(to "fisk", in weblogese, means to take apart the content of a piece that someone has written or said in order to cobble together the truth, to sort of use a bullsh*t detector)
Opening statement:
Obviously, with the game being less than 15 hours over, the only information that I really have in regards to injuries, number one is Marvel Smith will practice on Wednesday. He will not be in pads, but he took some hitting last week. If all goes well, hopefully we will be able to upgrade him as the week goes on. We will see, but he will practice Wednesday. Jay Riemersma will be doubtful with the bruise to his sternum. He had the MRI. There is nothing that showed up there. But he is awfully sore. At this point less than 15 hours, I would probably list him as doubtful. Everyone else should be able to go hopefully by the end of the week.
Obviously, Bill doesn't want to hear an BS from stupid reporters about Marvel and what really is wrong with him and why he won't be playing *this* week.
In regards to last night's game, it is obviously very disappointing. I think the bottom line is that we had a spurt there in the third quarter. We got back to a 10-7 game when the Kevan Barlow run followed by Antwaan Randle El's fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and with then the following pass, they scored 14 very quick points. At that point, that made it very hard for us to come back. But the bottom line is that we are sitting here again two games out of first place, with six AFC games left to be played. We have left ourselves no margin of error. That is kind of the state of where we are.
Obviously, Bill doesn't really care if it's disappointing as long as the team he coached did something halfway right. I love how he singled out the PR man here. Nice. Yep, the whole game hinged on that one screw up. way to keep the team cohesive and not angry and demoralized. I think the proper response, since El is a hell of a player and does contribute, is to say "our" fumble or another word that connotes "team". It's hard to read spoken word sometimes, and Bill is a slouch on sentence structure, so his statements need to be read a couple of times before they make sense. "We have left ourselves no margin of error." Huh? Is thhs the same guy who said the Denver game asn't a must win? It is, isn't it? Well, didn't every game last year leave Bill and his team with no margin of error? And six AFC games left to be played? The Raisins D is ferocious and is Ollie Ross gonna stop that pass rush? Someone on the boards mentioned he's burnt out and I do think he really is. Wow.
Q: If Marvel can play this week, will he immediately move back to left tackle and everything reverts back to the way it was?
COWHER: At this time, I think that is the direction we would be heading.
The direction Maddox would be heading is to Mayview hospital to sort out his mental health after dealing with this insanity. Oh brother. To Bill, the Steelers would be heading more places than Robin Leach on the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous�one tackle heading to Aruba and the other tackle heading to the palatial surroundings of Adnan Kashoggi. Iron City wishes and Primanti dreams!
Q: Are you becoming too predictable with trick plays?
COWHER: No.
How can I begin to wipe the tears from my eyes after laughing so hard??? I spoke to The Amazing Kreskin before the game and he said that trick plays are too predictable. Curt Gowdy, famous for making a call and then having the exact opposite thing happen, said that trick plays will work. I spoke to my watch before the game and it said that Bill Cower said the next second wasn't too predictable. Maybe Bill means that when El or Ward lines up at QB, it isn't gonna be a trick play, it's gonna be another friggin draw play or a run up the gut. I swear, he's more obtuse than a caveman. There's another quarterback on the field, and it's not a trick play??? You;ve been doing this for YEARS!
Q: There were some plays last night where you had third and about the length of a football, and you took a bad penalty and then it was third-and-six. Was it just a matter of not making plays, or bad penalties, or a combination of both?
COWHER: That was a bad penalty.
Q: Were your problems just a combination of all of that?
COWHER: I guess
Sure it was, no problem, dood. What does a reporter know anyway. I can see him saying this in the most sarcastic tone. The mantra for this year should be "THIRD AND NINETEEN!!! DRAW!!!" I love this next one...<BR>
Q: On the long pass to Terrell Owens, did the safety read the wrong thing?
COWHER: No.
Q: So, that was designed for Chad Scott to have man-on-man on that play?
COWHER: Yes.
Q: On the long pass to Terrell Owens, did the safety read the wrong thing?
COWHER: No.
Q: What was the safety's read on that?
COWHER: The tight end.
Q: Single coverage on the tight end?
COWHER: It is a zone coverage, man outside.
Q: Was Chad Scott expecting any help?
COWHER: No.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
ABC showed this play from Lisa Guererro's hat and from what I could see, BOTH safeties converged on the slant route run by the TE. No deep coverage whatsoever, no deep assist from a safety for CBs that can IN NO WAY cover an elite WR without kicking their ass at the LoS, it looked like a Benny Hill skit, you know, with that little bald guy and everyone running around. THE COVERAGE WAS SKEWED TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF OWENS. But of course, it's not coaching, it's the PLAYERS, they are at fault.
Q: Cleveland comes in this week after a big win against Arizona. What are they doing differently not that they were not when you faced them the first time?
