What the Steelers are saying about facing the Patriots in Week 1
"It helps us a little not having to worry about Gronk, because he’s a guy that we definitely paid a lot of attention to."
The Steelers finally beat the Patriots in 2018, Pittsburgh’s first win over New England since the 2011 season. That said, the 17-10 December victory proved a hollow achievement for Mike Tomlin’s team.
By season’s end, the Patriots were once again Super Bowl champions, while the Steelers hadn’t even made it to the playoffs despite a roster stacked with talent.
In this context, the two teams meet in Week 1 of the 2019 season. The game will be shown nationally on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”
New England’s pregame media approach has been the same as always, succinctly summarized by Bill Belichick’s “I like football” deadpan in a press conference earlier this week.
Here’s a look at a few Steelers quotes:
‘They are the world champs’
Despite being the last team to beat the Patriots (in the December game), Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is aware that it’s his team who are the ones playing catchup.
“It’s the first game of the year,” said Roethlisberger on Wednesday. “They are the world champs. We’re just trying to get to where they have been. It will be exciting for all of us. I know the crowd will be excited. Sunday Night Football, it’s not a one o’clock game. All those things add up to an exciting night.”
On his (and the team’s) struggles over the years with the Patriots, Roethlisberger noted that it’s a league-wide theme.
“They are the best for a reason, coaches and players,” Roethlisberger explained. “It’s not like we have had a problem with them. The league has had a problem with them. They’re that dominant. Like I have said before playing them at home is hard enough. To go to their place is almost impossible. I guess the only positive is it’s not an AFC North team.”
Several other Steelers, including wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, also noted how they were looking forward to the chance against the champions.
.@TeamJuJu, @JaySam1k, and @rell_island6 talk about facing the Patriots, last year’s matchup and more. pic.twitter.com/VScrBkjf3R
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 6, 2019
‘We look forward to playing against New England’
The Steelers recently handed a brand-new contract to 30-year-old cornerback Joe Haden. The former Cleveland Brown has become a central part of Pittsburgh’s defense since joining the team in 2017.
On the topic of playing the Patriots, Haden said it’s beneficial to play New England in Week 1.
“I think it’s a good thing,” said Haden. “No matter what happens, we have 16 games. This is just one of the 16.”
“But I think just with the rivalry, we look forward to playing against New England,” Haden followed up. “Tom Brady, great quarterback, so we know what that comes along with. I think it’s a good thing for our team coming out of training camp, coming out of preseason ready for the season, and then knowing we’re going against not a division opponent but an opponent that we always face in the playoffs or [just] a tough team to beat.”
.@missi_matthews sits down with @joehaden23 to discuss his new contract, this week’s matchup against the Patriots and more. pic.twitter.com/yx4KnmwGWD
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 5, 2019
‘Any discussions with the Patriots offense starts with Tom Brady’
Haden noted how the retirement of Rob Gronkowski is a boost for the Steelers’ defensive match-ups.
“It helps us a little not having to worry about Gronk, because he’s a guy that we definitely paid a lot of attention to,” Haden explained. “We’ll just kind of ease into it. I know Coach [Tomlin’s] going to have a plan to execute, so we’ll figure it out.”
Tomlin, who has been head coach of the Steelers since 2007, had a different view.
“Any discussions with the Patriots offense starts with Tom Brady, and always has,” Tomlin told reporters on Tuesday. “I think that he’s that type of player that he’s thoughtful about how he attacks you from time to time. He’s going to hit you with known weapons. He’s going to hit you with lesser-known weapons. You better focus your energies on him and work out from there. That’s always been our approach.”
