Bill Cowher Quotations

We've all had heroes, and I know Jack Lambert was for me because I was a defensive guy.

When you turn the football over four times and are minus-3 in the giveaway-takeaway ratio, you aren't going to win many football games,

We remind them where they were seven weeks ago. That's the thing in my mind. Seven weeks ago, we found out the people who like you because it was unconditional. We're involved now and it's seven weeks later and it's all conditional. They love you because you just won seven straight games.

We're going to the Super Bowl to win it, not to just be there.

We're going to have a lot of flexibility with some of the things we're doing, and the players have been very receptive. It's more definitive than things we've done in the past. The onus is being put back on the players to execute, and I think they like that.

We're going to go as far as he takes us.

When we drafted Hines we didn't envision this. He has turned out to be a special, special player.

When we come here, there will be a lot of demands on many of these guys. (The goal) is to come here and prioritize things and try not to get out of the routine, and understand that Wednesday, Thursday, Friday is just like a regular game.

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're going to let that thing unfold. I don't have any preconceived thoughts going in. I'd like to let it play out and see where it goes from there.

We're going to have to deal with the crowd noise. That's something that we dealt with last week, too. So it's going to be no different.

We're going to be very proactive, make sure if there's any problems to get them taken care of now because we want him ready to go for the first game.

We're being smart. He doesn't need a lot of reps.

With the situation we have at running back, we don't have to rush to get him back,

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.

Would I like to see us more in sync in the passing game? Yes. But we are where we are. That's really the only true element (that) I am, if you want to use the word, concerned or worried about.

Would I have liked to see us be more in sync in the passing game? Yes. And that's the one thing I come out of the preseason saying I wish we would have done better,

Would I have liked to see us be more in sync in the passing game? Yes, ... And that's the one thing I come out of the preseason saying: 'I wish we would have done better.' But we are where we are. That's really the only true element I'm concerned or worried about.

We're still growing as a football team. We're still evolving, we're still trying to create that chemistry.

We're running the same game plan this Sunday, ... so I figured it will still be fresh in their minds. I looked at our schedule, and I saw that we are playing the Oilers for the second week in a row, so the game plan will remain exactly the same.

We've got a young quarterback who doesn't play young. It's a very resilient group, very focused.

We've got a young quarterback who didn't play young.

We've got a very close team. Jerome has been an inspiration to us all year.

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 are all kind of following his lead.

We are going to have to play much better than we played the last time we played them. We are going to have to play much better than we played last week. It is going to take a flawless effort on our part.

There are some things, demands, game-day stuff, that you share.

We're playing our best football at the right time of the year.

We've been in the playoffs for three weeks now. Nothing will change. We have something to build off now. We'll come back on Wednesday and understand what we have in front of us.

We heard 'em. You almost feel like you're at home.

We had no margin of error, just wipe the slate clean and focus on the next game. Don't worry about the playoffs. Don't worry about what's taken place.

We have a young quarterback who didn't play young today. . . . He's much more mature than his age would indicate.

The extra day won't have any effect on it. We're going to have to weather the flurry that will be involved with the emotions, the speed of the game and playing a high-quality football team.

We settled for three field goals in the four times down there. It's something we can improve on and something we need to improve on.

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.

Whenever you turn the football over four times, you aren't going to win many football games. You have to credit Jacksonville for a great game.

Like anything else, it will grow with time and as we continue to go through ups and downs. I'm always there for him, and he'll always know how I feel. We have a very trusting relationship.

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.

On a fourth-and-one with a guy like Jerome Bettis, it's an easy call to make. Down around the goal, he's got a great feel for that. As long as the ball was on the one or inside the one, it was really an easy decision to make.

Oh yeah, I think he's very close. Whether it's full (throttle), I don't know, but it's very, very close.

Mike may make a couple of mistakes, but somewhere along the line you are going to feel his presence on the field.

Mike Logan wasn't there a year ago, and now he's there.

Mike Logan is a good football player, ... He had some injuries in the past but came in here in excellent shape. You could see that in the spring. He was moving a lot better. He did that in the off-season program. Then you say, 'In training camp we'll see how he'll be able to do.'

Mike Logan is a football player. Mike might make a couple mistakes, but somewhere along the line you're going to feel his presence on the field. He has a way of making plays.

Mile High is a tough place to play, and we're going to have to play our best to beat them.

Mr. Rooney was very supportive through three non-playoff years (1998-2000), and I'm very appreciative of his patience.

Mr. Rooney is a football guy. He wanted this business, and he was very supportive through the three non-playoff years, and I'm very appreciative of that, and will always understand that and appreciate that patience.

Max played some last year. I am not too concerned about Max at all, to be honest with you.

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

No one has handled it more inspirationally than Tony and his wife. That's the unfortunate part of our profession, that we live in a fishbowl and we have to experience that with the rest of America. Sometimes those are things you'd just like to share with those you are very close to, but Tony has found out that he's very close to a lot of us.

No one feels worse about losing a game like that than the players and coaches in that locker room. They throw everything into it. No one felt worse than Tommy. I mean, this is a quality individual. We all understand the criticisms that come with this game and we understand that, but when you start taking it outside the field, to the house, to the kids, to me, you've crossed the line.

