*PittsburghSteelers Conference Call *
* *
HEAD COACH BILL COWHER (on how the first game will impact this game, if it all) 1/11/05
"Just from the standpoint of us playing there and experiencing that and then obviously just the familiarity that you have with how fast their football team is and with the tempo at which they play."
HEAD COACH BILL COWHER (on how the Colts offense can hurt you both with the run and the pass) 1/11/05
"There is just no weakness. I think they do a great job. They have tremendous skill people, certainly with Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne on the outside. Whether it's (Brandon) Stokley or Dallas Clark in the slot, those guys are just great receivers. The quarterback (Peyton Manning) is accurate, he can read defenses. And then Edgerrin James just gives them the other element of it. He can beat you by himself. They are just so balanced, I think, in the things that they do. A lot of offenses, if you take out one element of it, you feel like they can't beat you with the other side, but I think this is definitely a football team that has tremendous balance on offense."
HEAD COACH BILL COWHER (on if the previous game at Indianapolis was the most success a football team had running it on them this season) 1/11/05
"I haven't really sat down and compared it to other teams. They do it a little bit differently. It's one of those things that you can take away the run if you want, but in the course of doing so, then Peyton's going to be throwing for 300 or 400 yards. Again, I think you have to mix it up and keep them off balance, and I think it's going to be very important that we are successful on third down."
HEAD COACH BILL COWHER (on how the last game will change what they do this time) 1/11/05
"I don't know if it changes anything. I think it's just from a standpoint of having been through it, having experienced it. I think the best thing we can do, in regards to noise, is play well. Certainly, that does answer anything when you're on the road, is to try to get off to a fast start and try to make plays and play smart and not give up big plays that can get the crowd into it."
HEAD COACH BILL COWHER (on the parallels between safeties Troy Polomalu and Bob Sanders) 1/11/05
"I think they are very explosive players. Bob Sanders, I think is, in my opinion, the best tackling safety in football. I think he's a tremendous impact player on the field, and I think both of those guys have a presence on the field that is unmatched by anybody else in the secondary."
