Coach Bill Cowher:  Let me just open up and make a few comments, and then I will certainly answer all the questions you have.  First of all, let me say this in regard to the New England game, without pointing to the specifics of it.  It was a disappointing ending to what I thought was a very special season.  We did not play our best game, or coach our best game in the biggest game.  That is what is disappointing about it.  As I told the players on Monday, please do not allow the one game to define this season.  To sit there and finish 16-2, 15-1 in the regular season and to win 15 straight games is quite an achievement.  We did not accomplish our goal; we fell short of that.  You can’t allow that one game to diminish what they have put in for six months.  I know I was asked throughout the year to compare this team to other teams - the one thing that I will say is that this is the most unselfish football team that I have ever been a part of, and not just my 13 years here, but any team with which I have been associated.  That was very evident, I think, in our meeting on Monday.  There were a lot of very genuine feelings that were expressed.  It was a very close football team, which made the hurt be that much more.  At the same time, that is what made this group special.  I have always said, and I believe that the measure of any one person or group of people should not be by how many times you get knocked down, in my mind, it should be how many times you get back up.  This group will get back up.  This is not the end.  In my mind, it is the beginning.  Like I said, it is disappointment that exists throughout, I am sure, the city.  At the same time I think it is very unfair to allow that to be with which you identify this season.  We recognize that we fell short.  But we are going to keep coming back, and keep getting back up.  That is the only way that I know how to deal with life. Life is full of disappointments.  Sometimes we wonder why.  But ours is not to wonder why, ours is to continue to try.  We will do that.  I think it is a great group of guys. I think we have a good nucleus.  There is going to be change, there is no question about that.  There are no guarantees going into next year.  The foundation has to begin all over again.  The chemistry has to begin all over again.  But I think when you experience what we experienced, so much more is positive than there is negative.  I think it is very important that you put it into proper perspective.  That is how I look at it.

How did you not coach your best game?

We did not get it done.  I am not being specific.  It is unfortunate.  We are all accountable, and I accept that responsibility.  It starts with me, and I accept that.  We got beat by a pretty good football team, but I accept the responsibility that goes with that.

As you broke down the film of the game Sunday, what areas did it go wrong?

I have not really looked at the game, yet.  I am not here to analyze the game to be honest with you.  Like I said before, we did not do what we had to do in that football game.  We got behind quickly and we left ourselves no margin of error.  We lost to a good football team.  They outplayed us on that particular day.

Did the team know about Ben’s (Roethlisberger) broken toes?

Let me just say this in regards to Ben.  Ben does not have broken toes.  I talked to Ben yesterday.  His reference in his season ending news conference where he mentioned it to you, is that at the end of the first half while scrambling, he aggravated some toes that he has broken in the past.  He mentioned something to Ryan Grove, our assistant trainer, he said that he thought he may have broken his toes.  He came off; he was fine.  He said he was fine and actually went back in for the second half and really did not say anything to anybody else for the rest of the game.  He did not say anything after the game.  He left here yesterday after the season ending physical exam and he is fine.  There is nothing really going to be done with it.  It is nothing that a little bit of rest won’t take care of.  He is sore.  But it was not anything that he felt that he could not go out there and play.  I knew nothing about it until it was brought to my attention yesterday when he said it.  I talked to him on Monday and it never even came up.  I talked to Ben last night to make sure that I heard that straight from his mouth.  So that is that. 

Did he break his toes this season?

He never broke his toes this season.  He said it was something that he has had in the past in high school and college.  We are unaware of any problems with his toes. 

What about his thumb?

His thumb, as far as I am concerned, I don’t think there is any problem with his thumb.  He played pretty good in the second half. 

Were you aware of Ben Roethlisberger’s mental and physical fatigue?

It is there for a lot of people.  For Ben, like everybody, it is a long year.  It is a long year for a rookie.  For a first year guy, you can ask anybody that has been in this business, it is a grind.  There is no way you can prepare for it.  I talk about it every year.  To the kid’s credit, he was out there and he stayed focus.  I think when you are in the middle of something you are going on adrenaline this time of year.  The mental and physical fatigue is there for everybody.  I think Ben was just being very honest with you.  That is something that everybody is going through. 

Did you notice less zip on the ball?

No.

Did you contemplate at any time on Sunday putting Tommy (Maddox) in?

No, not really. 

Do you have some tough decisions because of the salary cap?

I have not had a chance to sit down, and we will sit down with Kevin (Colbert), and I don’t know where we are in regards to that.  Certainly, there will be some decisions, I am sure, that have to be made, obviously, as it relates to some of the free agents.  We have to sit down, and as I talked to each one of them over the last couple days, I think those are the things that we have to kind of remove the emotion of the season and this past game.  I don’t think it is good to make any decisions or ask anybody to make any of those decisions this close to Sunday’s game.  We will talk as an organization with the players that it pertains to as it relates to it.  Some of the decisions have to be made by March 1st. 

What are your feelings about Jerome Bettis’ future?

