Ex-Steeler Ready to ‘Touch & Bring Down’ Ben Roethlisberger for Eagles

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Getty Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The one thing no Steelers player is allowed to do in Pittsburgh is touch Ben Roethlisberger. Don’t ever sack or tackle the franchise quarterback, or even think about going near him. Such an offense may get you jettisoned to the practice squad, or maybe worse, Cleveland.

But Javon Hargrave doesn’t have that problem anymore. He is now wearing a midnight green jersey and the newest Eagles defensive tackle can’t wait to hit Big Ben. Speaking with the Philly media on Thursday, Hargrave mentioned that finally hitting Roethlisberger would be a dream come true.

“We never got a chance to touch Ben. Ben is forbidden to touch in Pittsburgh,” Hargrave said. “You get close to seven, you’re in trouble. I look forward to being able to bring him down, to finally be able to touch him and bring him down.”

Hargrave, of course, spent his first four NFL seasons as a valued member of the Steelers where he racked up 14 1/2 sacks (22 quarterback hits) and 168 total tackles (22 for loss). The Eagles and Steelers come into Sunday’s game as the two best teams at sacking the quarterback — 17 for Philly, 15 for Pittsburgh.

Hargrave, who recorded a half a sack in Week 4, finally feels up to speed and ready to be unleashed. Looking at his teammates — guys like Fletcher Cox, Mailk Jackson, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, Vinny Curry — Hargrave just can’t believe how much talent is assembled on one defensive line.

“I’ve never seen anything like this, to have so much talent on one defensive line,” Hargrave said. “I thought I was coming from the Steelers and being with some of the best pass rushers to coming to the Eagles and seeing some of the great pass rushers, too. It was really eye-opening to see how good both of these teams are at getting to the quarterback.”

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Keeping the D-Line Fresh, Hungry for Sacks

Hargrave isn’t the only one amazed by the defensive-line talent in Philly. Defensive end Brandon Graham talked about how the team’s constant pass-rushing rotation keeps the Eagles fresh while “gassing out” their opponents. Sometimes, they can see how “that boy looks tired out there” from the sideline.

“Our rotation definitely keeps us fresh so that you can go out there at 100 miles for the four or five plays you’re asked to go and I think that your chance of making a play has gone up even more when you see the offensive linemen gassed,” Graham said. “I love it because we don’t have a selfish group. Whoever’s in there, you know, we trust and we do a good job of keeping us fresh and having each other’s back.”


Genard Avery’s Breakout Game

One guy not mentioned above was Genard Avery, the former fifth-round pick acquired in a trade last year from Cleveland. He applied the pressure that led to Rodney McLeod’s interception versus San Franciso, otherwise known as the first turnover for the Eagles’ defense since Week 17. He finished the game with one sack and five quarterback hits.

“That was sort of the breakout game we’ve been waiting for from him,” defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “He’s always been a skilled pass rusher. It’s just fitting him in with all the other stuff. I think he’s really done a good job of refining his technique and limiting his — sticking with what works best for him.”

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