STEELERS HEAD COACH BILL COWHER
SEPTEMBER 13, 2005

Coach Bill Cowher:  Let me give you health status for this week against Houston. We have one player that’s doubtful. That’s Jerome [Bettis] with his calf. He’s getting better. But he’s on the downside of playing this week. He’ll practice tomorrow and we’ll see where we’re at. Duce [Staley] is questionable with his knee. He will work tomorrow and we’ll try to keep you updated with his status as the week goes on. Eight players are probable: Ben [Roethlisberger] with a left knee. It’s a bone bruise. Marvel [Smith] with a knee, he’s got a sprain. Max [Starks] with an ankle. Clark [Haggans] with a groin. Alan Faneca with a quad. Joey Porter with a knee. Hines [Ward] with a back and Willie [Williams] with a groin. Again, all those players are probable. Some will work tomorrow and some will be somewhat limited. As we prepare this week to go to Houston, the thing we have to understand is that Houston’s coming off a tough loss. They came into the season with much higher expectations than at any point since they’ve had that franchise down in Houston. They haven’t played at home in three weeks. Their last two preseason games were on the road, they opened up on the road. This is their home opener. There will be a lot of excitement. It’s going to be a big challenge for our football team to match that energy. The noise will definitely be a factor; the heat will be a factor. There are a lot things that we’re walking into that we have to be aware. It’s going to be a big challenge to our football team. Their defense is a lot like ours, from the standpoint of scheme-wise. Coach Dom Capers instilled the 3-4 defense. They have good players down there that run it. They played very well last week. I think the biggest that happened to them last week, where the turnovers that Houston had at Buffalo. They kept holding them to field goals. That’s a testament to their defense and I think offensively they have a lot of weapons. Dominic Davis is a quality running back. Andre Johnson is a Pro Bowl receiver. David Carr is very, very mobile. A little bit like the guy we played last week (Steve McNair). They have definitely done a good job of upgrading their offensive line. This is no where close to the team we played two years ago. They’re a much better football team. They’re a team that has gotten a little bit better every year. They’ve got some pretty high expectations and it’s their home opener, so I think we’re looking at a pretty good challenge for our team this week.

 

Why was Houston’s offense ineffective vs. Buffalo?

 

Buffalo’s a pretty good defense and [Houston’s] playing on the road. The ball didn’t bounce right a couple of times and Buffalo created a lot of that. They can make you look that way. They’ve done that to a lot of team’s, not just Houston.

 

Did somebody twist Marvel Smith’s knee in the pile?

 

I’m not sure. I know he came off after the quarterback-center exchange issue we had. I’m not aware of that.

 

Is it difficult to evaluate David Carr because of the offensive line problems that they’ve had?

 

It’s hard for me to assess it. I’m not with the guy on a daily basis and have not evaluated him on a weekly basis. I do know that they’ve done a good job every year of surrounding him with weapons and creating some stability on the offensive line. But looking at him, as I’ve studies him in the last couple of days, he is an outstanding athlete and he’s got a strong arm. He’s got Andre Johnson. We had an opportunity to coach him in the Pro Bowl. That’s a special player. It’s a team that has high expectations and I can understand why. They’ve got a lot of good football players on that team.

 

Have you made a roster move?

 

Not yet. We’ll make one sometime this afternoon though.

 

How did Ike Taylor play and will he start vs. Houston?

 

I have not made that determination at this point. He played very well. He did a lot of good things; he tackled very well. He was in the position of where he was supposed to be in position. I thought he had a very solid game.

 

Does Willie Parker have the mind-set to run inside?

 

I don’t know if he’s out to prove anything. But Willie’s a good football player. I think we have a lot of good players on this team. We’ve talked about it before; we’re going to need everybody. When you get an opportunity to play, just be prepared to take that opportunity and go with it. The one thing you ask all these players to do is take a very unselfish approach. It was Willie last week, it could be some else this week. Who knows? That’s the thing; we just can’t get caught up in relying on one guy to do it. You take it upon yourself, when you have an opportunity to play within this system, to play together and play with a degree of trust. However a game unfolds, you have to be able to capture the opportunity when it presents itself during the course of the game. You have to have the right mind-set to do that. Willie is a very unselfish player; he’s a very good football player. He gives us an element as a running back that some of the other guys don’t have. He’s got outstanding speed. He showed the other day, for the first time, that he can carry the ball many times. We did see him a little bit last year against Buffalo, which is why there’s probably not as much apprehension on my part. A lot of people talk about that game, though it was not meaningful to us, it was very meaningful to Buffalo. He’s a better runner today than he was last year. He still showed some pretty good skills last year as well.

