The Steelers will host the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football, a Jets team that comes into Acrisure Stadium with a 2-4 record, but talent up and down the roster that makes them dangerous.
The Jets acquired receiver Davante Adams this week via a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, adding another weapon to the arsenal for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The two were teammates for eight years in Green Bay and shouldn't have much of an adjustment getting up to speed with the Jets offense.
The vast majority of the talk in New York this week has been about the addition of Adams, but the Jets also went off topic a little bit, weighing in on Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, T.J. Watt and more.
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Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich on planning for Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at quarterback:
"I would say from the past game perspective, not much will change. Arthur Smith, his passing game is very conducive to an athletic quarterback, as we've seen over the years from (Ryan) Tannehill to all the guys that he's had, so from that standpoint, I don't see a whole lot of change.
"Where you have to account for Justin Fields is the scrambling and the quarterback runs because he'll have designed runs that aren't necessarily Russell's forte, so having an answer for the quarterback runs and then at times just accounting for this scrambler and you can do that a lot of different ways.
"Whether you appoint a spy, a free player, from a cover standpoint, you can create more vision where more guys are looking at him, but we have answers either way."
Linebackers coach Mike Rutenberg on what impresses him about the Steelers:
"They do a really good job of moving pieces around and getting the ball in their playmakers hands."
Rutenberg on what he anticipates at quarterback with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields:
"Gotta be ready for both. Great players. Both are great players. Both have been dynamic. Justin has done a great job this year in his role. Russell, his career speaks for itself, and you have to be ready for both."
Ulbrich on the challenge of trying to contain linebacker T.J. Watt:
"It goes back to moving the target. Sometimes chipping them, sometimes sifting them, sometimes cutting them and just keeping him off balance.
"He's a game wrecker as we all know. He's one of the best players, one of the best defensive players in this League and he's a generational talent. So, you've got to account for him every single play."
Passing coordinator Todd Downing on the Steelers defense:
"They have some really talented players. They have elite players on every level of the defense. You have to figure out a way that you are going to handle some guys up front. Then you have to figure out ways that you're going to make sure you get to the linebacker level defenders. Then they've got (Minkah) Fitzpatrick and (Joey) Porter (Jr.) in the back end, playmakers all over the place.
"If you get too enamored with trying to focus on those guys, you lose sight of what your responsibilities are. We have to play fast. We have to get to our landmarks and be where we are supposed to be when we are supposed to be there and let the matchups take care of themselves.
"Obviously, that comes with some intentionality and purpose in terms of making sure people don't wreck the game. We have great respect for the guys on the other side of the line of scrimmage every week, especially this week. We've been very deliberate in how we handle some of those situations."
Defensive lineman Quinnen Williams on the challenge with two quarterbacks with different styles:
"Both of them can run, super athletic, make great throws. Justin has shown this year he can be an elite quarterback, one of the best quarterbacks in the league by the throws he can make, extending plays with his feet and making explosive plays with his feet. Everyone knows Russell Wilson is an elite quarterback in his own. Getting ready for both of them is a great challenge, but a challenge I feel like we can impose."
Cornerback Sauce Gardner on how he prepares for the Steelers not knowing who the starting quarterback will be:
"I feel like they are both kind of similar. They are both pretty good passers and have the ability to scramble. We are preparing the same way."
Williams on the different wrinkles the offense can have with two different style quarterbacks:
"As far as run defense, they run the ball very well. We haven't been stopping the ball lately at a high level. Just doing the necessary things we can do as a defensive line, dominating the line of scrimmage and being disruptive up front, is a key thing we talked about this week. Not just for Pittsburgh, but in general in our own play. Just being playmakers instead of place holders. I feel like in the past we have been place holders. Now taking the next level, the constructive criticism of being playmakers and moving forward, it's a great challenge with the run threat Pittsburgh has with the dynamic running backs, and two quarterbacks that can do quarterback runs, and also a great offensive line that is super efficient and good at running the ball. Doing the things we can do to help stop that run is the main goal."
Wiliams on his relationship with Najee Harris as they both played at Alabama:
"He was a young guy when I was there. But he is an amazing running back. The same person he is now is the same person he was in college. The things he does now are the same things he did in college. The stiff arm, the jumping over people, the running over people and just the talent he has is unbelievable."
Gardner on what George Pickens is like to deal with:
"He's nice. I went against him my rookie year. Pretty good route runner, great hands. He can do pretty much everything. He can block. Their whole offense has some pretty good talent. Najee (Harris), Jaylen Warren, Cordarrelle (Patterson), Calvin (Austin III), Van (Jefferson). They've got a pretty good group."
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