QB Michael Vick
On what he has seen from Pittsburgh's defense and their blitz packages: "Well, they do a lot within the blitz scheme and we studied it all week and just tried to make sure we were comfortable with what they were doing. Obviously, they can change it up at any point but we just have to make sure we take care of our responsibilities and account for each and every guy."
On why he expects the offense to do a better job against Pittsburgh than they did against a defensively-similar Arizona team: "Well, we learned a lot from the Arizona game and we feel like, although it's different personnel and it's different coaching, they can change it. I think the overall experience helped us to become a better football team. Sometimes in a loss like that, you can learn a lot. It doesn't mean that things are going to change dramatically, but we certainly feel good about our game plan and what we're going to do."
On how much he anticipates Pittsburgh moving S Troy Polamalu around: "We expect him to move around a little bit. We expect him to play the way he's played over the last six or seven years, which has made him a Pro Bowler. We've just got to account for him; got to keep our eye on him at all times, but at the same time, you know, just try to take advantage of some things that they don't do as well."
On the weather forecast for the weekend, with temperatures in the 40s and rain: "Never expected that, but hopefully our conditions could be better. But you know what? That's football. This is Philadelphia-Pittsburgh on Sunday and let's go. Let's get it."
On being 17-3 in his last 20 games against the AFC and whether he has any idea what that is: "I don't know. You know, obviously, the AFC is a tough conference and they've got a lot of good teams over there. You just have to play sound. You have to be smart and you've got to play within your game. This is going to be another challenge; this is going to be another test and we've got an uphill battle but each and every guy in this locker room is up for it."
On why Pittsburgh is such a tough place for opponents to win: "It's tough. First off, they carry out a tradition that's been ongoing for a long time and they believe in that. You have to have the right mindset to go in there and to win. You have to have a great group of guys who believe in themselves, first and foremost, if you want to win. It's just the way they play. They have great players, starting with a great quarterback, and a defense to compliment that, which makes it a recipe for a tough game anytime. You've just to go in there and find a way to get it done."
RB LeSean McCoy
On Sunday marking his first regular season game in Pittsburgh during his NFL career and whether he will have family and friends at the game: "Yeah, tons of guys come out to the game. A lot of old friends and family. I'm excited to go back. I can't get wrapped up in the individual thing as far as just, I want to go there and see all my old friends and play in my old stadium. I'm definitely going there for one thing: to get a 'W', get a win."
On whether he has any favorite memories from playing collegiately at Heinz Field: "So many memories come to mind, it's hard to choose one. We got so many wins out of there. Probably just the West Virginia rivalry game; that's always been big. Certain things you always remember from college, it's probably all the rivalries. Just like with the Eagles. The Giants games are always the ones I'll always remember."
On the play of FB Stanley Havili and how he has helped on offense: "To be honest with you, last year he didn't really have a chance to really play; didn't get too many reps so we didn't see what he could do. This year, he's blowing people up. I don't know if you guys have noticed, but it's opening holes up. His energy (is great); the will to want to block, the will to want to blow guys up and be successful. He's blocking well. He's having an excellent season. He should definitely get a chance to go to the Pro Bowl, for sure. I mean that. Well, us together."
On whether Havili's emergence could eliminate some of the blitz pickup he has to do: "Well, I don't know because I feel like they like the running backs to block, because you can mix it up with blocking and screens. If we're only coming in at certain times to block, they're expecting a screen. We're actually a screen team, so I'm not sure about that. I wouldn't mind it though. You know sometimes, you'll be tired, you'll be injured for a play or two, he could come in and block."
On how important it is for him to confidence in Havili: "He's so viable in so many ways. When we have a good fullback or a tough fullback sometimes, sometimes defenders, they don't want to keep banging with the guy all the time. They don't keep banging with him. A lot of times, guys will get out of place, kind of fearing Stan a little bit. It creates seams, it creates openings. Then you go out on third-and-ones or third-and-twos, you need it, he's one of the guys that opens (that) up a little bit. So, having Stan there is big for us."
CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
On how a quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger who is tough to bring down can affect what the secondary does: "It's hard, especially when you've got guys like that out there that are shifty, you've just got to read them down and stay on them. Make sure you press and keep your eyes on him because you know they're going to move with him. We've been working on that a little bit in practice; the scramble drill and just staying with him."
On what makes it so hard to play in Pittsburgh: "The stadium. Them coming out, they're going to fight; 1-2 coming off a bye. Shoot, you know you're going to get everything they've got. It's like they've got a must-win, so we know we're going into a dogfight."
On Pittsburgh getting RB Rashard Mendenhall back this week: "Yeah, they do have that. They've got a couple of key guys back, so I know they're fired up about that."
CB Nnamdi Asomugha
On how they prepare to face a great receiving corps in Pittsburgh this week: "I don't think we've faced a receiving corps that wasn't good yet this year. Baltimore is good, Arizona is good. Obviously, the Giants have a good receiving corps. So we'll prepare the same way we prepare every week."
On playing Pittsburgh coming off of a bye: "You look at it and you're still facing good receivers. We're facing good receivers every week in our opinion, so we prepare for them pretty much the same knowing that there's a lot of talent there and they've got a quarterback who can throw it. We don't know what's going to go on with their running game because they're just getting their running back back healthy so we're preparing for them to throw."
On whether Pittsburgh's approach of this game as a "must-win game" changes the team's approach: "When you're playing in Pittsburgh, I think your approach has to be, whether they're 0-10 or 10-0, the approach is the same. It's a tough place to play and you know that they're going to bring their best. It'll be a physical game. It'll be a tough game, a fast game, but I think you're still preparing like you're playing against one of the best teams because, at home, they are one of the best teams."