 

Does he do the other things required of a running back well?

 

Yeah. He knows where he needs to be. He can catch the ball. He’s a good blocker. He’s been prepared to be a third-down back for us. He understands those things. I think we have a lot of good backs. We’re very fortunate to have the depth that we have. Verron [Haynes] did an outstanding job the other day as well and we still have Duce and Jerome. Hopefully we can get those two guys back. All those guys are a very close group of guys. They’re very unselfish. All those guys are interested in doing is winning football games. We have to do a good job of keeping them all involved. Certainly, the other day was a special outing by Willie.

 

Can Duce be a third-down back?

 

We’ll see. There’s always that possibility, yes.

 

Did Parker’s inside running surprise you?

 

He did. I just like the patience with which he’s running and understanding the situations. On third down and one, he was able to keep the feet going and get the one yard. He was very patient. He played calm. I know he exuded some emotion at times, which was fine. I just like the way he was able to come back, even after a long run. I didn’t feel I needed to take him out. I think he was very relaxed out there and he played well.

 

Can you evaluate Heath Miller?

 

His blocking has been excellent. Jerame [Tuman] has had an outstanding camp and a very good first game. With those two guys, it gives us two guys who are not only blocking well at the line of scrimmage but they can stretch the field as well. He just picked up a lot. It is impressive to see how quickly [Heath] has picked things up, not made mistakes and still performed at a high level in doing the things we’re asking him to do. Him and Jerame, both played very, very good games the other day.

 

Are the tight ends becoming weapons in the passing game?

 

We had two catches the other day. We only had nine catches total. Those guys are good; we’ll need those guys. We’ve got some unselfish guys on this team and I’m proud of that more than anything else. We’re going to need the passing game to be something that’s going to carry us at times. The inconsistencies will probably be there in the running game. People will try to take that away and we’ve got to be able to throw the football. We’re going to need those guys. We’re going to keep working at it and those two guys have been an integral part of both the passing game and the running game.

 

Have you thrown a lot out of the two tight-end set?

 

I don’t know what constitutes a lot but we’ve thrown it enough. I guess that would be the best way to answer that. We’ve thrown enough to keep people honest.

 

Can you pinpoint why the passing game clicked on Sunday?

 

We only threw it 11 times. It’s not like we’ve suddenly arrive, 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. The first month of the season you are creating an identity. It’s not what you do in one game; it’s not what you’ve done in two games. That first month, you become who you are and find out about people. You have to start doing things week-in and week-out. You have play at a consistent level. I’m not ready to make any final judgments of past judgment on any element of this football team until we’re able to see an ability to do something week-in and week-out. The one thing I liked is the fact that we had three penalties, all post-snap penalties. We overcame them all. We had zero turnovers and four takeaways. I like that. That’s not beating yourself. You play physical, you play hard and you don’t beat yourself, a lot of times you’re going to come out on the positive side of a football game. I still think that we have a ways to go from an execution standpoint and I say a ways to go because we still have to show an ability to do it week-in and week-out. We played one game and I’m not ready to pass judgment on any element of our football team; offense, defense or special teams based on one game.

 

How many games will it take?

 

I said a month.

 

Was the last meeting with Houston a bizarre game?

 

Bizarre is a good word. I remember the game and this morning I happen to look at the stats of the game. We lost, what was the final score? 20-7? They had 47 yards and we had over 400 yards of offense. It was a really bizarre game. That was a weird year.

 

Did that game cost you home field advantage?

 

We’re talking about this year and now we’re going back to 2003. I don’t know if it cost us. Did it?

 

Yes.

 

Thanks for the memories Gerry [Dulac].

 

After looking at the tape, how do you feel about the defense?

 

We gave up, in the first half, 180 yards. They had a 53-yard pass and 37-yard run. That first series we weren’t real sharp. They had a couple of runs against us but we settled down. They moved the ball. We had two big turnovers in the red zone. That was big. I don’t want to take anything away from that but the players understand that we weren’t in the right places throughout the course of the game at times. We did a lot of good things, don’t get me wrong. We played hard. We came off the ball and the tackling was a little bit inconsistent, but there were some good tackles at times. We did a good job of disguising coverages. We did some things well and taking the ball away four times is a big part of it and holding a team to seven points is a big part of it as well. We certainly can play better and we need to play better from an overall standpoint.

