STEELERS-BEARS POST-GAME QUOTES
DECEMBER 11, 2005

 

STEELERS QUOTES - see below 
BEARS QUOTES - click on the link

 

 

HEAD COACH BILL COWHER

Coach Cowher: We lived to fight another day. That’s basically where we’re at. We have no margin of error. Our team did a great job today, coming out with a fast start. The big screen pass was a big lift for us. On the other drive, Hines [Ward] made a great run after the catch. I can’t say enough about our offensive line. Our offensive line did a heck of a job today. They’ve taken a lot of heat, so to speak. I thought they stepped up today against a very good football team.

Where is the team’s confidence?

We talked about confidence a lot last night. State of mind, being certain and having trust, that’s the definition of [confidence]. State of mind is a choice. These guys had to make a choice today.

Was this your most complete game of the year?

I don’t know. It was the most important game of the year. We’re a desperate team and right now it takes desperate measures. We have to play like that every week. We have no margin of error.

If they don’t take a penalty on that third down that gave you a first, would you have punted the ball?

Oh yeah. I was surprised.

Was the game plan to take advantage of their aggressiveness?

We had a good plan coming in. We wanted to run it. We knew that we had to get Ben [Roethlisberger] some time. The good Lord helped us today with their pass rush. Let’s face it; it wasn’t the best field conditions. When the snow came it negated some speed. But that’s a good defense.

Do you improve on your third downs on both sides of the ball?

Yeah. Offensively, the biggest thing we talked about against this team was not getting into second and long. One thing [the Bears] do a good job of is getting holding penalties because the ends are so quick and fast. You just can’t overcome that. I thought we got ourselves a lot of third and manageable situations, third and threes, third and fours. We made some big throws and catches. Third downs were big for us on both sides of the ball.

Can you talk about Jerome Bettis’s performance?

He was classic Jerome Bettis. [It was] a great field for him today. He is what he is. He’s a warrior. He’s such a powerful runner. I can’t say enough about him and what he means to this team.

How was the kick coverage?

The kicking game was fine. We had a couple penalties; I’d have to see them. I look at Clint Kriewaldt and Sean Morey, the two stalwarts of the kicking game. Those two stepped up. It’s a good group. We have good special teams. I know they’ve been disappointing at times but I like those guys. I wouldn’t trade them in for anything.

What happened with the delay of game penalty on your challenge?

It was on me. I didn’t see the play clock. I wanted to see one more [replay]. I was contemplating [a challenge]. While I kept looking at the screen, I let the play clock run out. That was on me.

How is Deshea Townsend?

I think all the reports right now are positive. He had a CT scan and everything’s fine. I think he’s still a little woozy. They were concerned about his neck.

Are you okay injury-wise?

I think so. Jerome had a quad but I think he’ll be okay. Andre Frazier kind of tweaked his hamstring. He came out in the first half but I don’t think it’s that bad. We’ll see where he’s at. That’s all I’m aware of right now.

Did Willie Parker’s fumble open the door for Bettis?

The game unfolded the way it was. That’s the way we want to play it. We need all those guys.

Is this your formula for winning games?

You’d love to but it doesn’t always unfold that way. I can’t say enough about Verron Haynes. Verron Haynes is our third-down back. He does a great job. He had a big, big third-down conversion, the one that he fought through on the screen. It was wet out there. We put the ball on the ground a few times and we were fortunate to get it back on a lot of them.

Is this team desperate because it seemed like they made a lot of big plays?

That’s how you have to play. You can’t change [anything], this is where we’re at right now. This is what we’re facing; this is what we’re dealing with. We have to play that way. We’re going to play that way in the next three games and see where it takes us.

 

STEELERS PLAYERS

You look a little sore.

A little sore. The safety made a good hit on me. He blitzed, and we couldn’t do anything about it. He caught me in the quad. But that’s part of the game – you take the good with the bad, and there were a lot of good plays out there. 

When did that happen?

It was in the third quarter, when we started to pound it. They started blitzing, and he found the gap and caught me right when I was cutting back into it.

Did you expect to have another 100-yard game in your career?

Absolutely not. My role is to come in and spell Willie (Parker), but this game set up for me in terms of the conditions and the field. I’ve always been known as a mudder, and the field really played into my favor in terms of being able to run the ball. The offensive line did a great job. It goes back to Wednesday – we had a really good 9-on-7 Wednesday, and a good practice on Thursday. I guess the stage was set in practice.

Why does weather like this play into your style of running?

