CINCINNATI -- The key to playing against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, as the Bengals do this Sunday in Pittsburgh?
“Gator tackling.”
Bengals defensive tackle Domato Peko explains.
“Big Ben, he likes to extend plays,” Peko said. “That’s the name of their game. He likes to extend plays, use his feet to move around the pocket. His wide receivers do a good job of getting off coverage and making big plays.
“We’ve got to make sure as a defensive line to keep him in the pocket and get him on the ground. He’s a big dude. You’ve got to wrap him up and gator tackle him when you get a chance. When you rush him, you’ve got to make sure you get him on his back.’
“Gator tackle?” someone asked.
“You’ve got to wrap him up and kind of like roll,” Peko explained. “He’s a big dude. I’ve seen many times when somebody’s hanging on him and he’s still throwing the ball 40 yards. We’ve got to make sure we get him down when we get hands on him.
“Wrap and roll.”
Roethlisberger is 19-7 against the Bengals, with an 87.5 quarterback rating with 34 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. The Bengals did play well against him last year. He had four interceptions and one TD pass. He was sacked five times.
