FOXBOROUGH -- The Steelers have lost three straight, all of them in heartbreaking fashion. The soap opera surrounding Le’Veon Bell has been a distraction for much of the season, while a run of questionable maneuvers have caused some Pittsburgh legends to turn their backs on a team that could be on the verge of slipping out of the playoff race.
But Bill Belichick sounded a sobering note when asked about the Steelers’ mindset coming into Sunday’s game. Asked if he believed Pittsburgh’s confidence might be down coming into the weekend, Belichick shook his head.
“I think if you guys around competitive guys, you wouldn’t see that,” he said. “I don’t really see that. I don’t give that any credibility at all. Competitive people compete. That’s what they do, and certainly that’s what the Steelers are. So, I’m sure we’ll get their best. I think they’ll get our best. We’ll see what happens.”
One of those guys who Belichick is expecting to go full-bore on Sunday is quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The veteran was banged up with a rib injury Sunday in a loss to the Raiders in Oakland, but Belichick expects to see him at his best this weekend. Over the course of his career against the Patriots, Roethlisberger is 3-8, but on Wednesday, Belichick praised Roethlisberger’s for a number of things, including his ability to extend plays.
“Yeah, he’s as good as anybody at that,” Belichick said of Roethlisberger. “And he’s strong, he can stand in the pocket, stiff-arm defenders, (and) throw the ball. He’s got great length himself to be able to see over practically everything. He’s got a tremendous arm (and) can deliver with no wind-up or step into the throw – he can just flat-foot it and fire it 50, 60 yards downfield.
“He’s got great poise, great patience, he knows how long he can wait. Usually, a lot of times, he waits right until the bitter end and then delivers the ball. And a lot of times, like on the 97-yard touchdown pass to (JuJu) Smith-Schuster, he held it right to the last second, got nailed just as he released the ball and it’s a 97-yard touchdown pass. You know, that’s the kind of thing he does. He hangs in there until the last second and makes those throws. He’s tough. He’s really tough. We have a lot of respect for him.”
Belichick says when you pair him with receivers Antonio Brown and Smith-Schuster, and you have one of the more dynamic passing attacks the Patriots will face this season.
“(Smith-Schuster is) a dynamic player, tremendous player – great with the ball in his hands, great hands, makes some spectacular catches, hard to tackle, so he’s very good,” Belichick said. “(But) you’re not going to get anybody better than these two guys, plus the quarterback. They’ve got a lot of other guys, too, but I mean, these two receivers are elite – elite elite.”
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