Bill Cowher Guys Quotations

We had 10 guys that got two or more votes. I told the team that was very reflective of how they felt about their teammates and the fact that they really do consider themselves a team.

Letting them take the opening drive right down against us wasn't very encouraging. We responded. We had some guys make plays ... (but) we just didn't play very well.

Maybe we focus better. Maybe there's a sense of urgency. We've been the underdogs and our guys relished that.

Next year is the only future I've looked at. It's going to be starting over and trying to re-establish a group of guys that is going to be different than it was this year. But I can tell you that next week I'm going to be doing a lot of reflecting, and enjoying every moment of it.

He was very impressive. Willie gives you the element the other guys don't have, the speed factor.

He never took a day off, either. Those are two guys that are coming off major knee surgery a year ago and to get through a training camp and not miss practice says a lot.

He's a very smart guy. He understands the game, studies the game. He has a great feel for the game. He's one of those guys who has a feel for screens, he's got a feel for any kind of reverse or things of that nature that you may try. He's always had that. Some guys have it, some guys don't.

He's been here and he knows our players more than the last couple times I've brought guys in,

Well, you got what you wished for. I'm just glad he's not accessible to you guys anymore.

Our officials are doing the very best that they can do. Obviously, at times, there's going to be mistakes made. To me, those guys are human like the rest of us, and we're moving on.

Like I told our guys - this has nothing to do with last year.

I think he's going to be one of those guys where the day comes and he's not there, there's going to be a void there because it seems like he's always been there every week. We've been through a lot together and I have a tremendous appreciation, more than I can express, for what he stands for as a football player but, more so, for what he stands for as a person.

I was one small part of this. These guys were so resilient.

Willie's starting again next week. He's our starter. I've got to keep other guys involved and I'll attempt to do that, but Willie Parker's going nowhere.

Willie's starting again next week, ... He's our starter. I've got to keep other guys involved and I'll attempt to do that, but Willie Parker's going nowhere.

We have a group of guys who were very focused and stayed together.

We've got some work ahead of us, there's no question. You just don't pick up where you left off. It doesn't work that way. We're going to lose some guys in free agency, probably. We'll try our best to keep as many of them around as we can.

We've got some guys who have not been there before, but we have a lot of coaches who have been there before.

We have not played against him a lot. But I have tremendous respect for the guy. He's one of those guys who can literally will a team to victory.

To me, those guys are human like the rest of us, and we're moving on.

We used to get them in the third and fourth round because no one else was looking for that guy. We didn't have to take them that high. Now those guys are getting drafted higher because a lot more teams are looking for them. If you wait, someone else is going to grab him before you do.

We only have three guys under contract at the safety position.

We've worked hard with our look teams about when they break the huddle, getting the ball snapped within eight to 10 seconds. These guys come up to the line of scrimmage and they're gone. It's different. We've worked on it all week. The guys are getting a sense of what the tempo is like.

There are a couple of guys who haven't worked, but it is more precautionary than anything.

With the bye week, we probably lost a little bit of that momentum. We were in one of those zones -- 'Just tell us where we're going next. Just send us off to another team.' I think these guys thrive on this. With all due respect to Heinz Field, we just kept going off. They said, 'You're the home team for the Super Bowl.' No, we're not.

We had to get back to basics and make everybody accountable. We had to look within, and these guys were able to do that.

We have a 15-minute cooling-off period after the game and we obviously have some guys who could use a little bit longer than that.

Ben is a leader out there for us, no question about that. We are kind of following his lead. Being leaders on this team isn't just about guys who have six or seven years; it is the role that they have and what they have to do.

They are all very unselfish guys and that certainly will make my job easier (in choosing who plays). While it's a tough decision to make, they have recognized it, and, that position has epitomized the unselfishness on this team the last couple of years.

The officials said we didn't move on offense. But they didn't touch anybody on defense. But they had three guys in the backfield and they stopped the play with no call. That was bizarre.

(The officials) said that we didn't move on offense, but they didn't touch anybody on defense, but we had three guys in our backfield and they stopped the play with no call. That was bizarre.

You talk about guys who are unselfish, who are tough, and he exemplifies that. He's a tough player, a dependable player, and he's a really good player. I like tough players.

You're not going to be able to keep everyone, and we've understood that as part of this system. I think a lot of it goes with keeping a good nucleus, drafting well and adding some key free agents, signing some of these guys back and selling them on the atmosphere we have. It's a very positive one.

This is a special group of players, these guys are so deserving - I couldn't be more happy for Mr. Rooney, the players, the coaches and the city.

It probably seemed a bit of a luxury. But there's a lot to be said for having veteran guys who have lined up and won games in the National Football League, who have won playoff games.

For every yard that he's gained on the field, this guy, in my mind, has exceeded that off the field ? the kind of guy he is, the way he gives back and what he stands for. I've never been around too many guys like that.

That's probably the one position given our status there, we only have three guys under contract at the safety position, we'll have to address the numbers issue there.

The biggest thing is not to overreact and to keep responding. Our guys just kept responding. You can't get caught up in the emotion and the finality that these games can bring. The fact this team's been there before, I think, they really understand that mindset.

It was 'Just tell us where we're going next, just send us off to another team. I think the guys thrived on that. With all due respect to Heinz Field, we just kept going off (on the road).

Not just Jerome , but all of these guys will have to deal with demands on their time. I tell them, 'Getting here is one thing, but don't get out of your routine.

Ike has played well. We started putting him on some of the premier guys (at wide receiver) because of his ability to match up size-wise and athletic ability-wise, and he's taken on the challenge. He's learning and growing tremendously.

In my 14 years, I don't think we've ever had so many guys get votes. As I told the team, it was very reflective of what they thought of their teammates and the fact that they really do consider themselves a team. That is pretty special to get that many guys with two or more votes.

I'm just glad that Joey's not accessible to you guys anymore.

I'm very much concerned with the loss of leadership. Not just what they brought on the field, but off it in their own ways. We have other guys who know they have to step up and sustain that high level of play.

I like to think we are getting better ? and we need to. We are starting to get back. Our quarterback is starting to look like he is in rhythm. In practice, he overthrew some guys and I thought this was good because ... his hand is starting to feel pretty good. We got the offense going.

These guys were so resilient. We're proud to be the team of the '70s, but we've carved our own little niche with this group right here.

These guys relish that position. I can't say enough about this football team. We traveled a hard road.

These guys come up to the line of scrimmage and they're gone. They do a great job. It's an offense that is a rhythm offense, it's an upbeat offense, and we've got to find a way to disrupt it or else we could be in for a long day.

These guys come up to the line of scrimmage and they're gone. It's an offense that is a rhythm offense and we've got to find a way to disrupt it.

These guys come to the line of scrimmage and they're gone. It's different. It's an offence that is a rhythm offence. We've got to find a way to disrupt it or else we we'll be in for a long day.

These guys are all leaders on our team, ... We have great veteran leadership and these guys exemplify that.

The focus maybe has been greater, maybe the sense of urgency. At home, you think you're going to have it because of the crowd. We kind of looked at that as a challenge. We've been pretty much underdogs in every game that we've been in, and these guys relish that position.

The circumstances are such that we don't have a choice. We were put in that situation by losing three games in a row. We know the path that is ahead of us. It's a tough journey, but the guys are looking forward to it.