COWHER: To be honest with you, I have not had a chance to look at it. I think they played well last week. I have not had a chance to look at the game. I think they still have a potent offense. Look at Quincy Morgan and Andre Davis, they are the starting receivers and Kelly Holcomb can put up some big numbers in this game. They are playing well on defense. They are obviously coming off of a very strong performance. Once again, having not seen it, it is hard to comment on it, but the score would indicate that was a very, very strong performance.
You can sense Bill senses a brutal ass whipping coming up this week. They had a very, very strong performance against the Steelers with Holomb at the helm and you think he's not looking for revenge??? ANd notice the sly Marty Sr. butt-kiss here. <P><I>Q: The long run by Kevan Barlow had some similarities to Deuce McAllister last year. Were there similar breakdowns that maybe lent itself to that again last night?
Q: The long run by Kevan Barlow had some similarities to Deuce McAllister last year. Were there similar breakdowns that maybe lent itself to that again last night?
COWHER: No, we just had some breakdowns. There were no similarities between that and McAllister. With long runs, there are missed tackles and there are poor angles. This one had both of those.
Yep, it had both and we know one guy who SPECIALIZES in both poor angles and missed tackles. He has more poor angles than a broken protractor. But he had a MONSTER game against the Cards.
Q: The cutback from the left, it looked similar in that sense?
COWHER: It was a designed play. They ran it many times in the game before and after.
(shakes his head)
Q: Before that play, did you sense on the sideline that you had recaptured the momentum after you scored? Did you have a good sense on the sideline at that point?
COWHER: Yes, I think we had a sense even in the locker room (at half time). When you look at the first half, it really came down to two plays. It was obviously the long touchdown pass to Terrell Owens and the play where we got a first down and he (Tommy Maddox) put a great pass to Jay Riemersma. It hits him right in the hands. Instead of being a first down, they got a return of about 48-50 yards. We hold three and out, and that was their ten points. I don't think there was any sense, even at halftime, that we had lost any momentum. We had created a little hole because of the two plays. But we came out and when we put the drive together and started the third quarter, there was momentum. We had created some momentum. We stopped them the next time. We got the ball back, and we did not do anything with it there. Then the following series on the second play was the Kevan Barlow run.
I recall seeing some momentum, in fact, it looked like a real football team out there for awhile...but what happenedin the sequence right after the TD? Repeat after me "THIRD AND NINETEEN!!! DRAW!!!" Yep, the draw up tha gut. Some momentum. two plays out of four "up tha gut". Incomprehensible...but at this point, true Cower Power lovers start the name calling and telling yours truly to root for another team. Puuhleeze.
Q; Coming back from a Monday Night West Coast game, what do you do this week to catch up and get back on some sort of normal schedule?
COWHER: We don't. We will do that next week. There is no normality to this week. All the coaches came right from the airport. We have been in here since we landed. Players will come in tomorrow around noon. I am trying to give them some extra time off. We will work the rest of the week and travel on Saturday. We will get back on a normal schedule next Monday.
Q:Do you have to make any concessions to that?
COWHER: Sleep.
How bout a Ben Affleck movie Bill? They need extra time off, sure they do, kiss their Butt, yep. Keyshawn would love you, he'd leave tire tracks on your jaw Bill.
Q: What about players?
COWHER: For the players, it will be a short week. They are tired, as well. They are sore. They will be in here Wednesday and having to get back up to go on away trip, this will be a big game. It is a big game for us, obviously. It is going to be a tough atmosphere to go into. There is a lot of sacrifice that everybody has to make. We talked about it last week and we knew that's what these weeks were going to entail.
But it's not a must win is it? What is the object in the game of football? Sacrificing playing with a friggin radio control car or hanging with some lowlifes and partying???
Q: Is it good to be playing a rivalry game this week?
COWHER: Hopefully it does not matter who we play. Every game at this point becomes very important. There is no question about it. We recognize where we are and our backs are against the wall with no margin of error.
Drag those cliches out and dust 'em off. That sounds like what Jack Nicholson was typing in The Shining...
We recognize where we are and our backs are against the wall with no margin of error.
We recognize where we are and our backs are against the wall with no margin of error.
We recognize where we are and our backs are against the wall with no margin of error.
We recognize where we are and our backs are against the wall with no margin of error.
We recognize where we are and our backs are against the wall with no margin of error.
All movies and no play make Pittsburgh Stillers soft and fuzzy.
Q: Did Tommy Maddox have one of his better games with his receivers not helping him much?
COWHER: Yes, we are just not in sync right now. He puts the ball on sometimes and we drop it and then we get a couple of steps and the ball is two yards overthrown. That just seems to be the story. Right now, you talk about the running game, but people are challenging us to throw the ball. They are going out there and putting single coverage out there and saying come on. That is what we have to be able to do. We have to be able to make those plays. The play that Terrell Owens makes is no different than the play we had a chance to make with Plaxico Burress. Right now the other teams are making them when we are not. That has been the difference in these games.
