The Steelers will take on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday in an AFC Wild Card game at Heinz Field, but before the two teams meet there was plenty to say about each other.
Dolphins' Coach Adam Gase, a Michigan State graduate, had nothing but praise for Michigan State's own Le'Veon Bell.
"Just seeing him become the guy that he has become," said Gase. "I paid attention to him when he was in college, being a Michigan State grad myself. Seeing him go from what they did at Michigan State, where they are power football. I remember him being a big guy, that was downhill, and seeing him be a guy who has transformed his body and can do everything in the run game. The weapon he is out of the backfield and when he is removed from the backfield and empty, and all the different things they can do with him with the route tree he has.
"It's very impressive to see how he has grown as a player from the time he was drafted. If he is not the best in the league, he is one of the top three. I just can't think of a lot of guys who are as versatile as he is. He is a weapon for them. We have to make sure if we want to be in this game in the fourth quarter, we have to do a great job of making sure he doesn't have a ton of explosive plays."
More from the Dolphins:
Adam Gase on how you scout team for Antonio Brown:
"It's tough to match what he brings in practice against what it's going to be on Sunday. He is such a tough guy to go against. It's hard to replicate that in practice. We have to do our best job of making sure we keep our leverage and make sure he can't take over the game. You do everything you can and sometimes it's tough because special players do bigger things when it's big time moments. He is going to step up and we have to do a great job of staying as tight as we can on him and keep him from making explosive plays. It's one of those things if you are slightly wrong against him, it's going to be a problem."
Wide receiver Kenny Stills on the challenge of the Steelers' defense:
"They play physical, sound defense. It's more about us than it is the other team. So if we go out and play our game, we know we'll be fine."
Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips on Bell:
"If you watch that man, he's patient, explosive, stops and starts better than most backs."
Gase on the challenges the Steelers present:
"Offensively, it's the same thing we saw last time. They've got three very elite performers at critical positions on offense, and their defense historically has been what we all know it has always been. They've been tough. They do a great job of tackling. They stop the run. I know last game wasn't ideal for them, but that happens (when) you don't have exactly the game you want. They play great team defense. It's a very tough team to go against, especially on their own turf. They'll absolutely be ready for us, especially the last time we played, I'm sure they'll be ready to go after what happened last time."
Cornerback Tony Lippert on Ben Roethlisberger extending plays:
"You definitely have to stick with your guy longer. Wide receivers redirect to him and we have to redirect to him. He's great at scrambling. That's why he's a Super Bowl quarterback."
