PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said it was nice to have some time to rest and relax during the open week. He paints a picture of what this Sunday afternoon will bring.
Steelers facing a Cleveland defense that Roethlisberger says is more than just NFL sack leader Myles Garrett.
“He’s the man,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s one of the best in the NFL at what he does.” The additions they have from D-line to secondary.”
Those include Jadeveon Clowney (3.5 sacks), 31-year-old, 6’5” defensive tackle Malik Jackson, linebacker Anthony Walker (8 tackles per game), free safety John Johnson (INT) and rookie first round pick, corner Greg Newsome
“They don’t try and complicate and confuse you,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s like, ‘we are just better than you and we are going to line up and beat ya’.”
Roethlisberger said it’s another one of those games for the Steelers where the stats don’t matter. They likely won’t be pretty. He’s trying to find a way to get a win and doesn’t think of the playoff loss as a major motivator.
It’s been since 2018 that Roethlisberger played in Cleveland, that ended in a tie. His last win by the lake was the opening game of 2017 and he joked he’s actually glad he’s no longer the winningest quarterback at the Browns stadium. A place Ben said Wednesday will be filled with ‘awesome’ fans.
“It’s a challenge,” Roethlisberger said. “They are passionate. Anytime your fan’s area has a nickname, it’s pretty cool. They like to get on us. It’s part of the game. When you go there, you play well and win. It has an extra feeling of satisfaction, but it’s not easy to play there.”
McFarland Impact
Hasn’t happened officially yet, but Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday they expect to activate second-year running back Anthony McFarland from injured reserve this week.
“I think he was doing some really good stuff before he got hurt,” Roethlisberger said of McFarland’s knee injury in training camp. “Excited to see what he can bring to us. We’ve seen a guy that has a little burst. A guy that maybe can add a little something extra to this offense.”
The 5’9” McFarland played in 11 games as a rookie last year, rushing 33 times for 113 yards and caught six passes for 54 yards. Roethlisberger said you can tell McFarland spent a lot of time getting his body and mind ready in the off-season. He adds he’s also not making the same rookie mistakes he made last year.
Banner Raising
Tomlin said there will be a competition at tackle with opening game projected starter Zach Banner healthy.
“He’s one of the leaders of that group,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s a guy that has experience. He brings passion and fire. For a lineman, sometimes the heart that you bring can be stronger than your talent. With a guy that’s got all kinds of heart, passion, fire, for this team, for protecting the QB. It’s never a bad thing to have.”
Ebron response
TE Eric Ebron said Monday it’s difficult, but he is no longer going to publicly complain about the lack of receptions. The veteran has only seven catches in 2021, but Roethlisberger said he’s not the only one with down numbers.
“I don’t know that anybody is catching the amount of balls that they want to,” Roethlisberger said. “The stats aren’t there for anybody. At the end of the day, winning is the stat that matters the most. You can see that from him, too.”