One thing you see now is when Willie makes a decision, he's going north and south. You see him hitting the pile and going forward. I know one of the questions was, 'Can Willie run inside?' and I think he's answered a lot of that.

My heart and prayers have always gone out to him and Lauren and their family. They'll get through it. Tony's a strong guy.

Maybe this is the way to do it. We haven't been too successful the other way.

Maybe it was poetic justice. We were finally able to get over the hurdle.

No, I kind of liked the ones he's had,

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.

Obviously, he's a Pro Bowl player, his numbers speak for themselves. He's playing with a lot of confidence and he is without a doubt the catalyst for what they do.

Nobody was made aware of anything during the course of the game.

Nothing drives me more than to hopefully be able to hand him the fifth trophy.

Rian Wallace has gotten better each game, probably gotten better every practice. He has continually gotten better and better.

On fourth-and-1 and you have a guy like Jerome Bettis, it's an easy call to make, really.

I was happy for him. That was his first live contact since last year's championship game. He's been running well in practice the last couple of weeks. He has been a trooper. He has sat there and been patient. Duce ran really hard against a good football team.

I would have liked to have seen us hold them to a field goal down there, but I gotta give the kid credit, ... Who was it, Cooley? He made a nice play on that.

if we had executed it the right way.

I don't know what will take place. I didn't want to get into it, at least at this point. We'll have time. We'll talk and we'll see what we can do, maybe what he wants to do.

I don't know, that's a good question. I hopefully don't add to that list. Champ Bailey is one of, if not the top corner in the game today. I know I felt that way. We're going to be aware of him, I can tell you that.

I don't know when it's going to hit me, but a lot of hard work went into it by these coaches and these players. Eight weeks ago, I don't think anybody would have thought we'd be here today.

I don't know what I would say. It would be short, for sure.

I'd be hesitant to start a guy like Duce who has not had much practice time at all, ... You'd like to have him available if needed, but I think the plan right now, if Jerome (Bettis) can't go, well go with Verron (Haynes) and Willie (Parker).

I'd be hesitant to start a guy like Duce when he's not had much practice time at all, ... It'd be nice to have him available. But the plan right now is if Jerome can't go, we'll go with Verron and Willie.

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.

Casey has been so solid for us. He's kind of the rock in the middle of that defense and he's a guy that uses up two blockers. He's got great balance, he can still go sideline to sideline and has a good feel for the game and understands what teams are doing to him.

Certainly, ... I think it's a big game early in the season. It's a good barometer for us to see where we stand.

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.

But we are where we are. That's really the only true element that I'm concerned or worried about. We didn't throw the ball as efficiently as I'd like to see us throw it.

Based on the information I have right now, Charlie Batch is the starter by default until I see more.

I love coaching, and I love being in Pittsburgh, ... When you get a chance to come back to the place you grew up, there's something special about that. I grew up here, my parents still live here, and I've been able to raise my girls here. We've been in the same house since 1992, and that's unique in our business.

I have so much respect for what Jerome Bettis has meant to this football team. He's such a classy guy and he's been such an inspiration. He and I have always had a special relationship, and this is a special moment for him.

I feel very bad for Carson Palmer. It was an unfortunate accident. You hate to see anyone have his season end like that.

I can't say enough about our special teams. To me, that was the only thing that was on today. We didn't play well enough offensively or defensively.

I can't say enough about our special teams.

I can't give enough credit to our quarterback. He has the look in his eye right now.

Given the fact he's the only guy I have ever worked for, a lot of who I am and how we do things and what I believe in comes from Marty.

Fourth-and-one with a Jerome Bettis , it's just an easy call to make. I feel so much appreciation for him.

From our standpoint. There was nothing really there.

I don't remember losing too many games coming off the bye. Of course, we've lost that next game a few times.

I don't think it's that big a deal what jersey color you're wearing, to be honest with you. Maybe that's just me.

I don't think it's any more than anyone else.

I don't think it's a case where he has to rectify any one area. It's just recognition and being patient. I think that's the thing. He probably dealt with fatigue as the year went on, but I think now he knows what to expect. He went through it once and I think that will be great benefit to him.

For us to come in here and do what we did, it took a supreme effort.

For us to come in and do what we did today, it took a supreme effort in all three phases, and had nothing short of that today.

If we were opening up (the regular season) tomorrow, I think that's the way I'd go,

If that's the right situation for him, I would talk. If he wants any advice from me, I'd give it to him. Certainly the decision would be his and I'd share with him any advice that I would give to him. We'll see what happens and we'll go from there.

He was a robotic quarterback a year ago. He's been able to pace himself over the course of the year by understanding the length of the season. All these things are why you're seeing the difference from this year to last year.

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

He worked a little bit today, not as much as I'd hoped he would. It was not really any kind of setback. He does have a bone bruise and it just has not responded as quickly as I'd hoped and his status is day to day.

He worked a little bit but not as much as I hoped he would. There's not really any kind of setback. He does have a bone bruise and he has just not responded as quickly as I had hoped and his status is day to day.

He worked a little bit but not as much as I hoped he would, ... There's not really any kind of setback. He does have a bone bruise and he has just not responded as quickly as I had hoped and his status is day to day.

He will miss approximately five weeks, four games. That is the early diagnosis. Certainly that can be give and take, a week here and there. Really, what we thought initially, that is probably good news based on what we were concerned about the last couple of days.