Because I know where I’m going, and they don’t. I get a head of steam going, and they have to play off blocks, and it’s hard for those guys to stay in there and get leverage on me, so this type of weather is very beneficial to me. I’m a one-step-and-go kind of guy, so this kind of field really plays in my favor. 

Do you feel you are a desperate team at this point?

No question – we’re a desperate football team in the sense that one game, and you might be going home. That’s the way we look at it – we can’t afford to lose any games. We put ourselves in this position by losing some games early in the season, and going on a three-game losing skid. We understand the position we’ve put ourselves in. We’re a desperate football team, and we’re going to play like it for the rest of the season. Hopefully that will give us the sense of urgency that we’ve been missing.

Do you feel that urgency more, given where you are in this stage of your career?

No question. Whenever you go into a situation where it could be your last play, there’s a sense of desperation. I definitely feel it, and I try to encourage my teammates, and lead by example, and let them know that hey, we have to find a way. It doesn’t matter how we do it – all that matters is that we get it done. 

After playing in these conditions, how do you feel about places like Detroit and Minnesota, where they play in domes?

It’s an advantage for them. This is clearly an advantage for us. We’re a physical football team, so bad weather and bad fields play into our hands. The Super Bowl being in a dome benefits a fast football team. You play under your circumstances, and that’s the name of the game. Chicago had a tough time coming in here, and we’ll have a tough time going into Minnesota. 

Is football supposed to be played outside on a day like today?

No question. Football is meant to be played in these types of conditions. Those teams, they play in 72 degrees, the field is in perfect condition. In January, that’s not necessarily football. But that’s the nature of the business. Some cold-weather teams prefer to stay in the dome, and you have to respect that, but I love to play in this type of weather on this kind of a field.

Did you run out of gas after your long run?

Well, I never had much gas. My job is to get all the yards I can get and live to fight another day. I was able to make the safety miss, but I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the end zone. There’s a big difference between me and Willie Parker. He’s the home-run guy. I’m the bunt, get on base – manufacture a score guy. Sometimes you have to manufacture runs, and that’s my job. 

Keeping up with the baseball analogy, Joey Porter called you the “closer.” Why are you effective in those types of situations? 

My whole career, I’ve had the bulls-eye on my back. The majority of my career, we’ve been a run-dominated football team. Going back to my first year in the league to the last year that I was a starter, the emphasis has been on running the football. Defenses knew that we were going to run the football, and we found a way to do it. I understood how to work myself around the football field, around eight-man fronts. I would know there wasn’t going to be a hole, there was only going to be a crack, and I needed to use my leverage to get three or four yards – it wasn’t about breaking long runs. I understand the dynamics that go along with coming in in the second half and getting those tough yards, because that’s what I’ve been able to do my whole career. 

Does today’s game put a different slant on your plans for the 2006 season?

No, not at all. This is one game, and I was happy to be able to come in and do what I did for my teammates, but it doesn’t change anything. This is Willie Parker’s opportunity, and I’m backing him up. I’ll just keep doing the same things that I’m doing, and hopefully when they call my number again I’ll be ready.

That was the #1 defense in the league – how good do you think they are?

They’re a good football team. Their defense is really good – but when they can’t get after the quarterback, it puts some more pressure on them. They have a really good front four. When you run the football at them, it makes it a little harder to get around guys. You try to negate their speed with a power game. We were able to get on top early, and that enabled us to dictate how we attacked. They did some good things, but we were able to consistently pound on them, and that made a difference in the second half. 

How important is it that this team re-establish its identity?

It’s critical for us to come in and re-establish ourselves in terms of running the football. That was something we haven’t had the opportunity to do, for whatever reason – whether it was commitment or concentration, not executing -- it was good to have this type of game to prove that we can do it. It’s just a matter of getting everyone on the same page. In the last couple of games, we weren’t in situations where we could run the football. That was a problem. This week in practice, there was an emphasis on running the football. 

With the talent level of this team, are you surprised to be in desperation mode?

This is not where we saw this football team in Week 1 and Week 2. We’ve definitely underachieved and put ourselves in this position. But we have an opportunity, and it’s not over. We understand what we have ahead of us, and we’re going to play every game as if it’s the last game and see what happens. 

Did you realize that you were dragging Urlacher on your touchdown?

I knew it was him. I was able to bang off of him and use his leverage against him. I knew it was him, and I knew it was going to be a big hit. I just tried to play off of it and keep those legs churning. He didn’t let go, but I’ve made a living off of carrying people – that’s why they call me the Bus.

