STEELERS-BRONCOS POST-GAME QUOTES
Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher - Below
Steelers Players - Click on link
Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan - Click on link
Broncos Players - Click on link
Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher - Below
Steelers Players - Click on link
Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan - Click on link
Broncos Players - Click on link
STEELERS HEAD COACH BILL COWHER
Well, I will say this: I can't give enough credit to our coaching staff and our players, and that was a good Denver Broncos football team, and Mike Shanahan is a class act, and to be able to come in here and do that is a tribute to the players. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
fficeffice" /><o
></o>We have a young quarterback who didn't play young today. I can't say enough about this football team. We traveled a hard road and grew as a football team, and individually, and now we have an opportunity and hopefully we can finish this season off with one more win.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. Can you talk about how Ben has really carried this team even though he's so young and inexperienced?<o
></o>COACH COWHER: You know, he really, he's very composed. You can see it from last year and this year. It's night and day. <o
></o>I think throughout the course of these playoffs, I think we're a football team. We have had really great weeks of work. We're playing our best football at the right time of the year. It was tough to do what we had to do to go to the three places and win those games. They were all challenges in themselves. <o
></o>This is a very grounded and resilient group of guys. We've never taken anything for granted and looked beyond the next game. I think it's allowed us to have a great focus for that challenge of that week. I give a lot of credit. We have kind of had tunnel vision throughout the process.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. Bill, you have been very successful on the road. What's been the key?<o
></o>COACH COWHER: 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 have been pretty much underdogs every game we have been in and these guys relish that position.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. Bill, can you talk a little bit about moving forward a little bit. <o
></o>COACH COWHER: It hasn't gnawed at me. It is what it is. I can't do anything about it. I don't want other people to be stuck to me. You can say anything you want about me and the failures I have had. That's fine. I understand it's part of this business. I try to seize each year and take each game and this group of guys and make them be as good as they can be. <o
></o>We have a great coaching staff and a group of guys that work. Like I said, we need to go and win more game. No one ever remembers who lost the Super Bowl.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. What do you think was the turnaround?<o
></o>COACH COWHER: It was a margin of error. We had to get back to basics and make everybody accountable. We had to look within. These guys were able to do that. The <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ffice:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1lace>Chicago</st1lace></st1:City> game was a big game for us establishing ourselves as a running football team. <o></o>We started to get Ben back at that time, too, when he came back from his injuries. The fact that we have been able to practice and have everybody healthy. You can just tell in practice, we have had some of the best practices going back to training camp these last three or four weeks.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. Have you felt any different as a coach in this playoff match?<o
></o>COACH COWHER: No, the experience of having been there, I think there's something to be said for that. Like I said, last year was very much there, and I think very much with our football team. A lot of guys. <o
></o>We know ‑‑ no one was looking at anything more than this game. A lot of things will be defined come Monday. Don't worry about that. A lot of guys that went through it last year didn't want to go through that same feeling again. They worked too hard to get here. I want to make sure they remember that also and two weeks from today because, like I said, no one remembers who lost the Super Bowl. <o
></o><o
></o>Q. Talk about your emotions for Jerome Bettis. <o
></o>COACH COWHER: I've got so much respect for Jerome and what he's brought to this football team. My relationship with him is he's a classy guy, and he has been such an inspiration. We talked about the <st1:City><st1
lace>Detroit</st1lace></st1:City> thing, and that really had been put aside, but it's very fitting that we're going back to his hometown.<o></o><o
></o>Q. Bill, did you put in more time this week planning for <st1:City><st1
lace>Denver</st1lace></st1:City>' rush than you normally would?<o></o>COACH COWHER: I think one of the best things that happened to us was playing in <st1:City><st1
lace>Indianapolis</st1lace></st1:City> on Monday night. From that game on, we realized we had to get better playing against the noise. <o></o>We went up to <st1:State><st1
lace>Minnesota</st1lace></st1:State> a couple weeks later and never had much of an issue. I think that's helped a lot. We've gone into some arenas right now and had plenty experience going to these places. <st1:City><st1lace>Indianapolis</st1lace></st1:City> was loud, <st1:City><st1lace>Cincinnati</st1lace></st1:City> was loud. When you hear the people today you start to feel like we're at home because it seems like we have been there the last five or six weeks.<o></o><o
