Thanks to the bye-week, the Pittsburgh Steelers start Week 6 refreshed after their 24-21 win over the Minnesota Vikings. And while legendary quarterback Ben Roethlisberger thinks that they have started to hit their stride, he still has a few notes for head coach Mike Tomlin as the team prepares for their clash against the Cleveland Browns.

Part of the reason Roethlisberger thinks the Steelers are better off now is that their offense has started to click, but there’s still work to do.  ”I still would like to see some more tight ends involved and do some different things,” he said on Channel Seven.

He continued, ”We need to have chips on Miles. If there’s ever a time that there’s not a second person blocking Miles Garrett, we need to just, I mean, cause a stink. Unless we’re running away from him or we’re like sprinting away to throw the other direction, we have to have two guys on him at all times.”

Over two years, the Steelers invested in the tight end position. They found success moving the ball against Brian Flores and an experienced Vikings defense, with Freiermuth and Smith combining for 21 catches, 136 yards, and one touchdown. Meanwhile, Jonnu Smith set career highs with 111 targets, 88 catches, 884 yards, and tied his touchdown total at eight.

In Week 4, Najee Harris was replaced by Kenneth Gainwell with 99 yards on 19 chances (5.2 avg) and showed he can keep drives alive. Roethlisberger followed up by stating, ”I know Gainwell ran really well, but can he continue to do that?”

This additional blocking scheme and mass manpower deployment in the running game meant Tomlin’s chances at the change, but Roethlisberger is looking for the same level of play and consistency on a more frequent basis, particularly against more grinder-oriented front-seven schemes like the Browns’.

Afterwards, Tomlin indicated those very same tactics would be employed on Cleveland. “We have a certain personality, particularly when we play 4-3 teams. I haven’t been bashful about that. That’s why we drafted Darnell Washington. You can’t play 4-3 teams with 250-pound tight ends. You can’t. There are weight classes in combat sports for a reason. When the people are 300 pounds, you’d better have somebody out there that looks like that animal. That was our intention against Minnesota,” Tomlin said.

However, there’s something bigger that troubles our Steelers legend.

Protecting Rodgers from the O-line

The Steelers legend’s caution goes beyond Pittsburgh’s own effort in restraining quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

“The thing is always going to make me nervous of the line is the line. Can we protect Aaron? ” Ben said. Aaron Rodgers is the X-factor for the Steelers, as mentioned by ESPN’s Jeremy. He needs to be protected; his age is one factor, because of which he can’t take hits regularly.

”Even this last week in Minnesota when we play Minnesota, I watched him hit the ground hard a bunch and that just is not fun for an older, that’s not fun for anybody,” Roethlisberger added. The Steelers have allowed 9 sacks so far this season. Out of which, two came from their last game.

Ben continued, ” So, uh, it’s going to be the line. They did play better this week, better. There’s still a way to go. There’s still some guys up there that need to be playing better, need to block better.” Rodgers was precise in Week 4, being 18-for-22 for 200 yards and a touchdown.

His ability to break up defenses with his quick, accurate passes makes him a man to defend, and Big Ben warns that sliding down the offensive line will be expensive for the Browns if the Steelers can’t shake the quarterback.

Other than the secondaries, the win for Rodgers in Minnesota helped reaffirm the necessity of game planning on defense. Pittsburgh will be compelled to prepare for quick release and employ blitzes and sound gap discipline to keep Rodgers from exploiting mismatches.

Briefly put, Steelers icon Roethlisberger’s message is as clear as day: Mike Tomlin needs to make some tough decisions and have both sides of the ball performing at an elite level. From aggressive blocking schemes and jumping on crucial tight ends more to maintaining defensive pressure on a quarterback like Rodgers, the Steelers’ weekly game plan can prepare them for their future as they attempt to win that all-important game versus the Browns.