On Thursday of last week, June 9th, 2022, former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Bill Cowher joined the Movin' The Chains show on SiriusXM NFL Radio. He spoke about the recent hiring of new Steelers general manager, Omar Khan, his thoughts on the current quarterback battle in Pittsburgh, among many other things. But it was very interesting to get the former coach's opinion on the very traditional "Steeler Way" that has become the defining culture throughout the organization.
In this Dec. 12, 2004, photo, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher greets Jerome Bettis, who had scored a touchdown against the New York Jets during an NFL football game in Pittsburgh. Former Steelers coach Cowher was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a surprise announcement Saturday night, Jan. 11, 2020, before the Tennessee Titans-Baltimore Ravens AFC divisional round playoff game. (Peter Diana/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
"The Standard is the Standard," says current Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin. There is only one standard in Pittsburgh and that's the way it's always been. It consists of a "next man up," after injury - play through a bad call - bring on any weather - type of mentality, and that never changes. That includes being on the same page when it comes to organizational decisions. Cowher spoke directly to that:
"Yeah, you know what now as I think what we've talked about now through the years, and Jim [Miller] was there, and he understands the building, it's about collaboration. It's about everybody working together, from the personnel department, to the trainers, to the coaches, to the players. I think that's the culture that's been built there. I think when you're able to make a seamless transition with Kevin Colbert and his contributions -- unbelievable what he's done in his time that he's been in Pittsburgh, and I know I was there when Kevin got there -- He was part of that collaboration. I think Omar watched how that evolved, watched how that developed over the years as it relates to free agency, as it relates to the [NFL] Draft, as it relates to the roster. These are things that these scouts do on a regular basis, a daily basis, understanding all the repercussions. And everyone doesn't always have to agree, but when you come out of that room, you have a Steelers decision and I think that's going to be something that'll be very seamless in this part of the transition from Kevin Colbert to Omar Khan."
As head coach of his hometown Steelers from 1992 to 2006, Bill Cowher won more than 60% of his games and captured a Super Bowl title. Above, he lauds the play of Steelers safety Troy Polamalu in a 2004 game against the Eagles. (Jason Cohn/Reuters/Newscom)
Since the 1970's, the culture in Pittsburgh has been all about winning. Anything short of that is considered a failure, and through the last few years, you can feel the Steel City beginning to become restless.
The team's last playoff win was in 2016 when they beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Despite the team's recent follies, Cowher explains how the franchise continues to display its own recipe when it comes to how the team is ran. With the numerous recent changes within the organization, including a new GM in Khan, a new defensive coordinator in Teryl Austin, the addition of Brian Flores, Pat Meyer, and Frisman Jackson to name a few, moving into the 2022 season should be both challenging and exciting for the team overall as a new era emerges. Will continuing to implement the "Steeler Way" be key to how this team gets back on winning track, however? Or will it continue to serve as an outdated method that leads to another playoff-winless season?
What do yinz think about Cowher's comments? Will the transition from Colbert to Khan be a smooth one since Khan is already familiar with the "Steeler Way?" Click to comment below!
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