00:00Morning, Robert.
00:01Good morning.
00:02Thanks for having me on.
00:04Thanks for being on with us.
00:05Got a win last week.
00:06And how good was it for this team to get that out of the way in week two?
00:13Oh, huge.
00:14Us being such a new team, a new group of guys,
00:17to be able to come out of there with a win was such a big thing
00:22for our confidence going forward.
00:24Robert, when you look at this defense,
00:26you guys are doing a great job against the run,
00:30but you're struggling against the pass.
00:32What do you have to clean up in that area to allow you guys to be productive
00:38against the pass moving forward?
00:41Yeah, I really think this week we've really honed in on our details,
00:44our fundamentals, and our techniques.
00:47And as a defense, we all made sure to get a little bit better
00:51in our individual assignments.
00:53And we made it a real point this week during practice.
00:56So we're excited to get out here this Sunday
00:58and showcase those opportunities.
01:01Two weeks in, and this team ranks 31st in missed tackles with 25.
01:10Wiggy and some of the tie loss, some of the guys who played a long time ago,
01:14talk a lot about the lack of contact, the lack of time in preseason.
01:19As you guys have looked at those missed tackles,
01:23what do you need to do to fix that?
01:27Yeah, footwork is king when it comes to tackling,
01:30putting your chest on the chest and wrapping your arms
01:34and finishing on the ground.
01:36And that's our goal.
01:36We really made a big emphasis this week to focus on tackling.
01:39One of our three focal points of the week.
01:43So we worked them in drills.
01:45We put the pads on yesterday, and like I said,
01:48we're excited to go out there on Sunday
01:50and really put that work to the test.
01:52Robert, going into Miami for the defense,
01:54you guys were without Terrell.
01:56How did you feel like the guys stepped up
01:58in the absence of your defensive coordinator,
02:00and how proud were you of the guys?
02:05I was very proud.
02:07It's never easy losing your leader as a defense.
02:10But at the end of the day, it's next man up.
02:14Whether it's our head coach, whether it's our punter,
02:18whether it's our middle linebacker, receiver,
02:20we always expect the next guy to go in there
02:22with the starter's mentality,
02:24with the mentality that this is a huge opportunity for them.
02:28So I think we had enough guys that said,
02:31this is an opportunity for us to step up, and we did.
02:34Robert, have you ever gone on a silent retreat?
02:37I have yet to go on a silent retreat.
02:42It is definitely intriguing, though.
02:44Yeah, Aaron Rodgers also ayahuasca.
02:46Have you tried that?
02:48I have not.
02:49I've stayed mostly in the United States in my life.
02:53So I'm pretty sure that's a South American thing, I believe.
02:58Yeah, it's a cleanse.
03:00It looks really gross.
03:01But what are your thoughts on facing Aaron Rodgers
03:03in the future Hall of Famer on Sunday?
03:07I, when watching Aaron Rodgers' film,
03:10I was really surprised at how well I think he's moving around back there.
03:13He's taking hits.
03:14He's making off-balance throws.
03:16He's putting the ball in the receiver's hands.
03:20So I think he's really playing at a high level this year,
03:24and it'll be a great challenge for us to not only get home on the rush,
03:28but to stay in coverage for those extended plays
03:30and to finish each and every play.
03:33Because whether he's going down or finds a way out,
03:37he's going to put the ball up.
03:39Robert, you look at what you guys are able to do
03:43when it comes to getting to the quarterback.
03:45You lead the league in sacks.
03:48What's led to that for your defense
03:50when it comes to leading the league in sacks?
03:54I definitely think sacks is a big, huge thing.
04:02You can blitz to get sacks.
04:03You can rush four to get sacks.
04:05But our D-line has really stepped up big this year for us,
04:08especially to finish last game with Harold making a huge play
04:11and then Milton getting the game-winning sack.
04:13So I'm really proud of how those guys have continued to work,
04:17and I know that they're going to continue to produce big plays on Sundays.
04:20Can I get just a player perspective,
04:23somebody who's in the league playing currently on the Tush Push,
04:26because we've talked about it a lot this week,
04:29and for us as fans, it's kind of a boring play,
04:34but it seems to work.
04:35Where are you guys as players on it?
04:40Personally, I can only speak for myself.
04:42I can't speak for the players as a whole,
04:44but the Tush Push is part of our game.
04:47It's a legal play, and they use it.
04:51I don't get to make the rules,
04:53and I don't get to decide whether they should keep it or not.
04:56So the only worry I have is how do we defend it as a team?
05:01And I think everyone's been putting work in to both run it on offense
05:06and to defend it on defense.
05:07So we're going to continue to work it in preparation for it to come up.
05:12Robert, this would affect you directly.
05:15Would you like to see the league allow you linebackers
05:20to be able to push the D linemen at least
05:23to maybe have a similar advantage as the offense
05:28because the offense can get pushed by guys behind them?
05:32Yeah, you can push the D line.
05:34So that is a big way that you can try to offset the force
05:42of somebody else pushing their quarterback.
05:44You push the D linemen.
05:46Robert, the Steelers' red zone offense has been extremely efficient
05:50once they get there,
05:51but they're having a hard time getting to the 20.
05:53Has that been a major point for you guys in practice this week
05:57to just keep Aaron Rodgers and the offense away from red zone
06:01so that they don't need to capitalize there?
06:04Of course, that's always our goal.
06:07We want to get the drive stopped and the drive stopped early.
06:10Every time we take the field, I usually tell the guys,
06:13you know, three and out or the football.
06:15So ideally, we get the three and out, but if we don't,
06:18we end up taking the ball away.
06:20And that's always our goal when we step on the field,
06:23whether it's at the backed up five or it's on the positive ten, you know.
06:28So we go out there with the mindset of get the drive stopped.
06:33That's one of our goals as a defense, get the drive stopped,
06:36no matter where we take the field.
06:38So that is a big key.
06:41Don't let them get going.
06:43All right.
06:44Well, back at Gillette and a good test this week,
06:48and we appreciate you taking the time.
06:50As always, Robert Splane.
06:53Thank you, guys.
06:54Have a great rest of your day.
06:55All right.
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