Nov 1, 2004 By Commentary Mike Ciarochi 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – The sign held by a Steelers fan at Heinz Field Sunday didn’t mince any words. It was blunt and timely, as the nation prepares for election day. But the message was all wrong. “Cowher for President”

No way.

The Steelers coach couldn’t afford the cut in pay, not with a wife and three daughters.

No, really, Cowher’s hands are full enough coaching what may be the best team in the AFC if not the NFL. His mission is to keep it that way and to keep it in perspective along the way.

He did his job well Sunday, as the Steelers handed the New England region its first loss since Yankees 19, Red Sox 8, and the Patriots their first loss since Sept. 28, 2003, a 20-17 setback at Washington.

The win improved Pittsburgh’s record to 6-1, same as the defending Super Bowl champs. Next up are the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, again at Heinz Field, where another win might just be too much to handle.

Without a doubt, this is a key juncture for the Steelers, of whom not much was expected after they finished 6-10 last season. Even after a 5-1 start, the players kept hearing a familiar old refrain, since they had compiled their wins against teams with losing records. The only team Pittsburgh had played with a winning record was Baltimore and the Ravens walked all over the Steelers in a 30-13 blowout.

“They say we didn’t play nobody, but we can’t control who we play,” Hines Ward said. “We didn’t need to prove anything to ourselves, but I think today we proved that we can play with anybody.”

Linebacker Joey Porter also saw some significance to this win, but only because of outsiders’ perceptions of the Steelers.

“They are saying we haven’t played anybody,” Porter said. “We have a rookie quarterback who’s been playing tremendous. As much as we’ve been winning, they are still finding a way to shoot us down. We lost Casey Hampton last week, so they said we can’t hold up because we lost our big man.

“This win is big, it’s momentum, a booster for us.”

Ward was asked about the last time these teams met here at Heinz Field, when New England came in a 10-point underdog and walked out AFC champions with a 24-17 upset win.

“That was when it counted, in 2001,” Ward said.

And about the 2002 season opener in New England, when the Patriots spread out Pittsburgh’s defense and won going away in a Monday night season opener.

“We have balance now,” Ward said. “It’s hard to defend against us.”

The Patriots won the big prize in 2001 and forced the Steelers to reshape their defense in 2002, but the Steelers got a good read for themselves against New England Sunday afternoon.

“We got a little revenge,” Ward said. “But just a little bit. We use games like this as a measure of where we are. They are a good team. They won 21 straight.”

And by keeping that streak from reaching 22, the Steelers should feel pretty good about themselves, right? They should be flying high right about now, should they. It was, after all, an accomplishment, wasn’t it?

“Nothing was accomplished today outside of the next challenge,” said Cowher, doing one of the things he does best. “Let’s not get caught up in all of the things that people will try to do right now. We have not accomplished anything. We have just created a great opportunity for ourselves.”

Maintaining an even keel is perhaps Cowher’s best asset. Never get too high with the highs or too low with the lows.

“I’m proud of these guys,” Cowher said. “But let’s make sure that we keep one thing in mind. We still have over half a season to play. This game was one game that was certainly a big AFC game. It’s a plus for us, but we have to continue to get better. There is so much more football left to be played.”

Cowher isn’t worried about his team getting overconfident. He just wanted to remind the players of all the hard work that went into getting to 6-1, but he said he’s pretty sure they already realize that.

“We’re pretty well grounded,” he said. “It’s a close team. It’s a confident team. How good we are remains to be seen. We haven’ done anything yet. We haven’t done a thing.

“We’ll be fine. We have created an opportunity for ourselves, but if we don’t seize it, it means nothing. We are not going to squander what we have created for ourselves today. We will be ready to go Wednesday. Trust me.”

He’s already gotten the team off to its best start since 1978. Guess trust isn’t too much to ask.

Sports editor Mike Ciarochi may be reached at mciarochi@heraldstandard.com