Cowher using perceived NFL slight to movivate team
PITTSBURGH – Beaten up during an exhausting comeback victory against Cleveland, the Pittsburgh Steelers will limp into Saturday’s divisional playoff game at Tennessee off a short week of practice. Predictably, that’s causing some short tempers – especially that of coach Bill Cowher, who usually doesn’t need an excuse to get worked up.
Unhappy the Jets are getting eight days off before Sunday’s game at Oakland, as opposed to his team’s six-day break, Cowher is using the NFL’s perceived slight as motivation.
“For us to be handed a six-day rest and another to be handed an eight-day rest, I don’t know where the justification comes in that, but so be it,” Cowher said Tuesday. “That’s the hand that’s been dealt us, and we’re going to play it out.”
Apparently, it won’t be hard for Cowher to get his message across to a team convinced it was assigned the less-attractive time slot because the NFL doesn’t expect its game to be as competitive as the Jets-Raiders game.
Cowher worries that scheduling puts his team at a competitive disadvantage. That’s apparently why he was testy and terse as he began his weekly news conference, although he lightened up as it went along.
He obviously feels the Steelers, who have won six of seven since losing to Tennessee 31-23 on Nov. 17, aren’t getting much respect from the league.
“We’re not going to apologize for winning and we’re not going to apologize for where we are,” he said. “Where it leaves us on Sunday – excuse me, Saturday – we’ll find out.”
The Titans enjoyed a first-round bye and will be coming off a two-week break. The Steelers had the same break last year, and wide receiver Hines Ward said it made them fresh and relaxed for their 27-10 divisional win over Baltimore.
Without the benefit of a bye this season, the Steelers fell behind Cleveland by 17 points and were forced to rally for a 36-33 victory Sunday. The Jets easily handled Indianapolis 41-0 Saturday.
“The Jets get another day of extra rest, whereas we’ve got a shorter week,” Ward said. “But nobody said it was going to be easy.”
Cowher was asked if the league might secretly want a New York team in the Super Bowl to boost TV ratings. The New York Giants also would have played Sunday if they held onto their 24-point lead Sunday in San Francisco.
“I don’t know what they want,” Cowher said, slowly sounding out the words. “I just know what we want. This is the path we’ve been presented and, right now, we’ve got to concern ourselves with this football game.
“We don’t have any time to sit back and get caught up in what we’ve done or to dwell in self-pity.”
Especially when they’re dealing with so many injuries, including those to cornerback Chad Scott (broken thumb), linebacker Kendrell Bell (sprained ankle) and safety Mike Logan (knee). Bell and Scott are questionable, but Logan needed major knee surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
Cowher is hopeful Scott will be ready Saturday.
“We were hopeful of having him last week and he wasn’t there and we’re hopeful of having him this week,” Cowher said. “If he can be there, great. If not, we’re moving on.”
Bell is wearing a portable cast on the ankle he has now injured four times this season. He needed a painkilling shot to play Sunday, and he would probably need another such shot to play Saturday.
Bell’s strong play against the run – he made eight tackles – was a key to Pittsburgh limiting Browns rookie William Green to 30 yards on 25 carries.
To replace Scott, the Steelers activated safety Erik Totten off their practice squad and signed Willie Ford to the practice squad. Ford was on Tennessee’s practice squad earlier this season.