A little bit of this, and a little bit of that as the Steelers prepare to take on the Miami Dolphins.
Formidable foe: Maurkice Pouncey won't be going head-to-head against the player he probably thinks in the best on the Dolphins roster, his twin brother Mike who is Miami's center, but he will be facing some formidable foes in their defensive front.
"They have great pass rushers," said Pouncey. "The front seven plays really, really hard. I think right now with them they are in a position where they are not making the right plays. If you watch them on film guys are playing really hard. They have a lot of great players. I know their record shows 1-4, but if you watch them on film guys get after it."
Pouncey is excited to play against his brother's team though, and said that while he needs about 50 or so tickets for family and friends, it's his brothers turn to buy them.
"When they played here, I bought," said Pouncey. "It's his turn."
Ticket time: Speaking of tickets, Pouncey isn't the only one with a long list looking for tickets this week. The Steelers have several players from the Florida area, or who played college ball there, and the ticket requests are plentiful.
"I need 60 tickets," said Antonio Brown. "It's always great to know you are going to have friends and family there to support you. I am asking all of my teammates for tickets, as much as possible. I am having a little ticket contest too so people can win tickets to the game online and my social media."
Eli Rogers, who returned to practice this week after missing the last two games, is a Miami native who is also expecting a lot of friends and family at the game.
"It's going to be real exciting," said Rogers. "The first time I get to play on this kind of stage in front of my friends and family. It's my city. It's going to be real exciting. I need about 20 tickets. I am getting as many tickets from my teammates as I can. There are going to be a lot of people there."
For Anthony Chickillo, the game in Miami is going back to where he played college ball at the University of Miami.
"I am excited about going back and playing where my college is," said Chickillo. "It's fun to be able to play in front of your friends and family and have them all there watching. I am probably going to have to get about 20 tickets. It's tough, but we'll get it done."
Rookie Artie Burns can't wait for his family and friends to see him play.
"It's going to be great," said Burns. "I am going to have my family there watching me play. It will be my first NFL game where they all get to see me play. It will be good to go back. There will be no nerves. It will be like I am back at home."
Staying put: The NFL's flex scheduling policy is in effect right now, and two games have been protected by FOX, meaning they won't be flexed. The Steelers Nov. 13 game against the Dallas Cowboys and the Dec. 4 game against the New York Giants will not be changed. Both are 4:25 p.m. kickoffs at Heinz Field.
The standard: Next man up has been in full effect this season for the Steelers, and defensive coordinator Keith Butler likes the effort that has been put forth so far from those getting the job done when their number is called.
"What these guys have done every time somebody has gotten hurt, they come in and try to hold up the standard that we expect from our guys," said Butler. "All of them that have come in for us have done a good job."
