This time, the only thing the Pittsburgh Steelers expect to hear Sunday is a raucous Gillette Stadium crowd.
"I'm not saying there's always an issue, but there was an issue the last time we went up there," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Thursday. "But that's why you have hand signals, wrist bands, and we're ready to move on with whatever we have to do."
Mike Tomlin's team last ventured to Foxborough, Mass., for a Thursday Night Football matchup with the New England Patriots in Week 1 of the 2015 season. But for much of the first half, Steelers coaches had trouble communicating with one another because they could only hear the Patriots' radio broadcast of the game in their headsets.
The Steelers, who trailed 14-3 at halftime, eventually lost 28-21.
Asked about their headset issues in his postgame news conference, a visibly irritated Tomlin told reporters: "That's always the case here."
But the NFL _ which provided the helmets for both teams _ later determined that New England was not to blame for the audio interference. Instead, the league said the glitches were caused by "a stadium power infrastructure issue, which was exacerbated by the inclement weather."
The Steelers have long since put that game behind them and they've spent the past week bestowing praise on their AFC title game opponent.
"They need no endorsement from me," Tomlin said Wednesday of the Patriots, winners of four Super Bowls and an NFL-record eight consecutive AFC East titles. "They have the hardware that speaks for that. And I have a lot of respect for that. That's why we all do this."
The Steelers know they're entering enemy territory and they said they're fully prepared to handle boisterous Patriots fans. "There are a lot of elements to face," Roethlisberger said. "The hostile environment, crowd, weather, you never know. We cherish that opportunity to go on the road, especially to awesome environments like Gillette Stadium with passionate fans that are going to be excited."
Pittsburgh got a taste of being in a "hostile environment" last week when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 18-16, in the divisional round. And players said the Arrowhead Stadium atmosphere served them well in their Patriots preparation.
"(It helps) a lot. Definitely a lot," said Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt. "For us to go there in a hostile environment and overcome that adversity against the Kansas City Chiefs, and win in the fashion that we did, is an awesome accomplishment by us and a great motivator and confidence builder for us as well. We've got to continue to do that."
