The Steelers open the 2016 regular season on the road against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on Monday Night Football, and the Redskins are giving their take on Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and more.
Coach Jay Gruden has definitely been watching his share of film on the Steelers, and it's no surprise that playmakers like Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown jump out at him.
"When you start with Pittsburgh, you start with Big Ben," said Gruden. "Antonio Brown is one of the best, if not the best, in the game at what he does. The have very good players, they have a sound running game and their offense is good. It's unpredictable. They line up in a lot of different sets, but Big Ben is that guy who makes it tick. He can buy time, he's obviously a great scramble quarterback and he can hold the ball for a very long time."
It didn't stop there, as Gruden and quarterback Kirk Cousins talk Steelers.
Jay Gruden on what stands out about the Steelers on tape:
"They have great balance. Le'Veon Bell has done a great job running the football and that opens up their play-action shot with Antonio and other players. They're excellent.
"And defensively, they're entertaining to watch. I'll tell you, they play hard and they play fast. Sometimes, it looks like a Chinese fire drill out there, you don't know who is coming and from where. They get to the quarterback, despite not having a true go-get-him pass rusher who is a 15-20 sack guy. They do it by committee. Obviously, William Gay can still rush, Ryan Shazier can rush when he gets to blitz, Arthur Moats can rush, Stephon Tuitt can rush, Cameron Heyward can rush and Javon Hargrave can rush. They've got some guys who can do it. They put a lot of pressure on you with different coverages and masking their intent. They're fun to watch. We really have to be on top of our protections schemes, and obviously Kirk has to be on top of what he sees in the secondary because, they disguise a lot."
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The Steelers prepare for the regular season Week 1 matchup against the Washington Redskins.
Jay Gruden on what he remembers about working on the same coaching staff with Mike Tomlin in Tampa: "**Passion. He's an excellent football coach and was wide-eyed every day, always had a lot of energy, passion and great knowledge for the game. He was an excellent defensive backs coach when I was there. I was in the room that was actually behind his room, so I was able to hear a lot of his meetings and it was fun to listen to. He's a great coach and deserves all the credit he's gotten."
Kirk Cousins on if he sees anything different about the Steelers' secondary this year:
"I don't think so. I don't think there have been a ton of differences. I think they've got some guys who have played a lot of football, they have some younger players, just like every team in the NFL. They put together a good stretch at the end of last season and I think they picked up where they left off in the preseason. I think it's pretty much what we saw last year, pretty consistent. Maybe, a couple wrinkles in some different coverages at different times. But overall, a similar approach."
Kirk Cousins on what impresses him about the Steelers' defense:
"Very good defense. They've been doing it for so long and they're so well coached. Its' been consistently good and sound for so many years. You can tell they have good leadership and good young players. Guys play hard and they play fast. Like I said, well coached. When you do that, you're always going to be putting yourself in a position to be successful. We see it as a big challenge for us."