 

How important was the win in building confidence in players?

 

Anytime you win it breeds a degree of confidence in what you’re trying to do. The fact that we didn’t play the crispest game and still found a way to win allows us to look at it objectively and not lose sight of the fundamentals and doing the little that it takes to win football games. I’m referring to the fact of not beating yourself, not turning the football over, playing good situational football, stopping them in the red zone and scoring in the red zone. Those are the types of things that the game comes down to. Now in the process of the execution part of it, I think that’s going to get better. From a first game standpoint it was pretty good overall. But certainly there are some areas that we could do better executing-wise. But you still have to go back to playing the game with a focus and approach that allows you to be disciplined yet physical, decisive yet smart. It’s a fine line that you’re walking trying to do those types of things. That’s a line that this football team has learned to walk pretty well.

 

Will you spread the ball around to different receivers or will that just evolve?

 

I don’t know how it’s going to evolve. I wish I had a crystal ball and tell you that. I don’t. We have to continue to take strides each week. How the game’s going to unfold? I don’t know. I’m sure at some point, just like a year ago, we’re going to have to come from behind, we’re going to need everyone of those receivers, offensive linemen and backs at some point in this season. We need to keep finding ways to win football games. I’m sure it will be different each week.

 

Will you dress an extra offensive lineman this week?

 

I could. I guess I could.

 

Don’t you usually dress eight offensive linemen?

 

Never. I think one game I had three backups dressed. Usually it’s two. Usually we carry seven offensive linemen going in. It’s going to be Chukky [Okobi] and Barrett [Brooks]. One of the reasons is special teams. Am I going to keep an eighth offensive lineman who’s not going to get in on the kicking game or keep a seventh linebacker, Andre Frazier, who helped us in the kicking game. The kicking game has a lot to do with the makeup of who you’re keeping on that day. If I keep eight it may be because of a health issue. They you have to pay the piper and limit yourself in some of the packages you can use. The heat, that was a concern the other day with Joey. Then I had Clark Haggans with a groin and James [Harrison] with a hamstring. I didn’t like the thought of that with 85 degree weather. That’s why I had to get Andre up on Saturday.

 

If Marvel needs relief, does Max Starks move to LT and Brooks go in at RT?

 

No, Barrett’s a pretty versatile guy. He can play guard as well. That’s the one thing that’s nice about having him here. Versatility can play a big part in the game day roster. The guys you’re keeping up, might not be a guy that replace someone for two or three weeks, but they need to be a guy you can put in there to finish a game and they may have to know more than one position.

 

Did Frazier make the team or make it tougher?

 

He played well.

 

Can you evaluate the right side of the offensive line?

 

I thought Kendall [Simmons] and Max [Starks] both played well. We missed some things at times but they played well. Starks is a good player, granted he was going against [Albert] Haynesworth all day. I thought Jeff [Hartings] played a good game. The offensive line was pretty solid. We ran the ball for 200 yards and Willie made some guys miss but they did a good job up front.

 

With Willie playing well, will you take a more conservative approach with Jerome?

 

I don’t know if it’s just because of Willie. We have to make sure that, with any player, we don’t put them out there until they are ready. We’re fortunate right now that we have Willie, Verron and Noah Herron healthy. You don’t want to push a guy at this point, both with Duce and Jerome. They have to feel comfortable running. They have to be out there practicing and I have to see them work; I have to see them jump cut; I have to see them accelerate. They have to feel comfortable and I have to feel comfortable before I put them out there. It’s the same thing I told Joey last week, he can’t be out there avoiding contact when he hasn’t practiced in a month. I have to see him take on a tight end, put his head into a pile and not think about the knee. Those guys understand that. It’s more for their sake but I don’t think it’s fair to the football team to put a guy out there whose not ready to play. But our guys understand that. We’ll do the right thing.

 

 

Any concerns with the kicking coverage?

 

No, the kicks weren’t as deep as you’d like them but they had pretty good hang time. They did a good job. They got a couple across the 30. They caught the ball at the 10 or 11 a couple times, that’s still not bad coverage, just 20 yards a return. I thought our coverage team for the most part did a good job. I thought special teams was solid, not spectacular.

 

Is there any advantage to you and the Texans using a 3-4?

