Bill Cowher Watch Quotations

Casey's the prototype nose tackle in the 3-4. He's got great balance, he's very powerful and he can move. He's down to the same weight he was when he was a rookie and that's good for him. This guy has recognition, not just for sacks. When people watch him play, they recognize how important he is to our defense, and what he allows us to do.

He is so solid for us. He's kind of a rock in the middle of that defense. He uses up two blockers. He has great balance. He's just a very steady, consistent player. He won't have a lot of sacks or tackles. But when you watch him on film, you can see how important he is to our defense.

You don't notice him much if you don't watch a lot of film. But the coaches see it all the time. He's really smart, he's really sound and, at any time, he's going to come up with a play to beat you.

We don't ask people to run differently, ... Runners are runners. I never try to curtail a runner. Our offense has got enough plays that within the running play a ball carrier has a chance to express his ability. I think Willie has gotten more comfortable with the plays we've run. He's had a chance to watch some pretty good backs in front of him be patient on certain plays, hit it on certain plays. I think he's earned this opportunity if indeed Jerome can't go. I'm not concerned; I'm rather excited.

People can look at our run-to-pass ratio, ... but I will say this: Watch us in the first half (this season) because we're still a balanced football team. But when we get a lead, that element is taken out of the hands of the quarterback and we will run the ball. So, we just shut it down. It distorts the numbers a little bit, so talk about the numbers in the first half.

It's been a good system for us. We've been able to build some depth. It's nice to have a third or fourth guy who can go through a year, watch and then be able to step in when a guy goes down or leaves.

You watch that game last week, there were a number of third-and-9s, third-and-10s that they converted in the first couple of drives, ... It can get demoralizing for a defense. And you keep giving them snaps with the playmakers they have, and a defense will eventually break down and they will make a big play.