A little bit of this, and a little bit of that as the Steelers prepare to take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Patience a key: Cameron Heyward doesn't have to be told the Steelers have only one sack. He is well aware of the fact. And it disappoints him. But it doesn't panic him, and for good reason. It's because he knows they will come. And he is hoping that begins this week against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football at Heinz Field.
"I was disappointed the first game," said Heyward. "I thought the pressure picked up the second game. The third game was a little bit of fool's gold in that we didn't have the lead. Teams can rely on the run more and we weren't stopping the run.
"If we want to get sacks, we have to do everything before then. We have to be patient. Everybody has to be patient. We have to take care of our job. We can't get wild. If we get out of character and try to do things, and say 'I need a sack, I need a sack,' most of the time it's not going to happen because you are taking yourself out of your game.
"I don't ever doubt our rushers. I just think we have to be smarter rushers. I think we have to be more aware and just kind of pick up the little things. That means stopping the run. When we do get the pressure, understand the situation. We didn't stop the screen game last week. When he is getting the ball out and throwing it to the running back, there isn't a real chance for a pass rush. Those things included I think we will have a better pass rush game. We need to bust that bubble. We got one sack. We don't really count that. (Arthur) Moats will. We think we can get more tackles for loss and sacks."
Heyward preaches the art of being patient, but it's a tough art, especially for athletes who are accustomed to taking an aggressive approach.
"As a person it's hard enough to be patient," said Heyward. "As a football player it's 10 times worse. It's a little bit humbling. It just means you have to go back to your technique, work on moves, understand what's not working, what is and what you need to correct. Whether it's hands, simple things like understanding where and how they're going to slide, what they are going to do to combat us. Those are things that can help." **
Room for 2: **Le'Veon Bell will see plenty of action on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, but he thinks fellow running back Le'Veon Bell should also see playing time.
"He's a guy who should be out there,'' said Bell. "Whether it's me as a receiver blocking for him or if I'm at receiver and he's in protection and I'm running the routes.
"Whatever it may be, I feel like it will give teams different looks and different things they have to prepare for, not knowing what personnel they want to put out there to defend both of us. We'll see what happens."
Ben gives back: Outside of football and family, Ben Roethlisberger has made giving back to others the biggest focus in his life. The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation seeks to support police and fire departments throughout the U.S. with a particular emphasis on support for K-9 units and service dogs.
Ben is now looking for Steelers Nation to help with his efforts through Big Ben's Touchdowns for K-9s. Roethlisberger has pledged $1,000 for every touchdown pass he throws this season, and you can made a pledge as well from $1 on up. You can also set up your own fundraising page, and the top three fundraisers will receive VIP tickets to a home game in December and an autographed jersey.
Be a part of it right here --> https://pledgeit.org/big-ben.