Where is the team, confidence-wise?

We feel better about ourselves in terms of getting back to the basics – running the football, and stopping the run. We understood coming into the game that this team had the fifth-ranked running offense, and for us, we needed to stop the run, but we also needed to run the football, and we wanted to get back to basics. We weren’t confident running the football, and we had to re-establish that. I think we did that.

 

LB Clint Kriewaldt

Re: play of special teams

“We made a step in the right direction. There’s a lot that needs to be better, but I think that’s a good step in the right direction.”

What was the biggest difference today?

“Earlier in the week, when you were asking what was going on, I didn’t know. We have the same guys out there. I didn’t know what was happening. The guys realize that we had a lot of pressure on us and today I think guys stepped it up and we went out there and got the job done.”

Is it a matter of paying more attention to detail and taking pride in it again?

“That might be most of it right there [with] guys realizing how important special teams are, and, like you said, taking pride out there and being reckless.”

Defensively, too, it seems like this team is back where it wants to be.

“Yeah. Like I said before, we took a step in the right direction, but we still have a lot of spots where we can make improvement. But we definitely took a step in the right direction today.”

DE Kimo von Oelhoffen

General comment

“To run against us in a full package – tight ends [and] running backs – is tough. And they didn’t do that.”

Do you feel this team has regained it equilibrium?

“We’re the same as we were three weeks ago. The exact same. We just are not making the mistakes.”

Did you take any motivation from playing against the team that people say is the best defense in football? You guys used to be called that.

“No. It’s just playing Steeler football, which the first thing is being smart. And we played smart football.”

LB Joey Porter

Is it too early to suggest that this team is a confident team once again?

“We never really lost our confidence. We just weren’t playing good football. When you have turnovers – you go into a game and give them the ball four times, but yet you don’t get any turnovers on defense, you are asking a whole lot of the team to win a football game like that. Today was one of those games where we kept the ball – we didn’t turn it over. When we don’t turn over the ball like that and put ourselves in situations, we can run the ball and play good football. We did that today.”

Did you feel as if you were more aggressive and energetic as a defense today?

“We felt like in this one game we wanted to come out and start out fast and not get hit with a touchdown [and] then decide that we wanted to play defense. We did that early in the game. We stopped them. Even on the long drive, we made them settle for a field goal. That was a key. We made them settle for a field goal. Even though we gave up those two big passes when they got the touchdown, that was pretty much all we gave up the whole game. When you play consistent football like that, that’s the way we play football. And I like our chances when we play like that.”

Did you say that was one of the most complete games you’ve played this year?

“That was the most complete game we played so far this year – playing consistent all across the board. The offense played well, the defense played well [and] special teams did not give up any big returns. We did pretty good on returns. It was one of those games that we finally hit on all cylinders.”

OT Trai Essex

Re: The weather’s impact on the success of the running game

“The snow does help out the offense. It would be stupid to say that it doesn’t because it does slow you down and doesn’t let you come off the ball as fast. It helped out a little bit, but we still played pretty well.”

With the way their two ends get up the field, does that simplify your approach to blocking?

“They came inside a few times. They are not just up the field rushers. Alex Brown has a really good spin move and he tries to get inside with his good move a lot. It does help that a lot of times they come up field, but you have to be ready for anything.”

OT Max Starks

How important was it to run the ball successfully and play the way you did today?

“It’s important. Every game is important at this point. Especially going out and doing it against the number one defense, kind of re-establishes our offensive dominance.”

You guys have to like seeing Jerome Bettis go over 100 yards.

“Definitely. Jerome deserves it. He’s a hard worker and when he hits the hole, he hits it hard. Those guys, I don’t think, were anticipating Jerome still being as strong. A couple of guys were like, ‘hey, he’s too old to be doing that out on the field.’ That’s one of the advantages we have is having an experienced back like Jerome.”

You probably didn’t have many games like this back at Floria.

“No, this was the first snow game of my career. So it was a little different.”

QB Ben Roethlisberger

Re: Deshea Townsend

“I want to send my prayers and thoughts out to Deshea Townsend. Hopefully everybody else does too. We don’t know if there is any prognosis yet, but any time you deal with the neck, it’s serious. So that is first and foremost.”

Were you back to Steelers football today?

“It was. It was good be out there. It felt like a playoff game with the mud and the snow and the way we were running the ball. It just felt good to get back out and make it a big game for us.”

What about the game that [Offensive Coordinator Ken] Whisenhunt called, keeping them off balance, especially with that early screen pass?

