ASHBURN, Va. -- The trick isn’t so much getting to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. It’s bringing him down -- while he still has the ball. That’s the task the Washington Redskins' defense faces Monday.
The Redskins know that if Roethlisberger escapes the pocket and takes off running, he becomes even more dangerous. And, at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds he’s also a difficult player to tackle before launching a pass. In fact, Roethlisberger outweighs five of Washington’s defensive starters. When the Redskins use their nickel defense, it becomes six.
"Even though you might have him collared, he might shrug someone off and get rid of the ball," Redskins safety David Bruton Jr. said. "He’s done that for years. He’s not much of a scrambler, but he can extend plays."
Indeed, Roethlisberger has averaged just 27.5 runs per season in the past six years. His size enables him to escape hits and his arm -- and receiver Antonio Brown -- make it smarter for him to throw downfield rather than take off running.
Last season, for example, on throws outside the pocket Roethlisberger averaged an NFL-best 14.18 yards per attempt, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Only one other quarterback, Chicago’s Jay Cutler, was in double figures. The point: Roethlisberger looks deep when he extends plays. And those plays took an average of 4.79 seconds last season, an NFL high. In the past three years, Roethlisberger leads the NFL with 10.73 yards per attempt on throws outside the pocket (113 attempts in 44 games). It’s not a huge staple of what he does, but it is a recipe for a big play when it happens. And Brown is a typical target.
"When it becomes backyard football, Antonio Brown is the No. 1 guy and Ben always finds a way to find him," Bruton said.
So when Roethlisberger starts to extend plays, defensive backs must stick tight -- or plaster -- the man nearest them. Otherwise a big play could follow. Roethlisberger averaged 8.4 yards per pass attempt in 2015, third most in the NFL.
But the ability to extend plays also provides more opportunities for sacks; Roethlisberger has been sacked an average of 32.8 times over the past six seasons. Defensive linemen must stay in their rush lanes, preventing any sort of opening for Roethlisberger to exploit and the interior must push the pocket. The secondary then must stick tight with the receivers. If they do all that, they can corral Roethlisberger. But then the key is getting him to the ground.
"You have to wrap up with quarterbacks and you want to go after the ball," Redskins linebacker Will Compton said. "If a quarterback feels like he’s getting in a stressful environment, they go down themselves. Attacking the ball is a must for us and just wrapping up and hoping other guys come to the party. Ben has been around a long time, so there’s nothing new you’ll see from him on film. We just know we have to tackle him."
Every team does. It’s been a focal point in the Redskins' defensive meeting rooms all week.
"You see undersized linebackers or DBs literally just fall off him and bounce off him," Redskins defensive coordinator Joe Barry said. "He’s able to make the unbalanced throws so well just because he’s so big and so strong. But no, it’s absolutely something that we’ve shown our guys, we’ve talked to our guys, we’ve preached to our guys, because he’s been doing it his whole career. Tough man to bring down."
But the Redskins also know there’s strength in numbers.
"If it’s just one person, then the next person has to jump on him and bring him down," Redskins end Chris Baker said. "Once you get to him, do whatever you have to do to take him down."
