Asked and answered: Richard Seymour, Patriots defensive lineman

Richard Seymour didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday with a knee injury, but he returned to practice on Friday after pronouncing himself ready to go against the Steelers on Sunday. The Patriots will need him -- the Steelers don't give up many points, and that means it'll be imperative that the Patriots get in the face of Ben Roethlisberger and keep Willie Parker from breaking a 60-yard run for a touchdown.

Seymour had something of a down year last year -- he played in just nine games and finished with a career-low 23 tackles with 1.5 sacks. But he's re-emerged as a playmaker this season, getting into the backfield and sending quarterbacks running. Coaches have credited him with 49 tackles (29 solo), seven sacks and 13 quarterback hurries; he has at least one sacks and one quarterback hit in each of the Patriots' last three games.

Ready to go?
"Absolutely. Hopefully, that's the game plan. This time of year, everybody's banged up and not feeling 100 percent. But you go out and you give it your best shot."

It's a big conference game, after Thanksgiving, almost December. What are you thoughts about this game and how it affects playing in January and February?
"You want to play your best football now; this is the time you want to defend your home turf. This is a big game; Pittsburgh is a really good football team, and they do a lot of things well. We have a lot of respect for them. They play the game the way the game is supposed to be played. It isn't like a team that's going to try to come in and trick you. It's a team that says, 'Hey, this is what we're doing -- can you stop it?' That's a challenge, and the guys on this team, we look forward to challenges and playing in tough, physical football games."

How much of a challenge is it to go against Ben Roethlisberger?
"Roethlisberger does a good job ad-libbing, making plays with his legs. He's a strong, tough guy to bring down in the pocket. He can take a broken play and turn it into a touchdown. It isn't like we can go to sleep -- most plays last three or four seconds, but he can get outside the pocket, and you have to be aware of his abilities."

They've had some injuries with their running backs, but it seems like whoever they throw in there is capable of running the ball.
"Yeah, they have a big, tough, physical offensive line, and they do a good job of moving guys up front. Our front seven is definitely going to be challenged this week, and we feel like we've got a good front seven, so man on man."

How do things change when Willie Parker goes out and Mewelde Moore goes in, or vice versa?
"Parker is a guy that has a lot of speed, and he can take any run and hit a home run with it from any point on the field. But both of them do a good job. The other running back is a lot like Kevin Faulk -- real shifty, catches some balls out of the backfield and does a good job for them."

Is chasing Roethlisberger around early in the game something that can catch up to you late in the game?
"A lot of quarterbacks, you can get to them early in the game and sack them or whatever the case may be. He's a guy that weighs on you at the end of the game. Sometimes you see defensive linemen not able to bring him down; he's able to shrug those guys off. Rarely do you ever see a quarterback with that much strength. He's a big, strong guy in the pocket, so we definitely have to wrap that guy up."