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Ben being Ben:** Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been at the top of his game the last few weeks, throwing for 12 touchdowns in the last two games and leading the Steelers to commanding wins over Indianapolis and Baltimore. Coach Mike Tomlin said there really hasn't been anything different, it's just that things are clicking.
"We are making plays. We are gaining cohesion," said Tomlin. "We have a decent division of labor. Guys know what is expected of them. It's getting cleaner from that standpoint. We should be a group on the rise but obviously I am not discounting what he is doing right now.
"What he is doing right now is Ben-like. We get used to seeing it. We appreciate it. We don't take it for granted. It's been really good. But it's not unlike him. He is capable of heating up and going for these stretches and being a significant reason why we are successful, not only offensively but as a football team."
- Friendly neighbors:* *Even after linebacker James Harrison was released by the Steelers during the 2013 offseason, and eventually signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, the relationship between him and Tomlin never wavered. The two live in the same area and would see each other, and Tomlin knew that no matter what happened that black and gold ran through Harrison's blood and that's what made bringing him back into the fold this year so easy.
"He's one of those guys that's a Steeler for life regardless of what uniform he wears," said Tomlin. "He respects our shared history (and) we respect our shared history. So I think it just naturally makes it easier to come back together. Often time decisions that are made in this business are tough ones but they're just that, they're business. They are not personal. We took it as such and I think he took it as such and I think it made it easier for us to come back together." 3. **P
rime time James:** Harrison was all over the field against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night, not looking like a guy who retired from football before the season started and didn't have any offseason football conditioning, but instead like a linebacker in his prime.
"I'm not surprised by James," said Tomlin. "I think that the longer I'm in this business I've come to expect unique results from unique people. There's no question that James doesn't fit the norm in a lot of ways and his play is probably chief among them. I'm not surprised when he does things that are seemingly against odds and so forth.
"James is a guy that was cut three times early in his career and went on to become a perennial Pro Bowler and NFL Defensive Player of the Year. That's seemingly against the odds. So I think that kind of defines his career and how he goes about playing football. I think he's really charged by that and rejuvenated by those types of challenges and being able to prove people wrong and do things that he seemingly is unable to do." 4.
No huddle, no problem:* *The Steelers have used the no-huddle in a very limited capacity in their wins over the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens, but that doesn't mean they have scrapped it. Tomlin was asked if the offense operates better without it, and while he agrees they have been effective lately, it doesn't mean it's solely because they haven't run the no-huddle often.
"If you base it on the last two performances, certainly," said Tomlin. "So go ahead and write that story. But we still like no-huddle. It's a function of what we do. Like I've said repeatedly over the course of the year it's a good component of what we do. We make a decision week-to-week whether or not we choose to utilize it. The last two weeks we have not. We've had success without it. We've had success with it. Write away."
