IX - I suppose unsurprisingly, Dick LeBeau is not changing his defensive schemes to account for Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos' unique style of offense. Brett Keisel explained the philosophy:
"We’ve been a solid defense around here for a long time," defensive end Brett Keisel said. "Regardless of who we’re playing, we understand what we’re capable of as a defense. If we all just do our job, we’re pretty good."
X - Though Mike Tomlin insists that Ben Roethlisberger is in no worse shape than he was a week ago, it's a bit disconcerting to hear that Ben Roethlisberger 'tweaked' his ankle during last Sunday's Week 17 win over the Cleveland Browns. I think that's why our own Anthony Defeo characterized Big Ben's injury status last week as a 'no-win' situation
XIII - Damon Hack at SI.com previews the Steelers-Broncos game with three keys to the game and a final score prediction.
XIV - There is one player on Denver's roster that I think can help swing the game in their favor if the Steelers play sloppy and keep Denver hanging around into the fourth quarter. That would be place kicker Matt Prater, who was just named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month in December.
XL - The Broncos' dynamic pass-rushing duo of Elvis Dumervill and Von Miller has been slowed in recent weeks as a result of injuries and just the natural wear-and-tear of a long NFL season. But it's still a formidable test for Max Starks and particularly right tackle Marcus Gilbert. The rookie out of Florida joined 93.7 The Fan on Thursday to talk about his first playoff game coming up this Sunday in Denver.
XLIII - Though non-football related, some of you I know are video game aficionados and avid players, so a heads up that the parent company behind SB Nation (Vox Media) announced it will be launching a site dedicated to gaming coverage featuring an all-start cast of editors and journalists.