Bill Cowher Press Conference Transcript

Thursday, January 20, 2005

The following is a transcript of Steelers coach Bill Cowher's press conference yesterday:

Q: Ben (Roethlisberger) did not wear the gloves today, why?

COWHER: We are calling for potentially wet weather so Ben's philosophy is that he would rather practice without them and then if he has to put them on, it is not a problem if it is dry. He would rather not practice with them and then it be a wet day and have to go without it. That is a question that I asked and that is the same question answer I received.

Q: What has defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau meant to your coaching staff this year?

COWHER: Number one, our background and our history of being together. When I first came here, it was me, a pretty good defensive staff, myself, Dom Capers was the coordinator, Marvin Lewis was the linebacker coach, Dick coached the secondary, and we really kind of put a defense together and when Dom went off to become a head coach, I elevated Dick in '95 to be the coordinator so really the conception of this defense is really I think his. When Dick left, I understand the whole circumstance and then to bring him back here was kind of neat to have a chance to sit down in the off-season and talk with him. We really talked about where we had evolved with the defense from when he had left. I brought him up to date with the players that we had, he hadn't had many of the players that changed and talked to him a little bit about that. Then we went back to the format, putting together the plans each week, coaching the defenses with him on the sidelines with me talking to him, and it has kind of been like going back to the old times. So he has been great and that's from a coaching standpoint. Obviously with the players he has always has a great rapport with them. They have great respect for him. He is one of those guys that when you play for Dick, you have tremendous respect for him. He has a great respect for the games, he played the game, and he has great people skills.

Q: On preaching team first.

COWHER: I think that we have had, too. It's been a situation all year from the beginning of this camp on with the injuries we have had. You start with Charlie Batch going down, then Kendell Simmons going down, Mike Logan going down, and Casey Hampton going down, we have had player after player again have to step up. Tommy Maddox going down and Ben stepping in there. We have had a philosophy and have adopted that, I think, out of necessity. Recognizing that it's not so much the players stepping in, it's everybody else having to pick up there games. I think it was when we got done with that second game of the season, I think at that point we felt like our backs were at the wall and we got beat by Baltimore, got beat very well by them in that second game, and I think from that time on it was more of us being accountable with each and every guy and taking it one game at a time from that point. Recognizing that it wouldn't do any good to look to far in the future and dwell on anything that we don't have and let's just deal with what we do have. I think it's just kind of built from there.

Q: On putting emphasize on the running game entering camp.

COWHER: It's accurate. I think there is no question and we've looked at where we finished up last year, we finished up 6-10 even though we did play better the second half of the season. But when you finish 31st in the National Football League running the ball, it was something to be said to get back to doing what you felt right to be the foundation of this team, was that we had to establish the run. Not that we were going to get away from the pass but we had to develop a mindset. I have always thought that you can develop a passing game but it's harder to develop a running mentality, in the middle of something. So we kind of used that as a foundation from which to start and to create an attempt to establish a running attack, to stop the running game, to be aggressive on defense, to play fast, and to play hard. And to see what kind of players we had as the season unfolded and be flexible enough to adopt a system and an identity within that approach.

Q: On what offensive line coach Russ Grimm has done for the offensive line.

COWHER: Russ is one of the best offensive line coaches in the game. He's done a great job of developing the players that are here. He's played the game and I think it's hard not to respect a guy who played the game the way he played it. Russ is a very bright guy and I go back to a game we played against Denver last year. We were bringing in tackles and linemen on third down. People usually bring in receivers on third down, we were bringing in linemen on third down. We had like three switches we were making based on trying to protect the quarterback. We lost that game in overtime, but I marveled at what we were able to do offensively in adopting that approach. He's played the game. He's a very good communicator, a very good teacher from a guy who was a pretty good player. Sometimes those don't always go hand-in-hand.

Q: On Russ Grimm not being a typical offensive line coach.

COWHER: There are different styles. Those line coaches kind of all stick together. Russ played on a pretty good offensive line in Washington, played for a pretty good coach in Coach (Joe) Gibbs, and he has a good feel for people. He can communicate with these guys. He has his own way; everyone has their own style. Russ is a guy that demands respect.

