Bill Cowher Team 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.

We know better than that. Ahead is going to be there; you just worry about Houston. That's the only team we are worrying about. I'm not worrying about anything more than Sunday afternoon at one o'clock.

What the team did in the 1970s was kind of put Pittsburgh on the map. It became a city of champions, and you had the Pirates winning and the Penguins winning.

We have an unbelievable fan base. You go around the country and pull into hotels, there is always black and gold and Steelers fans hollering. There is no question it goes back to the rich tradition this team has and this organization built back in the '70s. What we are seeing now is the second generation of that fan base. It's great.

Certainly, Ben's got to feel comfortable being out there and there are no restraints, ... I don't want to put him or the football team in any kind of danger if he's feeling that way. He's much improved from yesterday, but again it's going to be day-to-day.

He gutted it out (Monday) night. He was hurting. He came in and we looked at it at halftime and taped it up. He said before we went out there that I'm going to give it a shot, but if I feel like I am hurting this team I am going to take myself out and I want you to know that. I told him I expect you to do that. Only you know where you are at with it.

We're playing the No. 1 seed in the AFC and in many people's eyes the No. 1 team in the National Football League. We're going to have to play so much better than we played the last time we played them, and we're going to have to play better than we played last week. It's going to take a flawless effort on our part. We're going to have to bring everything we have and more.

Joey is the emotional leader for our football team without question. He is the kind of guy that gets us going. We have some unique personalities and Joey is unique in his own sense. I've never been one to try and harness guys. I just want them to be respectful of the game and of the opponents. I love a team that plays with emotion, plays with passion. I love being around people that love to do that and Joey does it in his own way and without a doubt, Joey is the emotional leader for our team.

I think it's a sign of a good football team when you come out and not play your best football and still win the game.

I think it's very important you don't get caught up in all the 'what if' scenarios. I think our football team needs to prepare mentally to play this football game like it's a home playoff game. The fact is if we don't win, we may not go anywhere. If you get caught up, deviate from that focus and start looking at other scenarios, you start cluttering your mind with things that are very, very dangerous.

Jerome has been an inspiration to everyone, players and coaches. He's more than just a great player, he's the consummate team mate.

I think pressure is everything. When people get in the playoffs, there's pressure to win. It's win or go home. I don't feel any more this week than I did last week or the week before. It's one and done if you don't play well. We're looking at this week no different than last week. We're just trying to win a football game. If we do, we have an opportunity to go on, and if not, our season is done. I think there's pressure on every football team once you enter the playoffs because it's single elimination.

Willie's got the one thing we've never had - the speed. For a team that runs the football the way we want to run the football, to have a big-play player back there is a bonus.

Willie has the one thing that we never had -- speed. For a team that runs the football like we would like to run the football, to be able to have a big-play player back there is a bonus. He shows that ability to do that.

We played our tails off defensively. We made the plays on offense when we had to. The sign of a good football team is when you (don't) play your best football and still win the game.

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.

We're a team that likes to fly to the ball.

We worked Thursday, Friday, Saturday (in Pittsburgh), and had three good days of work. I gave the team Sunday off as a transition day to take care of their families.

We only threw it 11 times. It's not like we've suddenly arrived, I don't think. Too much comparison has been made to (the preseason). I'm not concerned with that. I'm not ready to sit there and say everything is set with one game ... For the first time this year we looked like a professional team throwing the football.

This will be a good barometer for us because this is by far the best team we've played and maybe will play. They are a football team that is not used to losing at all. For them to come off a tough loss against Carolina has really probably compounded the challenge that we have.

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've been kind of a high-profile team the last two years. That experience of going through the playoffs has been important.

This team understands it's a journey. This is the first step. It was almost a battle of wills out there today, like who was going to flinch first. We just came up with a couple more big plays than they did, and that was the difference in the game.

This was a big challenge for our team coming in and kind of weathering the storm early in the game. These are two very evenly matched teams, as was proven this year. We're fortunate and feel good about moving on.

We've been somewhat of a desperate team for a long time. I think we need to continue to play that way. Like I said before, we are still the same team that, seven weeks ago, not a lot of people were giving us a chance.

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.

Did we play our best game? No. But when you're a good football team you don't have to play your best game, you just keep responding to the situations that come up.

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.

I've added way too much to (the rivalry), I know that. But you know what, I have so much respect for what Marvin (Lewis) and Mike Brown have done in Cincinnati and the team they have put together. Without question they are there. They are on the cusp of a championship year. We realize that every time we play them it's a battle, it always has been.

Our effort today made history. That's what made it special to me: This team has been real resilient all year. It was one guy after another. It's a tremendous group of guys.

This is a team that does not beat itself.

This is a supreme team with the same aspirations we do. They're playing with a high level of confidence. It's not going to get done by showing up and we really have not accomplished anything. That's the thing we have to keep in mind because some people will give you kudos, and will talk about all the good things we've done, but that can all change with one play, with one quarter or one bad game.

They're a good football team that's built for their fast surface. Offensively, they have a lot of weapons and defensively they tackle well.

It's just Joey being Joey. I'm surprised he lasted this long (without popping off). He's the vocal leader of our football team and that's the way he is.

It really does complete a void that's been there. This team has been real resilient all year.

It's all speed; that's the one thing you see in Willie Parker. Willie made our football team because he flashed and he got a chance to play in Week 16 against Buffalo and showed something. We had rested some linemen and he ran against a defense that that was near the top of the National Football League. He got over 100 yards and broke a run.

That football team is well run. The people who have taken over were in that system,

No team has ever been where we are. That's not going to discourage us. Does it make the challenge great? Absolutely. But at the same time, we have to seize the opportunity.

They wanted Jerome to lead the team out. They wanted him to come out first, so they gave him his time, and then we all came out as a team. Joey Porter thought that was important and he told the team that's what we were going to do.

In Denver, they had a chance to win. I think this team could very easily be 4-0, ... I think that says a lot about the fact that they've really picked up where they left off a year ago. I don't feel like we're playing like we did a year ago, but I think San Diego is.

I'm not sure we were the best team last year. I think we played the best at the right time of year.

I know a lot of people have looked at Tennessee and talked about rebuilding. But we have to be careful because there is still a core of players on that team that, not only are we familiar with, but who've also had success.

But it is a competitive advantage. I said last week, if I were coaching in Houston and I had a team from the North coming down, I would -- with all due respect to the fans -- have the roof open, make them wear black and talk about it enough to have it work in their minds.

By no means is this a team to be written off. If you back a competitor into a corner, they are going to come out fighting. ... It is going to be a close football game. It always is.

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.