One thing the Pittsburgh Steelers have been known for since the Steel Curtain in the 1970's is championship defenses. Former Steelers Hall of Fame head coach, Bill Cowher is no stranger to championship defenses leading the Steelers to their 5th Super Bowl victory in 2005 on the back of their defense and strong running game.
Thursday on Trey Wingo’s podcast Half-Forgotten History, Wingo sat down with Cowher. During their sit down, Wingo asked Cowher if Steelers' OLB and reigning Defensive Player of the Year TJ Watt is his kind of player.
Cowher responded, "Totally, TJ Watt and Cam Heyward, I look at how those two guys play the game. Minkah Fitzpatrick, I look at the way he plays the game, I hear how they talk, and these guys love the game. They have a passion for the game. Watt, the records, yeah, that comes with him, but he just wants to win and he plays with a passion and a sense of purpose. Same with Cam Heyward... and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Those three guys, to me, could've played in ANY era of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They could have played back with the Steel Curtain and you know what, the Steel Curtain would've embraced every one of them."
Steelers Cam Heyward (left) and TJ Watt (right) | Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO
What does Bill Cowher love about the current @steelers defense? They could have played in ANY era.@CowherCBS is my guest on the latest Half-Forgotten History.
— trey wingo (@wingoz) April 7, 2022
🎧 to full episode: https://t.co/D8ufJ7JiS2 pic.twitter.com/AgqKFwBSq6
Cowher continued. "I've had players like Joe Greene, Mel Blount, and Jack Lambert come up to me and they said we could have played for you, Coach. I thought, you know, when the people from that era say that you could've played with them or you could've coached them, that's one of the biggest compliments you could get, Trey. So, I think when you look at Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and TJ Watt and you can make that statement that you know what, you could have played with us back in our day, that's one of the best compliments you can get and those three guys represent what the Steelers are all about."
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Cowher continued with a smile on his face. "So, I'm not worried about that side of the ball at all. I think they have to find that quarterback right now for the Steelers and get back to maybe running the football a little bit. And that's okay, that solves a lot of problems too. And I said, there's only a few places that you have that you can run the ball for three yards and they're going to clap and Pittsburgh is one of them!"
This was some very high praise for the Steelers key superstars on the defensive side of the ball from a Head Coach with a gold jacket and a bust in Canton. Cowher is right, in this post-Ben Roethlisberger era, the Steelers have to get back to their bread and butter. With the moves made this off-season to shore up the offensive line, a very promising rookie season from workhorse running back, Najee Harris, and add some pieces to the already highly talented defense, the Steelers seem like their on track to get back to their roots.
What do you think of Cowher's comments about Watt, Heyward, and Fitzpatrick? Sound off in the comments section below!
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