“He called a great game out there today. We came back [and] we re-established the run. I don’t know our rushing yards, but I know we had a great job. You can’t say enough about the offensive line [and] the way that they just dominated today. [With] the sloppy conditions, the way they played is just absolutely amazing. It speaks volumes for them.”

How many times did you get hit? Once?

“Once or twice, yeah. It was pretty good. They did a good job. Like I told them, if it wasn’t muddy out there, I don’t think I’d be too muddy. It was nice. They did a great job today.”

Is this the Steelers formula that we saw today?

“I think that we saw something in the Bears defense that we thought we could run the ball. Everyone knows that Steeler football is running the ball. We wanted to come out and re-establish the run game like we know we can. But you can ask anyone on this offense, we can come out and throw the ball if we need to."

You could tell that the entire team kind of pinned their ears back and wanted to get back to their identity – the style of football that you guys like to play.

“Yeah, you could tell we came out and were making this a one-game season. We came out and we played tough. We fought hard offensively, defensively [and on] special teams. Now, we have another one-game season coming up this week. And it’s going to be a tough one for us.”

Is that about as complete a game as you guys have had?

“Without looking at the numbers and watching the film, you’d like to think so. Obviously, there were a couple of here or there that were small things that you’d like to clean up. But, overall, I’d grade the offense with an ‘A.’”

How was it thowing the football in today’s conditions?

“It was interesting. Every time I took a snap, I was getting a face full of mud and the ball was muddy and wet. Charlie [Batch], Tommy [Maddox] and I were talking, Kyle [Orton] must have gotten a dry ball every time. He was throwing good spirals. It made it tough. I told Coach Cowher, ‘Listen, give the running backs a little bit of slack. It’s wet out there and it’s muddy and it’s hard for them to hold on to the ball.’ It made it a little tough to throw the ball, but you manage. And the receivers did a great job of getting a handle on the ball.”

How does the thumb feel?

“The thumb feels good. I didn’t get hit on it today. So that’s always a plus. Hopefully, we can get another week of rehab on it.”

Is it fun to see Jerome [Bettis] run the way he did today?

“It was great to get Jerome back out there. I know at one point we joked with him because he had 100 yards, but he lost two at the end. We told him he only had 98 yards just to tease him. But it’s great to get him out there rumbling. He did such a wonderful job today. I think you have to give all the credit to the offensive line.”

Coach Cowher talked about confidence last night. What did he say? Obviously, it sunk in.

“Obviously it sunk in a little bit with the way we went out and played. He said to have confidence in yourself. We used to play with a swagger. And we have to get that back. We’ve lost that recently. I think today we kind of came out with that swagger [that] we can come out and we can play this football team. Give a lot of credit to the Bears. They’re a great team. They came out and played us tough all the way to the end. It wasn’t easy for us.”

So you have the swagger back?

“I think we do. I think we have a little bit of our swagger back. We don’t quite have our swagger [that] we had at the end of last year, but we’re getting it back and we felt that it kicked in relatively early. That first drive, to hold them, and then we go down and score. That really gets your confidence going and makes you feel good as a team.”

What about the screen pass? Is that something you knew you could spring on them quick?

“We hoped so. We knew they liked to blitz on second down and we wanted to take advantage of them blitzing hard. I got it to Willie [Parker] and Willie took it down the field and made a great play. And then, we threw a screen to Hines [Ward] and he took it on the edge and gave 110 percent like he always does and got in the end zone.”

When the field is as bad as it is, do you feel like the offense does have an advantage?

“Well, yeah. If you ask the offensive line, they said that they felt like they had the advantage out there today. They are big guys, they’re powerful and strong. They controlled where they are moving guys. It’s one of those days where the field wasn’t great, but the offensive line did a great job opening holes for running backs. And the running backs did a good job of getting those extra yards when they needed to.”

LB James Farrior

Cincinnati won today, which all but officially ends division championship hopes for you. Does that mean anything to you?

“No. We can’t control that. We can’t control anything but what we do. We’re going to focus on each game that we have in front of us and let it play out and see what happens.”

With a young quarterback, how much did you have in there to try to confuse him?

“We didn’t get the sacks that we wanted, but we did get good pressure. That was a key going into it. We wanted to try to stop the running game. We knew they were going to try to run the ball. Our offense gave us a good lead early on. It made them one-dimensional. I think we handled it pretty well. We didn’t get the sacks that we wanted, but a lot of guys got a lot of pressure.”