Break suits Cowher just fine

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

DETROIT — Even though the Steelers have been surviving the past two months with a sense or urgency, Coach Bill Cowher doesn't regret the two-week break between the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl.

In his final press conference before Sunday's showdown against the Seattle Seahawks for the NFL title, Cowher said his team has benefited from the break.

"We haven't had an [open] week since October," said Cowher who has led his second team in 14 seasons to the Super Bowl. "It was good for us. We had a chance to take a deep breath before we go at this again.

"So I think it was good, just given all the logistics of everything this game has with family and everything else," Cowher said. "I think it was absolutely a good thing."

Cowher's team advanced to its second Super Bowl in 11 seasons by winning three playoff road games — at Cincinnati (31-17 over the Bengals), Indianapolis (21-18 over the Colts) and Denver (34-17 over the Broncos).

The Steelers are the first sixth seed to qualify for the Super Bowl and only the NFL's second to win three road games to advance.

Welcome break

Because of the open week, Cowher said, "I think we got right back where we need to be, just like you would with a bye week. And we've been pretty good coming out of bye weeks."

Cowher was asked if the extra time might have a created a danger of Steelers coordinator Ken Whisenhunt (offense) and Dick LeBeau (defense) over-tweaking the playbook that has worked so well during their seven-game win streak.

"They've been good," Cowher said. "They probably had to rein me in."

Of the gameplan for the Seahawks, Cowher said the coaches have been doling it out in doses.

"We didn't put everything in last week," Cowher said. "We held some things back [so] we minimized trying to put in more stuff this week.

"We've had two good days of work," Cowher said. "It's a great setup over at The Silverdome."

The Steelers are based in the suburb of Pontiac and using the Lions' old stadium for practices.

"We'll have a walkthrough [today]," Cowher said. "It's been like a normal week."

Preparing for offense

One thing the Steelers have been working on is preparing for the Seahawks' tendency to use a fast-tempo offense once they break the huddle.

Cowher said their style differs from the Colts' no-huddle format where the quarterback calls play at the line.

"We've worked hard with our look teams about when they break the huddle, getting the ball snapped within eight to 10 seconds.

"These guys come up to the line of scrimmage and they're gone. It's different. The guys are getting a sense of what this tempo is like. It's a rhythm offense, an upbeat offense and you've got to find a way to disrupt it."

Because Sunday's kickoff is past 6:20 p.m., Cowher said he plans to address the team early Sunday.

"I think I put a lot of thought into that," Cowher said. "What I'll say, I'm not exactly sure right now — it's kind of a last-minute thing.

"The biggest thing right now is to not make this game bigger than what it is," Cowher said. "We've talked each day about making sure we prioritize the things we're doing and not lose sight of where we were [eight] weeks ago.

"We've played well in the past seven [games] because we've prepared well," Cowher said of the winning streak that began on Dec. 11. "We've played with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder and recognizing that we have a tough road ahead of us and we took nothing for granted.

"And we cannot afford to think that just by showing up were getting it done," Cowher said. "There's been a sense of urgency and a desperate state we've played in the last seven [games]. I don't think Sunday will be any different."

williams@vindy.com