At least he's talking in "we" terms now. Boy, he sure did single out El, the Special teams guru, just like John Madden says. Cower must have SUCKED as a Special teams coach...I bet there was more mutiny there than on the HMS Bounty. And who is this "you" Cower always seems to bring up in his conferences? Who is "you" who is talking about the running game? Making the big plays hasn't been the difference, the difference is the insane trick plays that NO ONE ELSE, except awful, desperate teams, RUN. They run them over and over at the worst possible times for no gains or negative gains. Plax has been back to Dropsico, I'll give him that. Plex looked like he gave 100% on that streak but TMax overthrew him. But that happens.
Q: Do you find yourself feeling a little bit helpless? No matter what you do it does not work out?
COWHER: We are going to keep doing it. Helplessness will solve no problems. Right now we have to keep fighting and keep going out there preparing, believing, and trusting. Those are things that obviously when circumstances are the way they are you are tested in trying to take that approach. That is the job that we have to do. That is the only approach that you can take right now. You can't start questioning things. You can't stop believing, you have to play hard. They are doing that. Right now, we are not getting the ball on the ground, the guy actually fumbles the ball and it gets knocked out of bounds. Those things will turn. You can't lose the effort and the attention to detail. You have to keep preparing each week. The opportunity we have is real in regards to where we are in this division. It is an uphill struggle, no doubt about it, but it is there. We have to seize that one-week at a time. (throws up hands)
Q: Does it shake your confidence in players when consistently you don't get results?
COWHER: I think confidence goes hand in hand. We are all in this thing together. As a coaching staff, we have to put players in a situation where they are comfortable doing what they are doing. If you are not getting opportunities and they aren't being created then we have to look back and see how we can create more of them. What can we also do to finally bridge that gap? This is not a case right now where coaches are pointing fingers at players and players are pointing fingers at coaches. That will solve nothing. We are in this thing together. We will continue to work and try to get out of it. They have done everything I have asked them to do. When you look at the results the buck stops here. They have done everything I have asked them to do. We just can't get a ball to bounce the right way on game day.
Goes hand in hand with what??? Crap goes hand in hand with heaving puke resulting from more TRICK PLAYS. Hey, it's Harry S. Cower. The Buck Stops Here...except when Randle El screws up, then it's his fault. He's admitting he's to blame for moronic calls and the disjointed defensive schemes. But tell this to a Cowerite and it's like the Bill Clinton Attack Machine is back in action. Maybe the players should be pointing at the coaches and asking them what in the name of Sammy Baugh are they doing?
Q: Do you buy into the theory that a coach's message can get old after so many years in one place? How do you keep it fresh with the players?
COWHER: You have to be yourself. I can't stop being myself and I can't stop expressing how I feel. Every year is different. Every set of circumstances is different, the players are different, the makeup of your team is different. I have tried to handle that every year in a way that I feel it needs to be dealt with. I can't concern myself with speculation. When you lose, people are going to say things like that and they are going to draw analogies. That is all part of this profession. Like I said, I am just worrying about the Cleveland Browns this week. Those are questions that I am probably not the best one to ask. You need to ask other people about that.
A superior non-answer. You can bet the bank he's thinking about his legacy. I'll ask Madden and Madden about it, they think you're washed out Bill.
Q: How do you try to rectify turnovers at this level?
COHWER: We have been pretty good about not turning it over the last few weeks. That hasn't been that much of a problem as us taking it away. I think that has been the one issue. We have one of the fewest takeaways in the NFL right now. We have been usually been pretty good about that down through the years. That has been one of the strengths, stripping the ball, coming up with lose balls, and coming up with interceptions. It just seems that we are not doing that this year. We have talked about it and we will continue to work on it. Hopefully it will start to show dividends on Sundays.
Yep, continue working on it in January. Like the problem in the secondary last year, this is something Cower pushes back and pushes back...I remember seeing a pine-riding ZO jackson have a hell of a strip earlier this year...
Q: How is Hines Ward? What exactly did he do?
COWHER: He landed on his head. He has a very stiff neck. There is nothing that appears serious. He is very sore. I think he will be fine by Sunday.
But his stomach feels nauseous because he's a competitor and the coaches aren't competitors. I'm gonna skip the next couplea questions, I am getting a stiff neck.
Q: Are you going to make any lineup changes?
COWHER: Not at this time.
Wait until next year like you did last year, but you didn't even make any changes AT ALL, did ya Bill? No adjustments to the defense, same things occurred this year as last, QBs were allowed to pelt the secondary at will and rack up career numbers. Has he been so burned out for more than this year? Has it been two years or more that he's been, objectively, past his peak? That's for others to answer, I can't do it...