Cowher would love to pop Bills' balloon
Jan. 02, 2005
Steelers head coach Bill Cowher laughed, albeit nervously, when I asked if he would take any personal pleasure from knocking a Tom Donahoe team out of the NFL playoffs this Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
"I can't speak on Tom's behalf," Cow-her said via conference call Wednesday. "But that's all in the past. I'm not one to bring things out of the closet. I've put all that behind me, and I'm not one who holds grudges at all."
It's too bad the Bills didn't provide video hookups on the weekly news conferences. That way, we could see the coaches' noses growing on those inevitable occasions when they lie through their teeth.
Cowher can deny it all he likes, but he would love to pop Donahoe's balloon. Five years ago, he won a long, bitter and well- publicized power struggle with Donahoe. After the 1999 season, Cowher submitted his resignation as Pittsburgh's coach. The organization asked for, and received, Donahoe's resignation instead.
The Cowher-Donahoe feud is one of many intriguing subplots to the season finale. Maybe Cowher has put it behind him. But it had to rankle him when, just three months ago, Donahoe said the Steelers had made a mistake in choosing Cowher over him -- and that a lot of people in the Pittsburgh organization agreed with him.
Some mistake. The Steelers bring a 14-1 record here this weekend. They are 52-26-1 since Donahoe's departure. Cowher, in his 13th season in Pittsburgh, is the longest-tenured coach in the NFL. He has crystallized his reputation as one of the game's best and most resilient head coaches.
The Bills, meanwhile, have run off six straight wins, resurrecting Donahoe's reputation as a football architect and moving to the brink of the playoffs. So it's a collision of the NFL's two hottest teams -- and two of its most bitter personal rivals.
"There's a lot there to talk about," Donahoe said. "But the game is about our players, and it's a game we need. We are going against, arguably, the best team in the NFL right now. It's an important game for our players."
It would be even more dramatic if the Steelers hadn't sewn up home-field advantage for the AFC playoffs. But Cowher says the Steelers are coming to Buffalo to win, and I think he's being sincere. When you've won 13 games in a row, you don't want to lose your edge. Winning is a habit you don't like to break.
Cowher's teams have a history of playing well in season finales, despite being locked into a playoff seed. In the mid-'90s, they played close, competitive games in three straight "meaningless" road finales.
Sure, Cowher will rest his injured players. He will substitute liberally. But you don't go 14-1 without a deep, gifted and motivated roster. And they will be eager to oust a Bills team that could be a very dangerous foe in the playoffs.
"Yeah," he said. "I told our team this morning, 'This is one of the hottest teams in football right now.' I mean, they've won six in a row and eight of their last nine. This is a good football team and will be a good barometer for us as we go into the playoffs. Who knows? We could be facing them somewhere down the road."
The Steelers can become the fourth team to win 15 regular season games. They can join the '85 Bears and '84 Niners as the only teams to finish 18-1.
Jan. 02, 2005
Steelers head coach Bill Cowher laughed, albeit nervously, when I asked if he would take any personal pleasure from knocking a Tom Donahoe team out of the NFL playoffs this Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
"I can't speak on Tom's behalf," Cow-her said via conference call Wednesday. "But that's all in the past. I'm not one to bring things out of the closet. I've put all that behind me, and I'm not one who holds grudges at all."
It's too bad the Bills didn't provide video hookups on the weekly news conferences. That way, we could see the coaches' noses growing on those inevitable occasions when they lie through their teeth.
Cowher can deny it all he likes, but he would love to pop Donahoe's balloon. Five years ago, he won a long, bitter and well- publicized power struggle with Donahoe. After the 1999 season, Cowher submitted his resignation as Pittsburgh's coach. The organization asked for, and received, Donahoe's resignation instead.
The Cowher-Donahoe feud is one of many intriguing subplots to the season finale. Maybe Cowher has put it behind him. But it had to rankle him when, just three months ago, Donahoe said the Steelers had made a mistake in choosing Cowher over him -- and that a lot of people in the Pittsburgh organization agreed with him.
Some mistake. The Steelers bring a 14-1 record here this weekend. They are 52-26-1 since Donahoe's departure. Cowher, in his 13th season in Pittsburgh, is the longest-tenured coach in the NFL. He has crystallized his reputation as one of the game's best and most resilient head coaches.
The Bills, meanwhile, have run off six straight wins, resurrecting Donahoe's reputation as a football architect and moving to the brink of the playoffs. So it's a collision of the NFL's two hottest teams -- and two of its most bitter personal rivals.
"There's a lot there to talk about," Donahoe said. "But the game is about our players, and it's a game we need. We are going against, arguably, the best team in the NFL right now. It's an important game for our players."
It would be even more dramatic if the Steelers hadn't sewn up home-field advantage for the AFC playoffs. But Cowher says the Steelers are coming to Buffalo to win, and I think he's being sincere. When you've won 13 games in a row, you don't want to lose your edge. Winning is a habit you don't like to break.
Cowher's teams have a history of playing well in season finales, despite being locked into a playoff seed. In the mid-'90s, they played close, competitive games in three straight "meaningless" road finales.
Sure, Cowher will rest his injured players. He will substitute liberally. But you don't go 14-1 without a deep, gifted and motivated roster. And they will be eager to oust a Bills team that could be a very dangerous foe in the playoffs.
"Yeah," he said. "I told our team this morning, 'This is one of the hottest teams in football right now.' I mean, they've won six in a row and eight of their last nine. This is a good football team and will be a good barometer for us as we go into the playoffs. Who knows? We could be facing them somewhere down the road."
The Steelers can become the fourth team to win 15 regular season games. They can join the '85 Bears and '84 Niners as the only teams to finish 18-1.
