Cotchery makes news in The Big Apple
PITTSBURGH — Quiet and respectful Jerricho Cotchery made news in The Big Apple on Wednesday that rippled back through Pittsburgh on Thursday.
In a conference call with New York reporters, the Steelers’ veteran wide receiver explained the reason he did not sign back with the Jets this past spring was because of “a great atmosphere here. Once you’re a part of this atmosphere, it’s hard to go somewhere else.”
Cotchery, of course, left the Jets for the Steelers as a free-agent before the 2011 season. After his one-year contract expired, Cotchery chose the Steelers’ offer over the Jets’ offer last April 11.
But what roused the New York reporters more was Cotchery’s contention that his former teammates in New York lacked a “sense of urgency” in the 2010 AFC Championship Game loss at Heinz Field.
“I thought we would have come out with more emotion and played with a little more sense of urgency in that game,” Cotchery said. “Pittsburgh came out with more energy and more passion than what that team did back in the AFC Championship.”
Thursday, Cotchery provided more detail.
“Well, it looked like guys weren’t leaving it all out there,” he said. “I don’t know if guys were mentally drained from beating the Colts and then beating the Patriots. I don’t know if the guys had anything left emotionally, because they were both emotional games. The emotions probably just weren’t there in the first half against the Steelers.”
The Steelers took a 24-3 halftime lead against the Jets and held on for a 24-19 win.
The Jets came into that game off a 28-21 road upset of the New England Patriots.
Six weeks earlier, the Patriots had drubbed the Jets 45-3 on a Monday night.
“The emotions ran pretty deep because the Patriots, they talk slyly,” Cotchery said. “They’re not perceived as a big trash-talking team, but they do it in different ways. We were aware of that. They blew us out on that Monday night. They scored like 40 points and you had guys looking at the sideline. There was a lot going on. There was a lot going on between the two teams. So after that playoff game it was like “Yeah!” Like, “Yeah!” All of the emotions just poured out. Bart Scott was the — (laughs) — he was the spokesman for our emotions that day. Then, just coming here in that first half, those emotions weren’t there. The second half, those emotions started to pick up, but it was too late.”
Cotchery said the Jets clearly were emotional in their 48-28 win over the Buffalo Bills last Sunday.
Does Cotchery expect the Steelers to have that “sense of urgency” playing the Jets off of the loss in Denver?
“Yeah,” he said. “But I think the environment is already built with a sense of urgency. Every week is like that. Sometimes you don’t get things accomplished on the field, like last week. We didn’t come out with the victory but the sense of urgency was there. Guys were working and you could tell guys were ready for the game. We just didn’t get it done. Same approach this week.”
Cotchery, the No. 4 receiver with the Steelers, didn’t catch a pass in the opener, but he said he’s not worried about the stats sheet or personal satisfaction against the Jets.
“On Sunday I don’t know how I’ll react or respond emotionally to being on the other side of them because I haven’t lined up against them yet,” he said. “But right now I don’t feel anything. That may be different on Sunday.”
NOTES: OLB James Harrison (knee), SS Troy Polamalu (calf), LT Max Starks (illness) and ILB Stevenson Sylvester (knee) all missed Thursday’s practice, but Polamalu and Starks are expected to play Sunday and Harrison told another reporter he will also play Sunday.