The following is a portion of Ben Roethlisberger's Conference Call:
Re: Playing at Baltimore next week and the importance of not looking past the Bills:Honest to goodness I didn't even know we were playing against Baltimore next week. I don't really focus that far ahead. I just focus on this week, but some guys might be. But if you ask me and if you look around this locker room, the guys are so focused on one game at a time. It's any given Sunday this week, we all know that. So we have to go out and give it our best shot, especially on offense because their defense is really good up front and in the secondary and I think it is going to be a really good challenge for us on offense.
Can you talk about the success of this team over the years?If you ask me I think it starts at the top. Great ownership, the Rooney's are awesome, good coaching, good veteran players all the way down to the drafting of the rookies. I think it is a great franchise and a great organization that knows how to do it right and we are just trying to win ball games
What is the mindset going into the last six games?
Go 1-0. That's what it is, right now we are 0-0, we are trying to get to 1-0. That is the mentality that I take and that we take. You have to look at it one game at a time because you can't take a look at the other teams' records. What does our record need to be to get to the playoffs because you are overlooking certain things. So for me and for us, it is let's get to 1-0 and move on from there.
Where does the sense for being able to keep plays alive come from?
You mean the stupidity? You know, honestly I get asked that question a lot and the only thing I can think of is the competitiveness and I don't want to give up on anything. I am not a guy that you will see go down the pressure when comes and maybe I should sometimes. But for me I am just too much of a competitive to give up.
What's gotten in to Mike Wallace?
Something called speed. Mike is really emerging as a receiver and go to guy. He is not just fast and not just a straight down the field. You saw last week he took maybe a five to seven yard pass and goes 40 yards down the field. That is something we want to see from Mike. He is learning to run all of the routes. The great thing is he wants to learn, he wants to be better and every week he is really humble and down to earth and as a quarterback you love that about a guy like Mike.
Happy you don't have to play against your defense?
They are an awesome group to have on my side. And on Sundays I always feel a little bad for the other quarterback, but not too bad.