The Steelers host the Seattle Seahawks at Heinz Field on Sunday in the team's home opener, and Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll knows it's going to be a big test for his team.
"Pittsburgh stays as a classic team," said Carroll. "It's Coach (Mike) Tomlin, it's Ben (Roethlisberger), it's his defense, it's just always been the same in that it poses all the problems that you could ever hate to face, and they got it. I know that they didn't get the first game like they wanted to, but I think that just makes them that much more dangerous. We are going to see if we could put together really good preparation and go get it."
The Steelers are coming off a 33-3 loss to the New England Patriots, and Carroll is well aware that will have the team fired up to make amends for the disappointing loss.
"They're coming home and they're hurt a little bit by that one," said Carroll. "They're going to come flying back. It's Mike's team. They're going to come firing back at us. I think that they'll be flying and all that and we're going to expect them at their best."
The Seahawks weigh in more on Roethlisberger, James Conner and more.
Carroll on how he prepares for Roethlisberger:
"We've all studied him forever and he's such a unique talent. There's nobody like him. He's so resourceful and so competitive and so talented too and just so unique that we know what we are up against. We know what we're playing against. It's trying to find a way to stop him. What he's done remarkable for years and years is to get out of trouble and find a receiver or find the second or third choice and make something happen and really just break your back with big plays in that fashion. He's an unusual guy, he's hard to sack, he's hard to get off his feet. He just has a great confidence and presence in the sense that just makes him Big Ben."
Linebacker Bobby Wagner on the challenge Roethlisberger presents:
"Definitely extending plays is the thing that sticks out, and he's really hard to get down. I think a lot of it is, they don't really give up too many sacks. That's because their o-line is so good, and the other part is because he's really big. I don't know how tall he is but, probably six seven or something. I don't know. It's really hard to get him down so, we have to make sure we don't allow him to just sit back there and find the open receivers. We have to do a good job of pressuring him, do a good job of [when we have him] bringing him down. That's why we do push-ups."
Carroll on the Steelers overall:
"We know this is a loaded team on both sides of the football. They can do all kinds of great stuff, causing problems with your offense. They can sack you, they can stop you up front. They can cause all kinds of problems there. There is nobody that has more style than Ben does as an offensive weapon. He is one of the most unique players to play in this game ever. They have all of the firepower they need. We are expecting them to be great, play great, the crowd, the fans, it's a very difficult setting."
Wagner on James Conner:
"He's really patient. That line is really good, and he does a good job hiding behind them and so, we have to be patient and we have to find him and get him down."
