Hot! Preparing For Mike Wallace

49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio chatted with the media Friday before practice and had some interesting comments. The most pertinent for our purposes is that he indicated he would not be comfortable with Patrick Willis playing on Sunday if he does not practice this week. The concern is that with a hamstring injury, the risk of re-aggravation is great and without seeing a player run full out, it is not a worthwhile risk to just roll him out and hope he'll be fine.

A significant issue for Monday's game is the Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown . Wallace entered the season as the big play guy, but Antonio Brown has emerged as a beast in recent weeks. Wallace is still a threat, but Brown has been the more dangerous of the two receivers. I'd imagine part of that is due to coverage rolling over on Wallace, but even still, Brown is taking advantage of his opportunities.

Ben Roethlisberger was able to get in a limited practice today, which would seem to be an indication he will play on Monday. Even after his injury last week, Roethlisberger was able to connect with Antonio Brown on a deep catch and run. Although Roethlisberger might not be able to scramble as much this week, he remains a significant threat in the passing game, even if hobbled by the ankle injury.

Given all that, how would you defend Wallace and Brown? You've still got to deal with Heath Miller and Hines Ward in the receiving game so it's not like you can just double both Wallace and Brown. Thoughts on how to address the Steelers receivers?

Defensive Coordinator Vic FangioPress Conference - December 16, 2011San Francisco 49ers

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Coach, how do you prepare for the Steelers team when you don't know if Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is going to play or not?

"Well, mainly you just prepare for their offense. Their running game's not going to change a bit, no matter which quarterback is playing, and I don't think their passing game will change a lot. What might change is their play selection, occasionally, but I think they'll just get out there and run their offense no matter who their quarterback is."

Would you expect more quick passing from a guy who might not be able to move around the pocket?

"If Roethlisberger's the quarterback?"

Yeah.