Steelers-Thursday: Playing without Ben built "character" for Steelers defense

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have been known for having a hard-hitting defense for decades now, and other than a few sparkling seasons by their offense it has been a major reason for the franchise's "Super'' success.

This season has been no different. While the Steelers offense has had its moments to be sure, the defense has had just a couple bad games. It appears that the club's offense is more equipped now to bail them out if necessary, the Steelers' defensive players don't believe it will be necessary.

"I think we've played at a high level all season, and it started at the beginning,'' Steelers outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley said. "I think the situation we went through early on really built up our character. We realized that we can win even without one of our main guys. I also think it brought us closer as a team.

"There's no doubt those first four games really helped us out. Everybody took it upon themselves to step up during those games to make sure we were in a good place when Ben came back. (But) we didn't pay too much attention to what everybody thought we'd be like during those games. We just wanted to win.''