FOXBORO — Both Cam Fleming and LaAdrian Waddle treated the subject with nonchalance. And who can blame them? Fleming and Waddle have handled right tackle for the last five weeks while Marcus Cannon has been out, and the only thing that changed this week is official word that Cannon isn't coming back in 2017.
"He's been out for a little bit, and we've just been rolling with the guys we have in there," said Waddle, who started three games at right tackle before his own injury paved the way for Fleming to take over the last two weeks. "Whoever's in there is going to do their best and prepare to take on whatever challenges we have."
The loss of Cannon wasn't necessarily obvious for the first few weeks, as Waddle helped handle Von Miller and the vaunted Denver defensive front in Week 10 and then stifled Khalil Mack and the Raiders in Week 11. Fleming stepped in for him against Buffalo two weeks ago and didn't miss a beat.
"Everybody's getting coached and we're all working toward the same goal," said Fleming. "[That preparation] is especially important for guys like me who haven't gotten in in the past couple of weeks to just stay ready and stay alert. ... Whenever they need me, I feel like I have to be ready to go. That’s just part of my job."
It was only on Monday night in Miami when New England's front five appeared compromised — and much of that that couldn't be pinned exclusively on Fleming at right tackle. The Dolphins consistently pressured Tom Brady up the middle and around the edge, and their corners kept Brandin Cooks and Co. in check down the field, leading to the Pats' worst offensive game of the season.
"I'm not really worried about what happened in the past," Fleming said. "We're focusing on Pittsburgh, trying to make sure we're all prepared for that. We've always got to be ready. They have a really good front and it's going to be a challenge."
The Steelers do indeed possess one of the better front sevens in football. Pittsburgh's 41 sacks rank second in the NFL behind only Jacksonville, and the Steelers have received that production from a diversity of players. Cameron Heyward leads them with nine sacks from the edge, but three different linebackers have at least five sacks for Pittsburgh.
Of course, the Patriots have long been kryptonite for the Steelers' defense. Brady has picked apart Pittsburgh's zone coverages for years, and in four wins in the last four seasons over the Steelers, New England has averaged 36.5 points. Brady's been sacked seven times total in those four games.
Since they've spent a fair amount of time in the trenches already this season, both Waddle and Fleming are familiar with playing next to Shaq Mason and the communication along the line — an imperative in a tough road environment like Heinz Field.
Waddle was active on Monday night, though Fleming remained the starter and played every offensive snap. Waddle is still on the injury report this week, listed as limited in practice. Belichick hasn't tipped his hand on who might get the nod in Pittsburgh.
"Those guys have both played a lot of good football for us. So, we’ll see how it goes," he said on Friday. "We have confidence with both of them. We’ve won with both of them in there, and we’ll do what we think is best for the team, but they’re both good players."