 

You’re not going surprise anyone. It’s not going to be a case of not being prepared. Now it’s going to come down to execution more than anything else. Both teams will have a good week of work and not have to worry about adjustments or protections or anything new from the players. We both worked against it in training camp. I think from that perspective it’s not going to be that much of an issue.

 

Does it help because more teams are using the 3-4 defense?

 

I guess it helps the teams that we are playing.  For us, we always felt that there was a little bit of an advantage because teams had one week to prepare for it.  I think the last couple years that there is more teams going to it there’s not much more of an advantage from that perspective. 

 

Do more teams use it because you’re successful with it?

 

I don’t think so.  Maybe more coordinators feel comfortable doing it.  Sometimes you are starting to find a 245-pound defensive end and making a linebacker like the kid in Dallas this year coming out.  It’s hard to say.

 

How important is it to have a good nose tackle?

 

It’s critical and Seth Payne is a good guy that they have down there.  I think one thing about the 3-4 is that people always talk about linebackers.  Linebackers are all important because they are the guys that are making the plays.  If you don’t have three good down lineman you’ll find that your linebackers will not be as productive.  Our down guys are very important and I think that people are recognizing that.  Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton and Kimo Von Oelhoffen we are able to roll guys through  Chris Hoak, Travis Kirshke.  We got those six lineman we rotate those guys through.  Not just through the coarse of a game, but hopefully it will help you now as your going through a season that there not going to wear down.  I think a 3-4 defense, people talk about the linebackers and they are important, don’t get me wrong.  Those three down, lineman they are critical.

 

Did Dom (Capers) come from a 3-4?

 

They ran a little bit.

 

You converted him quickly?

 

We had a nice mix of coaches in there talking about that.  Coach LeBeau, myself, Dom and Marvin. 

 

All 3-4 guys now?

 

Yes, I think they are.  Marvin has gone back to the 4-3.

 

What do you think Coach Haslett is going through in that situation and have you spoken to him yet with what he is dealing with?

 

I have not.  Just a little bit that I have seen, I think Jim has handled it.  I think of all of the games I saw Sunday, I don’t know how you can’t pull for the New Orleans Saints.  It just seems for what they have gone through and what they represent, I’m glad we are not playing them.  I’m their biggest fan every Sunday they go out there and play.  I’m pulling for them for the people in New Orleans and everything they are going through.  If there are three or four hours that people can maybe get out of the fact of the reality that is existing for them right now.  The uncertainty, the unknown and the sense of pride they can bring to them for that short period of time.  Jim is a resilient guy and I think it will bring out the best of him in times like this.  Obviously they are off to a pretty good start.

 

How does their site affect their program?

 

What you’re going through fails in comparison to what the people are going through.  You have to put it all in proper perspective.  I think there is a little bit of closeness and responsibility they feel when they go out there, they are representing more than just themselves.  It can be a very inspiring situation and I’m sure they are using it as such.

 

Do no turnovers reflect focus?

 

It’s a start and I’ve talked about it before.  That is the thing you have to do, every time you get an opportunity to go out there and play, you are expressing yourself as a football team and a player.  In a quest for our identity.  Part of who you become is how you perform.  I go back and say how you perform is how you prepare and that goes back to the practice field and the media rooms.  You take nothing for granted and respect every person you’re playing week in and week out and everything else will take care of itself.  It’s a big challenge this week and just don’t get caught up in looking at the results.  This is a good football team we are playing and came off a tough game.  I now how we would be, if you back any team into a corner, which I think this football teams going to feel like they have been, backed into a little bit of a corner, we are going to get their best shot there is no question about it.  Don’t under estimate this team they have a lot of good football players on it. 

 

Do you worry about looking ahead to New England?

 

No, 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.  Like I said before, with all the things we are going through going down there, there home opener coming off a disappointing lose that they came off of.  Dealing with the weather, the surroundings, a lot of evacuees are going to be there.   There will be a lot of emotion in that stadium on Sunday afternoon.  Our focus is purely on that and getting ourselves prepared to deal with that.  I’m not worrying about anything more than Sunday afternoon at one o’clock.  Preparing and hopefully challenge this football team. 

 

Is there and advantage of an open roof or not?

 

I would like to have it closed with the air conditioner on.  Somehow I don’t think they will do that.  We will have our black jersey’s on, but we had them on last week in ninety degree weather.  We will be alright.