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Opponents on Steelers

Bills are talking about Minkah, T.J. & Tomlin

The Steelers take on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night in a primetime matchup with a lot riding on it, as both teams are in the playoff race right now and trying to secure their positioning.

It will be a reunion in many ways, with the Edmunds brothers, Terrell and Trey for the Steelers and Tremaine with the Bills meeting up.

It will also be a reunion for Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin and Bills Coach Sean McDermott, who were teammates at William & Mary when Tomlin was a senior and McDermott a freshman.

McDermott has a world of respect for Tomlin and isn't shy about sharing that.

"I think what you see with the Steelers is Mike's personality on the team," said McDermott. "He's got a very dynamic personality. He is well spoken and class all the way through. I think you see that with their football team. They play at a high level. They play well week to week.

"And they are led by one of the greatest coaches I think has been around our game in Mike. He is a Super Bowl winning coach. His resume speaks for itself."

In addition to talking about Tomlin, the Bills also weighed in on Ben Roethlisberger, T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick.

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Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier on the Steelers offense:
"They're very explosive on offense, have a Hall-of-Fame quarterback and he's got some weapons at wide receiver. And now that they'll get James Conner back, they'll have a chance to be a little bit more balanced with the run game. So, it's an offense that's very capable of exploding and we'll have to do a great job of trying to limit their explosive plays and find ways to contain their passing game and offense that can really get going if you're not careful."

McDermott on the Steelers overall:
"Outside of last week they were undefeated going through 11 games. That's hard to do in this league. I have a lot of respect for their football team. A lot of respect for their leadership. They're a good and talented roster in all three phases. They have a good kicking team, they have a good defense, they play well on offense. They have weapons all over the board in all three phases. It will be a big challenge for us."

Quarterback Josh Allen on Ben Roethlisberger:
"What he has been able to do in his career, winning a couple of Super Bowls. Just the consistency that he has been able to do it with. The way that he plays, the style of game that he plays. He's very hard to bring down. He's got tremendous arm talent. He's been doing it for a long time. He's had a lot of success. I'd argue to say he's a first ballot Hall of Famer. I am very humbled to be named in the same conversation as him and compared to what he was when he was younger. He's still playing and at the top of his game right now and they are rolling, they are 11-1."

Frazier on the Edmunds family, with Terrell and Trey on the Steelers and Tremaine on the Bills:
"It's incredible when you think about it. And they had two number one pics out of that family. And their dad being an athlete. Their mom being an athlete. It has to be incredible for the parents to have three NFL players at the same time. It says a lot of about the genes and DNA. Kudos to their parents and what they have been able to accomplish with their sons."

Allen on the Steelers defense, the team overall and Mike Tomlin:
"The defense they have right now, the pass rush, the two guys T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, they lost (Bud) Dupree who is a really good player. He was a tough competitor. In the backend they have some smart guys. Minkah (Fitzpatrick) is able to fly around. They are a really good defense.

"They're fun to watch. When we aren't playing, I like watching them because they look like they have a great time playing the game. They have a great time playing for their coach. Everything I have heard about Coach Tomlin has been nothing but super and fantastic. I have a lot of respect for him and who he is as a person and a coach. I have a lot of respect for the organization there in Pittsburgh."

Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll on the challenge of going against the Steelers defense:
"Their scheme, Coach (Keith) Butler does a great job. They have been good for a long, long time. The Steelers defenses go back a while, since I have been in the league it's always been good. They keep plugging guys in. They lose a guy they have the next guy. Then they have the outside backers that can rush.

"It's pretty impressive, it's all tied in. They do a great job of tying in their scheme with the front level guys. I know they had a big loss with Dupree there, but Watt is really an unbelievable player. Then Minkah, I've got some familiarity with him at Alabama. He's just a ball hawk, he's very instinctive, very smart, reads a quarterback well. They mix it up with the coverages.

"This is a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that looks like a Pittsburgh Steelers defense. It's very challenging. They've got a lot of good parts, schemes. It will be a big challenge."

McDermott on the Steelers defense:
"They are a talented defense. It starts up front with Watt and Heyward. They have been at it a long time. Then they have working behind them Minkah and Joe Haden. They're a top defense in the league. They play hard, physical and pressure the quarterback. They take the ball away. That's hard to do play well in all of those areas."

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