Steelers Post Game Quotes

"It was a big win for us; a win of course that we needed. It's good to see this team bounce back with what was a team effort. The guys answered the bell. They responded and stepped up and made plays at critical times. The guys' roles got expanded during the course of battle, like it does at times. I thought they answered. I am happy for them and proud of Najeh Davenport. Not that we are surprised by how he played, just good to see. He has been a big part of what we've done all year and he was big tonight. Ben was great...It was great team effort. It was good to get a win and to get a win on the road. Good response to a little bit of adversity and we move forward."

Talk about Willie Parker's injury
"On a personal note, our heart goes out to him because he is a competitor and a warrior. As a football team, we are not going to throw a pity party. It's part of the game and people get hurt. We will adapt and improvise and move forward. Nobody cares about our problems...We will just keep moving forward. We have got guys that are capable of making plays. It is something that we have said all year, but everybody in a helmet is a playmaker and it is not a cliché. We have got two guys that we think are capable guys. Some weren't even suited tonight. We will get those guys ready to go and then move forward."

On big plays in the game
It changes field position. Splash plays make it easier to ring up the scoreboard, no doubt. It hasn't been for lack of trying. It just happened for us tonight....

Talk about Ben's injury
We'll know more. I think it's a sprain. It's a good thing. It's kind of the positives of having a short week this week. Now we have a long week. He'll get treatment. Ben is a competitor. I am hopeful it won't keep him out of action but we'll see.

Can you talk about the fake punt
We don't live in our fears, we live in our hopes. We saw the look and the week of preparation we got in a situation that could produce the look that we could call it. And we did. Dan did a nice job throwing the ball and Najeh was Najeh.

Will you have to lean on Ben more with Willie out?
No. We pride ourselves in playing our football and knowing guys are capable of stepping in. We don't want to change our personality....

(On the Steelers offense)
"I'm proud of Nate and the rest of the receivers.  Everybody stepped up tonight and Nate made two big touchdown catches and a lot of other plays.  Like I said, all those guys did a great job of stepping up tonight."

(On the impact of Willie Parker's injury)
"We didn't change anything when Willie went down in this game.  Najeh and Carey Davis did a great job of stepping in and filling in for us.  Now we have to have guys step up.  It's never good to lose somebody, especially like Willie.  But, guys are going to step up and I know they will."

(On getting a few days off before the next game)
"It feels good.  This was a mental week for us and I think we mentally prepared well and now we get a little time to rest because we need it big time."

(On his performance as a quarterback)
"I just try to go out and get our guys in the best situation.  Guys made plays for me all night.  I'm proud of the line, proud of the receivers they made plays for me.  It felt good out there tonight especially getting the win."

(On the offensive game plan)
"I was talking with (Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians) before the game and he told us `we are going to have a lot of fun today and be prepared and make sure we are very hydrated. When we get the ball we will rip one open today.'"

(On the long pass play)
"Ben told me in the huddle to be prepared and that he was going to let one rip and throw it up. The ball sailed so high in the air that I had to wait on it. I never showed signs that the ball was there so I never looked worried that the ball would drop short and I allowed it to drop into my pocket without (the defender) ever seeing it. That is something that good receivers have the capability of doing."

(On Willie Parker getting injured)
"You put more pressure on yourself when something like that happens. In this league and in this game it is easy to point fingers when things are going wrong. So I took it upon myself to put the offense on my back and carry them downhill."

(On getting the opportunity for a majority of the carries during the game)
"It is a good opportunity for me, but when you lose a guy like Willie it makes it very hard. He is our guy and our breadwinner. Obviously not having him means everyone else is going to have to step it up to another level."

(On playing on the field turf)
"The turf will do it to you. Everyone always talks about how it feels, but that's the reason why our field is good. It prevents injuries. They probably have ten guys on IR because of playing on that turf."

(On the offensive effort)
"I think we did a phenomenal job in the running game. Of course we lost Willie, but this was a total team victory. It took a lot and we matched them point for point with their explosive offense. I think we did a great job offensively to go out there and go toe-to-toe with the high power Rams."

(On Steelers RB Najeh Davenport)
"Najeh is going to be expected to do the same things that Willie does. Our offense isn't designed around one guy...I think Najeh did a phenomenal job stepping up and doing all of the things that Willie would have done if he had been in there...I know a lot of people were down on Nate and said that Nate can't do it, but he stepped up big. He is still a young receiver trying to develop and I have been working with him constantly trying to keep his confidence up. I think we all made plays when plays presented themselves. With the ball that Santonio caught, we knew that we were going to get the perfect coverage. I ran an in route and the safety jumped up on me and Santonio read that the safety had jumped up on me. It was the same play he scored in Cleveland."