Brett Keisel AFC Championship Week - Ingles

January 20, 2011

When did you start growing your beard?

I started growing it right after mini-camp, right around the middle of June.

Was there a purpose?

Yeah, to look like this. It was just something fun that I decided to do. Playoff beards are a big thing around here in Pittsburgh. We missed the playoffs a year before. So this is just something I tried to do to convince myself that we’re getting back to the playoffs.

Re: People trying to copy your beard:

There are. Coach LeBeau says the biggest form of a compliment is when someone copies you. So I guess I am complimented.

Re: The beard having a Facebook page:

Yes, someone is doing that. I am just going to lay that out there, that it is not me. There is a twitter page too. That’s not me either. Someone is having some fun with it, which I don’t really mind.

Re: Getting pressure on Sanchez:

It’s big, it’s very important. We didn’t get to him last time, and I think that is something we have done well as of late is getting the quarterback, even if we don’t get him on the ground, getting good pressure. We’ve got to try and do that this week if we want to be successful.

Re: Do the yards to go for the Jets play a factor in getting pressure on Sanchez:

Yes, Coach LeBeau studies that stuff nonstop. If you go by his office, the man is watching tape. He is the one that gives us all the calls. All we can do is go out and execute them. But if we know we have a base front and there’s just a three-or-four man rush, we know we have to get pressure and keep him in the pocket if we want to be successful.

Re: Ziggy Hood:

He’s done a phenomenal job. Those are big shoes to fill, in Aaron Smith. Ziggy has really come in and played well. It is not easy to play in this defense, even after you get three or four years under your belt, learning and you are still growing. I think the kid has made a lot of strides. He is a big reason why we are in this position.

Re: Mark Sanchez:

Mark is playing great ball. He is one of those guys that is extremely slippery. If he feels the pocket collapse he can get out and make things happen. I think he is really playing great ball right now. He understands what his offense wants him to do. If the check down is not there, he is going to try to make something happen. The big thing is getting a good cup on the pocket and keeping him in there. If we can do that we give ourselves a chance to win.

Re: Coach LeBeau facing a team a second time after losing:

That’s the biggest thing is when you get beat and make mistakes, you have to go and look at yourself and correct the things that you did wrong, because you know they are going to try and exploit that again. They got us on a bootleg, kind of a tricky play for a touchdown. Those types of things, you want to make sure everyone is doing their job. There shouldn’t be any gaps in the defense.

Re: Troy Polamalu:

I think of how phenomenal of an athlete he is. There isn’t anyone in the league that can cover space like Troy can. There isn’t anyone that has a feel for the game I think like Troy has. You don’t see anyone jumping over on fourth-and-one situations on a quarterback sneak, timing the blitz up perfectly to where they snap the ball and he is over there making the play. That’s the biggest thing. You know you are going to get a couple of special plays from that guy, especially when it comes around to playoff time. We look forward to seeing some spectacular moves from Mr. Polamalu.

Re: Similarities or differences between the ’10 Jets and ’05 Steelers:

There are similarities. They have beaten some great teams. They went up to Indianapolis and got them. I think that’s a similarity. We did that, too. It’s a tough road, but it can be done. We are trying to not let that happen here.

Re: Ziggy playing in college and in the pros:

When he was playing college, Ziggy was an interior 3-4 lineman. You are taught to get up the field and make plays happen when they come to you. Here is a complete different deal. It’s about staying square and staying in your gap. If you feel like you can bounce outside and make a play, you can’t do that in this league. The running backs are too good. And people are finding out better ways to block the 3-4 defenses. If you don’t stay where you are supposed to be, there is going to be a hole there, going to be a crease. You are going to get gashed. I can’t say enough about the kid. He has really upped his game. He has played A-ball. Aaron Smith is one of the greatest players ever to be at this facility. To be able to come in and play well, and to not have that scrutiny that we have had before is definitely a tribute to that kid.