Bill Cowher Player Quotations

Willie's got the one thing we've never had - the speed. For a team that runs the football the way we want to run the football, to have a big-play player back there is a bonus.

Willie has the one thing that we never had -- speed. For a team that runs the football like we would like to run the football, to be able to have a big-play player back there is a bonus. He shows that ability to do that.

There's a lot of good football players out there. There's no direct science to this. You try to base it on an interaction of maybe 15 minutes, so you never know.

It's almost surreal right now. We've got a special organization, and it starts at the top. I couldn't be more happy for Mr. Rooney, for the coaches, for the players and for the city of Pittsburgh.

It starts at the top, there is no question about that. I've been very blessed and fortunate to be in a very stable organization. At the same time, you can take nothing for granted. You still have to go out there every year and improve yourself. You ask players to do it and I think as coaches you have to do it. I think we all understand that. I'm just very fortunate and blessed to be part of an organization that is very open, very stable and very understanding.

He's very important, not just to our defense but to our football team. He's certainly a very explosive player defensively. He can cover. He can rush. He plays the run. He's a complete outside linebacker. He's been very productive on a consistent basis.

So many times through the course of a season you are defined by your backups. They have three players in [Kirk] Cousins, Niles [Paul] and [Bashaud] Breeland who may be better than the players that they’re replacing.

I've been waiting a long time to do this. This is yours, man. This is special group of coaches, a special group of players and I was a small part.

Good football teams have quality depth. When players are asked to step up, there's not a drop off. Ideally, you go through the whole season and don't lose anybody. But those are rare occasions.

I don't know if I've been around a player more respected on a football team.

This is a special group. This is not about me. It's about this team; it's about this ownership; it's about the players and coaches. I'm one small part of this, believe me.

We had a special group, but it's hard to bring everybody back. That happens every year. You hope to keep a good nucleus, draft well and maybe pick up some free agents. It's going to be a challenge, but I like where we're starting and the players we're starting with.

It's big. We all know the days back when there were 12 rounds. We know there are a lot of good football players out there, and they're not all here.

They've got a lot of football players who are trying to build something. I don't think there's any question they're making strides in the right direction.

You can sit there and project. But the problem thing you can't project is people jumping up when they see a player they want and they jump right in front of you. That's why sometimes you do trade, because of wanting to get a player before somebody else can.

He's been here and he knows our players more than the last couple times I've brought guys in,

But our players know. This is still Baltimore. They still have some good players, and their coach challenged them and they responded.

Jerome has been an inspiration to everyone, players and coaches. He's more than just a great player, he's the consummate team mate.

These kids are still maturing as people. I've watched players we've had mature tremendously in a short time, and then sometimes it takes players three or four years. These are still young men. You can't ever lose sight of that.

We have a lot of players back; we lost a couple of key players and we'll have to fill those voids. But when you realize what you accomplished and you're part of history and you have an opportunity to do it back to back, it would be an unbelievable feat.

I think we were very fortunate to be sitting there with Ben. You don't ever want to be drafting that high too often, but we were picking that high, and when you have a chance to get a premier player like that, you can't bypass him.

Ben is a leader out there for us, there is no question about that. He's a very focused player right now and he needs to be, we are all kind of following his lead.

Good teams win close games. Good teams have quality depth, and when players are asked to step in, there's not a drop-off, ... It's not the circumstance that affects you. It's how you deal with it. I truly believe that.

I just think that he is making good decisions. He is getting confidence and we feed off him. Ben is a leader out there for us, there is no question about that. I just like the frame of mind that he is in. He is a very focused player right now and he needs to be.

We're going to have a lot of flexibility with some of the things we're doing, and the players have been very receptive. It's more definitive than things we've done in the past. The onus is being put back on the players to execute, and I think they like that.

We'll continue to keep our options open. But I feel good about the players we have.

No one feels worse about losing a game like that than the players and coaches in that locker room. They throw everything into it. No one felt worse than Tommy. I mean, this is a quality individual. We all understand the criticisms that come with this game and we understand that, but when you start taking it outside the field, to the house, to the kids, to me, you've crossed the line.

I know a lot of people have looked at Tennessee and talked about rebuilding. But we have to be careful because there is still a core of players on that team that, not only are we familiar with, but who've also had success.

I think he's going to be one of those guys where the day comes and he's not there, there's going to be a void there because it seems like he's always been there every week. We've been through a lot together and I have a tremendous appreciation, more than I can express, for what he stands for as a football player but, more so, for what he stands for as a person.

I know a couple of times our players were ready to celebrate prematurely.

He is a very valuable member of our team. Given the scenario, it's nice to have a player like that with the experience he has who can play at the level he can.

Their defense is a lot like ours, from the standpoint of scheme-wise. They have good players down there that run it.

We certainly aren't going to let history dictate our journey. As I told the players a lot of times, your journey can make history.