Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger held a press conference following practice Wednesday. Here’s a breakdown of of the franchise QB’s comments about how his team is performing and preparing this season.

Coach Tomlin says the Saints are good in all three phases:

Not just according him, according to anyone that watches them. They are a really good football team.

What’s impressed you about their defense?

Everything. Getting after the quarterback, stopping the run, creating turnovers, scoring. Everything that they do.

Are they as fast of a defense that you saw?

Probably and especially on their turf and their noise at home. They are fast.

How much can momentum carry over into this next game?

Well it helps but we also know it is a new week, new team, new challenge.

Have you ever faced back-to-back quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Drew Brees before?

I don’t know. I’d have to look back. It’s pretty special, two Hall of Famers, two of the best that have ever done it so it’s pretty cool.

Do you have any history with Drew Brees like you do with Tom Brady?

I know Drew [Brees] a little bit through golf, through the Pro Bowl, things like that. Obviously, I haven’t played him as many times as I have Tom [Brady].

What do you admire about Drew Brees?

That he can do it not looking like the typical quarterback in terms of height. He’s incredibly athletic, though, and a tireless worker. A guy that can anticipate throws and can make them all of the field really. Not really known for a huge arm but can pretty much make any throw. I have a lot of respect for that guy.

Do you have memories of the crowd noise in New Orleans?

Was that the Halloween game? If it was, it was really loud.

What makes the back shoulder throw with JuJu Smith-Schuster so effective?

Him being incredibly athletic and having strong hands.

Is that something you have to rep a lot and get the timing down?

No, you just have to trust him, and he has to trust himself. And he’s really good.

How do you like the five wide?

It gives us a lot of weapons. Obviously, we are limited in some of the things we can do but it creates some mismatch opportunities. Then it’s about finding the right mismatch or the right opportunity that is available for us.

Were you appreciative of that 92-yard drive with the five wide and how it worked?

Yea Randy [Fichtner] asked if we wanted to do it and I said sure. Like I said, it creates mismatch opportunities so there’s opportunity there for different guys. We can move them around and put them in different spots. It puts a lot of them to know when I do move them around what they are supposed to run. I may call a concept and they need to know what they are supposed to do so it puts a little bit more on them, but they execute it really well.

The running game is lost:

A little bit of protection. You do not have a tight end or some things you can do but it can make you throw hot which sometimes is good for them and sometimes good for us because we can throw short and run long.

Can you see Jaylen Samuels’ instincts of being a receiver as a running back?

Yeah for sure. That was one of the first things we noticed about him is that has really good hands, soft hands you can really throw it all over the place and he can make plays. I think he showed that this week that we can put him out there and we can do some things with him and hopefully we are just scratching the surface with.

How happy are you about the Pro Bowl selections including James Conner?

I was so happy. There were so many guys deserving of making it and I think JuJu [Smith-Schuster] should’ve made it as well. But I’m always happy for my linemen that get to go and then James [Conner] just showing what he’s done this year.

What did you notice Jaylen Samuels as a runner that you didn’t see in August?

I thought he showed good patience. I thought when it was there he hit it hard, he protected the ball and those are things that you want from a guy that isn’t used to carrying it as much as he’s is going to or did.

Re: Why are there lower scoring games lately:

I always point to the weather. The weather always gets nastier later in the season and it kind of effects other teams. But other than that I don’t know.

Did you think these final two weeks would come down to this?

We just want to get into the playoffs. It doesn’t matter how you get in, we just want to get in. Obviously the first and second seed you would like but I don’t think we can get that now. So, let’s just find a way to get in.

How do you attack a defense that is well-rounded?

Just try and protect the ball. The guys up front are going to have their hands full with the pass rush like I always talked about and we are going to just have to win our matchups.

How does it compare to other loud stadiums?

Incredibly loud. I am not saying they pump the noise in like the old RCA Dome used to do but it’s pretty loud down there.

Re: playing indoors:

It also benefits them. The pass rush and things. Drew [Brees] gets perfect elements every week he plays at home it will be nice in terms of throwing the ball in terms of elements, but you still have to throw to other guys.

Were your ribs ok during the game?

Yeah. Typical bumps and bruises, feeling sore, but I am alright.

Weren’t the ribs broken and punctured?

Yeah [jokingly]. We have to ask that guy about that, incredible reporting.

Transcript provided by the Pittsburgh Steelers.