Bill Cowher coached plenty of tough as nails Pittsburgh Steelers teams, but he has another word to describe the current team — soft.
Cowher made the remarks after the Steelers were undressed by their rival Cleveland Browns, losing 31-10.
“I never thought I would say these words,” Cowher said on CBS, adding that the team “has gotten soft.”
The Steelers sit at 3-3 and look to be on the downswing in the AFC North, where the Browns and Cincinnati Bengals are ascending.
On Sunday the Steelers indeed looked soft against the Browns, allowing quarterback Brian Hoyer to pick them apart as the team built a 21-3 first half lead .
Bill Cowher isn’t the only Pittsburgh Steelers alum to sound in on the state of the team, and isn’t the first one to use the “S” word either.
“They’re very close to hitting that panic button,” retired Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward added later that day on NBC. “The defense looks soft. Guys are just able to run the ball up and down the field. I look at their personnel; they can’t cover anybody in the secondary. Offensively, I thought I’d never say it, but the Steelers are a finesse offense right now. I don’t even know who these guys are.”
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who reportedly entered the season on the hot seat after lackluster campaigns in 2013 and 2012, dismissed the remarks . Tomlin noted that both Bill Cowher and Hines Ward are now paid to give their opinions on television, and that they were doing just that.
“I don’t worry about that; that’s elevator music,” Tomlin said. “Love those guys, but those guys are on the outside looking in.”
But Tomlin may be taking the spirit of what Bill Cowher said to heart. He vowed to turn over “all stones” to get the Pittsburgh Steelers back on a winning track, which might mean working in three of his rookie standouts in on both offense and defense.
[Image via CBS]