></o>Q. How good has Joey Porter been the last two months? <o
></o>COACH COWHER: Joey is an inspiration out there. Our linebackers as a whole, they play with so much emotion. They lost their composure a little today, but they play hard. Joey is a leader for the football team, and I thought they played great today.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. It was a show of confidence of Ben, obviously?<o
></o>COACH COWHER: It's easy when he's throwing it like he has been. He's had some issues with his hand and knee. We would like to think our running game is going to be there as well and get in a situation where you can get a lead and shorten the game. We were not very successful with that in the third or fourth quarter. Ben has made big throws. We had to have them. <o
></o>Talk about him throwing 20 times, but half of them are going to be third‑down plays. He's a selfless guy and he will do whatever you ask him to do.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. When Ben was drafted out of <st1:City><st1
lace>Miami</st1lace></st1:City> he was expected to sit on the bench and learn for a year and maybe take over. With that in mind, are you kind of surprised at his level of his development?<o></o>COACH COWHER: You almost have to be to a certain extent, but when you get around Ben, he's much more mature than his age would indicate. He's very much in control. He's a great competitor. He's got a great feel for the game and a lot of self‑confidence, and so this kid has been successful, you know, all of his life. <o
></o>I don't think he knows what not having success is. That's something, I want to be part of a team that shows him that. We'll keep riding his coattails and hopefully there will be more to come.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. Was throwing to Cedrick Wilson part of the game plan going in? <o
></o>COACH COWHER: It kind of unfolded that way.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. As far as the defensive game, you dropped more into coverage, why did you think that would be successful against the Broncos? <o
></o>COACH COWHER: Obviously, at the end we didn't want to give up some big plays. Jake is one of those guys where if you define it for him, he makes quick decisions. We tried to mix it up. We tried to bring pressure as the situation dictated, and so we did what we.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. Bill, it seems like teams in this league change coaches every three or four years. Why are you the exception?<o
></o>COACH COWHER: Look at the ownership. Mr. Rooney is a football guy. He wanted this business, and he was very supportive through the three nonplayoff years, and I'm very appreciative of that, and will always understand that and appreciate that patience. There's nothing greater, and nothing drives me more than to hopefully be able to hand him the first trophy. Nothing would make me more satisfied than to be able to do that.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. For the first half you guys scored every time you had the ball. Is that about as good an offense as you could have had?<o
></o>COACH COWHER: It was big. We made some big throws and Ben did a good job of taking what they give us. His decision‑making is great. Earlier, he tried to force it. Hines made a great check on the lucky one. I said "Let's not go there and be careful with this thing." He did good. Ben was very much in control of himself out there.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. How thankful were you when he was available when you drafted him?<o
></o>COACH COWHER: We were fortunate.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. Did you think he would be back then?<o
></o>COACH COWHER: I can't remember. We were hoping, but ‑‑<o
></o><o
></o>Q. Bill, your challenge came awful early in the game, Willie Parker fumbled. Did that play into it or was it more that you had pretty good visual evidence?<o
></o>COACH COWHER: I had pretty good talk. That's pivotal. This was not a football game we could afford to fall behind. We talked about how important it was. <o
></o>This football team had a tremendous scoring margin over their opponents in the first half. If you fall behind against them, it's going to be a long day. We talked very much about the importance of starting fast and taking them out. A little bit like last week at <st1:City><st1
lace>Indianapolis</st1lace></st1:City>, this was a team that had not been behind a lot and we tried to start fast.<o></o><o
></o>Q. Bill, talk about turnovers, having them and creating them. <o
></o>COACH COWHER: That was big because they were plus 20 coming in, number 4 in the league in takeaways. I thought Joey's fumble was big. We talked about last year we turned it over three times in the first half against <st1
lace>New England</st1lace>. The winner of the turnover/takeaways is pretty much the winner. If you don't beat yourself and hang in there, maybe you'll have a shot in the fourth quarter. <o></o><o
></o>Q. How good is Roethlisberger going it be?<o
></o>COACH COWHER: Time will tell.<o
></o><o
></o>Q. Would you suggest that this is the way to go for teams to get to the Super Bowl to go on the road?<o
></o>COACH COWHER: No, I would much rather have been at Heinz Field for all these games. <o
></o>