Q: On the Rooney family's support and confidence in you.

COWHER: I've been very appreciative. I feel very fortunate and blessed to have been here this long. Certainly in other places, I probably wouldn't have lasted this long. I think they've been very supportive in the tough times, and I've been very appreciative of that. They are class people. This is a class organization. I'm very blessed to be a part of it, a small part of it. It was a class organization when I got here and it will be one when I leave here. I am very grateful for all of the support that they've given through the tough times. Like I said, the void that still exists there is not having given them the fifth trophy since we've been here. That's really what drives me because of the support that they've given me through the years.

Q: On Bill Belichick's record after facing a quarterback for the second time.

COWHER: It's a game. Our preparation isn't going to change. As I talk to the players, the biggest thing you've got to do is block out all the things that are around you. We're preparing to play New England just like we prepared the last time we played New England. We're not looking any further than this game. I think that our players understand that. We all understand the ramifications of it, but we're not going to lose sight of the process. Sometimes you can get caught up in looking at the magnitude of the game and what the results can bring. But we're kind of just focusing on the process. Today's a normal Wednesday, tomorrow will be a normal Thursday and then Friday and Sunday will be itself. I don't think that they'll show him (Ben Roethlisberger) anything that he hasn't seen at any point this year. Maybe something different than what we've prepared for, but that's all part of the game of football. This football team, just like last week, has got an ability to stay pretty focused on the task at hand. This time of year, there may be a tendency at times to panic because of the magnitude of games. What has impressed me most about this team is that there is no panic in them. We'll be well prepared and we will be confident. We will deal with whatever circumstances are that take place and how they unfold and hopefully try to find a way to overcome it.

Q: On pressure on you as a coach.

COWHER: This business is about pressure. Like I said, I think the pressure comes when you start thinking about the big picture. Then, you start thinking about the magnitude and what the outcome can bring you. The biggest thing you do is not lose sight of the process. I think that there was probably a lot of pressure to get here. Now this is one of those games that we're playing the defending world champions, a good football team and we're looking forward to the challenge. I don't know if it's pressure as much as it's a great challenge. We're one of four teams still playing and after this weekend there will be two. That's exciting. If that's too much for you, you are in the wrong business. Our guys are looking forward to it.

Q: On the Patriots being able to keep their team together.

COWHER: I have great respect for New England, just for how they've done it. How Bill (Belichick) has approached the game, how their football players, and him particularly throughout their success, have stayed very grounded and very focused. With the respect they have for each opponent, the respect they have for the game, to me they are a model football team. We've learned a lot and anybody who hasn't recognized that has been a little naive through the league. I will be the first to say, I think we've grown. I know I've grown watching Bill handle the success he's handled. A lot of times you can measure people by how they handle adversity, but I think a lot of it can be said by how they handle success. Their football team, with their players, starting with their quarterback (Tom Brady), (Tedy) Bruschi, (Mike) Vrabel, (Willie) McGinest, Rodney (Harrison), they got some class people over there. They have a great way of keeping things in perspective. That's why they win the games they win. They love the challenges and seem to defy the odds, but they come out to play every week and that's what we're trying to do each week around here. That's why I have great respect for what he's done up there.

Q: On Roethlisberger accepting blame.

COWHER: This business is about being accountable. To admit at times when you haven't done well is not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength and I believe that. Sometimes it's hard for people to say they're wrong. That to me is not the sign of a weak person, that's a strong person. Sometimes you get in this business, you're going to have a bad game, you're going to have a bad action that in hindsight after you sit back maybe you wish you would not have done that or said that. It happens. It happens to everybody. As long as you learn from it, you move on from it, you grow from it. That to me is confident people. Confident people don't get frazzled because they get criticized or ridiculed and they don't take it personal. We're all growing. Our football team is still continuing to grow as a football team. With each challenge, with each opportunity we have I would like to think we're growing from it and we're going to become stronger because of it. Last week was another great example of just the resiliency that we have and it's given us a chance to play another week and hopefully we'll seize that opportunity this weekend.

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