 3 maybe 4 plays I would have liked to have had back, that maybe I could have done something better.”

Roethlisberger said that the Steelers game plan was to throw because Jacksonville showed a tough front that would be hard to run against. They thought they could have success against the secondary.

“We knew going in we were going to try and throw the ball against them and that involved red zone and out in the field. We did a pretty good job.” Roethlisberger said. “Some of […]

From Scott Brown today, at ESPN.com:

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s appreciation of wide receiver Antonio Brown showed at the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 17-9 win Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Needing to take three knees to secure the Steelers’ third win of the season, Roethlisberger successfully lobbied coach Mike Tomlin to throw one more pass so Brown could extend an NFL record.

With two minutes left in the game and Jacksonville out of timeouts, Roethlisberger threw a short pass that Brown turned into a 16-yard catch and run. The Steelers ran out the clock from there.

Roethlisberger made the unorthodox request so Brown could catch a fifth pass and make it 21 consecutive games in which he has had at least five receptions and 50 receiving yards.

Brown finished with five receptions for 84 yards.

“I’m not always a fan of doing things like that, because I know that bad things can happen, but a guy like that deserves it,” Roethlisberger said. “He deserves to get the ball to keep the record going because of the work and dedication he brings to this team, to the game and the organization. I’m just glad that the coaches were OK with it and he got it.”

Tomlin might draw some criticism for allowing a pass at the end of a game that the Steelers needed to win in the worst way. But it reflected his trust in Roethlisberger — and his appreciation of Brown, who moved past Mike Wallace and into ninth place on the Steelers’ receiving yards list. Brown has 4,072 receiving yards and needs 67 to move past Plaxico Burress and into eighth-place on the Steelers’ all-time list.


You can read more here.



Stat of the Day:

Ben has posted a passer rating of 100.0+ in four of the first five games of a season for the first time in his career. (Source: Ryan Scarpino, Steelers PR)

“I’m going to take away that I need to play better to win, the defense bailed me out with the interception. They played well. This is a team win and that’s what it’s about. Going on the road against an AFC team and getting a win – no matter how ugly, no matter how pretty it is. You just find a way a win.” — Ben, post-game.

From Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

On a day in which their offense struggled against the NFL’s most porous defense, the Steelers got enough of a lift from their own struggling defense to escape Jacksonville with a 17-9 victory over the winless Jaguars today.

The victory improved their record to 3-2 while Jacksonville slipped to 0-5.

“A little disappointed in my play, but o-line played great! I’ve got to play better.” — Ben.

Cornerback Brice McCain intercepted a Blake Bortles pass and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown with 11:32 left to expand the Steelers’ lead from one point to 17-9.

Bortles tried to force a pass to fellow rookie Allen Hurns on the right but McCain had good coverage on the play, picked it off and had no one between him and the end zone.

It was only the third interception of the season for the Steelers but their second of the game. It also came just two plays after a sluggish Steelers offense came up empty again.

“The line played a lot better than what the stats are going to say. That’s a great defense, a good defensive front, and they got after it. I know there are going to be some stats on sacks and stuff like that, but they played a lot better than what it’s going to be written as. A lot of those are on me, the sacks, the fumble – just can’t let it happen. You know, a couple times rather than throw the ball away, I took a sack there at the end because you’d rather [have] the clock keep running ” — Ben.

The Steelers were in position to extend their 10-9 lead early in the fourth quarter with the ball on Jacksonville’s 13. But on third down, defensive tackle Abry Jones sacked Ben Roethlisberger, who fumbled. Andre Branch recovered for Jacksonville at the 17.

The Steelers scored the only touchdown of the […]