Crisper snaps for rookie C Kendrick Green to be tested when Steelers play Chiefs at raucous Arrowhead

Kendrick Green removed the glove from his right hand — the one he uses to snap the football — and removed some of the issues that have plagued him during his rookie season.

A week after he was beset by several off-the-mark snaps in a loss at Minnesota, the Pittsburgh Steelers center decided to go barehanded, and mistakes were negligible in a 19-13 victory Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

“I felt like that has made a world of difference,” Green said this week. “I don’t know why.”

Perhaps it’s because it’s one less thing for Green to be concerned about as he makes calls at the line, deals with a silent count on the road and prepares to block 300-pound defenders who are intent on pushing him back into the pocket.

All the while making the transition from guard, the position he played in college, to center in his first professional season.

Green’s play against the Titans on Sunday didn’t go unnoticed by the man on the receiving end of those snaps.

“I walked in (Wednesday) and said, ‘Hey, good job, no bad snaps,’ ” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “Everyone wants to get on (him) when there are bad snaps, but no one says ‘good job’ when there’s no bad snap. I just wanted to reinforce to him that I think he’s doing a great job. His job is not easy.”

That’s particularly true considering Green is replacing Maurkice Pouncey, a nine-time Pro Bowl pick who retired in February after 11 seasons at center. The Steelers resisted bringing in a veteran in free agency, opting to fill the position in the draft.

It led them to selecting Green in the third round with the No. 87 overall pick. He was a three-year starter at Illinois but played all but a handful of games at left guard.

“It’s not like he’s a player that’s played center his whole life,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s a guy that’s got very few center snaps, and we ask our center to make some calls, quite a bit of calls — identification stuff. I’ll help him out with some things, but for the most part, he’s doing most of it. Then, you’ve got to snap the ball and block a guy in front of you. All those things considered, I think he’s done a great job.”

Because of his smaller stature — he’s closer to 6-foot than the 6-4 he is listed in the media guide — Green has absorbed punishment from bigger, stronger defensive linemen.

“We’re in the late part of the season — the grind of that,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. “Experience, technique, all of those things factor into it.”

It was Green’s difficulty getting the snap to Roethlisberger on time — and on target — in the 36-28 loss at Minnesota that needed immediate correction. Playing indoors in front of a capacity crowd, Green struggled with the silent count the Steelers used to combat the noise factor.

Although the Steelers play in open-air stadiums the rest of the year, they face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, which is considered one of the NFL’s most raucous venues. The Chiefs hold the Guinness World Record for loudest noise at an outdoor stadium.

“I expect it to be a problem,” coach Mike Tomlin said, “but a problem that we’re capable of overcoming if we prepare in the right way for the environment and we minimize some of the onus on that communication, particularly line-of-scrimmage wise.”

The game against the Chiefs will feature a matchup of centers taken on the second day of the draft. The Chiefs will start Creed Humphrey, selected out of Oklahoma in the second round at No. 63. Eight picks earlier, the Steelers resisted drafting a center in favor of tight end Pat Freiermuth.

It’s not lost on some fans that Humphrey has emerged as one of the NFL’s top centers while Green has struggled.

“I have to keep being level-headed,” Green said of the criticism. “I tell myself to stay the course, weather the storm. Coach (Adrian) Klemm told me there would be ups and downs and people in the media talking about you crazy. … I try not to pay attention to those things.”

Sort of like how he downplayed Roethlisberger’s kind words a few days after the game against Tennessee.

“It’s definitely something that is good to hear, but I’m also not looking for it,” Green said. “The Minnesota game, there was no excuse for it. I’ve had quite a few bad snaps this year. No excuse. Like coach Tomlin says, you’ve got to get that (stuff) fixed yesterday.

“I’m not looking for any pats on the back, but it’s definitely appreciated.”