As I sat down and talked with Jerome, we just had a long talk.  As I said to him, let’s not even discuss the future right now. I think it would be unfair to put the emotion that existed particularly after the meeting that we had, to start talking about that.  I think it was more of a reflection of what we have been through.  I have so much respect for him, not just as a player, but as a person, and what he has meant to this team.  With this football team, as I talked to each of them, to be honest with you, the thing I remember the most was Jimmy Valvano and the speech he gave at the ESPYs.  He talked about don’t quit, don’t ever quit.  Part of that speech that I will always remember was that he said every day when you wake up, you should do three things, you should laugh, you should cry, and you should think and said that is a heck of a day.  I just thought about that as we came out of that meeting where you see about 70 grown men sitting in a room with people speaking from their heart.  There was a lot of emotion in that room.  That is not bad.  That is not a bad thing.  That is what made this group special.  That is what sports are about.  People who have never competed in sports sometimes don’t understand that.  That is sometimes the risk that you have and you put out there when you throw everything into it.  This football team threw their whole emotion into it.  The unselfishness that existed while benefited some, there was a lot of sacrifice that was made by others.  As with every decision that was made, while some guys seized it and were excited about it, some other people had to sit back and accept it.  I respect that, I truly respect that.  That is what made this group special.  That is what allowed us to go 15-1, to be 16-2.  I know that we fell short.  I am not diminishing that.  But I will tell you, they truly enjoyed coming to work every day.  There is a lot to be said for that.  We achieved a lot.  They need to have their head held high.  It was a special group of guys.  A disappointing end, yes. But I refuse to allow that to define this season.   

Did thing move along faster than you expected?

As I sit here, I’m glad we’ve done this on a Wednesday because I think it has allowed me to kind of sit back a little bit, more so than yesterday. I was sitting there, I was just thinking going into this press conference today as opposed to a year ago, a lot more questions that needed answered. I look at the youth that we have, young safeties, young quarterback, the group we have coming back, and yes there are some areas that we have to address. We are going to have some tough decision to make. There are a lot of guys coming back and that’s what is exciting about it to me. A lot of guys that are coming back were part of this process we went through this year which I want to refer to being a springboard for us. It’s a start. So I think there is a lot to look forward to as opposed to being the ending of a season. I’m going to look at this season as being the beginning of something special.

Can the emotion carry to 2005?

There are no guarantees. We have to start over again. There is going to be a new group of guys. There is going to be new chemistry that’s involved and it happens every year. But there is a reference point to which you can refer and there is no question that you look at what we were able to accomplish in terms that people had stepped in when other guys went down. The adversity that this team was faced with and how they answered each and every challenge, each and every week. That is certainly a reference point that is a lot more positive than negative. A lot of the guys that are around here have experienced that and have grown. I think a lot of guys have not just grown as football players but they grew as people because of some of the leadership that we got from veterans around here; With that unselfish approach, with that work ethic that they showed day in and day out, week in week out, stayed grounded, and stayed focus. Those are things that you can talk about but when you experience them they have a lot more lasting effect particular on younger players in terms of how they can refer to that in the future.

What are the areas you have to address?

I don’t know. Like I said we have to sit down and look at where we are in regards to the cap, what our options are. What we can and cannot do, and then we have to make some tough decisions. I’m not in a position right now to be able to answer that. We have some time to be able to do that and we’ll use that time to make sure that we are doing it very objectively and not allowing what has taken place to make quick decisions.

Do you expect your staff to return?

Yes, I do, as we speak today. I felt that way a year ago when we spoke then too. As of today I have not received any calls, which has been a good thing. I don’t plan on making any changes. Hopefully, we’ll have everybody back. 

Did anything that Jerome Bettis do in 2004 surprise you?

Surprise me, I don’t know if surprised is the right word. I just think that what he did exhibited great leadership. He came in, in great shape. Probably the healthiest he has been in the last two or three years. So I don’t know if I was surprised. I have been around him for a number of years, since 1996, we have gone through a lot. And I have a lot of respect for the man, as a man. He is a good player, better person.

What’s the situation with Plaxico Burress?

I talked to Plax yesterday and we had a good conversation. I have been with him for five years, and I like Plax. I have watched him from first year to the fifth year. I think that he has gotten better as a player, I think the best is yet ahead of them. I think he’s matured as a person, work ethic, and his approach to the game. Those are the things that we talked about. Sometimes in this business you develop, —yeah they are your players— but I respect these guys as people and you get to know each one a little bit differently. Like I told him I said, I wish he would have at least called me last year in the offseason. I said I understand what you were doing, I didn’t agree with it, but just call me and we kind of laughed about it. I don’t know what will take place. I didn’t want to get into it at least at this point. We’ll have time. We’ll talk and we’ll see what we can do, maybe what he wants to do, but for me to sit there and ask him that question after what we went through with that meeting and close as it was to this game. I think it’s important that everybody takes a chance to step back and put things in its proper perspective. If that was the last time I talk to him, I wanted him to know how I felt. I don’t know. Time will tell.

Is that the first time you talked about that Mother’s Day?

We didn’t even talk about Mother’s Day, I guess it was Mother’s Day. No, we have talked about it before.

Is Plaxico Burress misunderstood?

I don’t misunderstand him. We have open-minded communications. I told you, I like Plax.

Why did so many guys buy into one game at a time mentality?

Great veteran leadership. We really did. And I think some of the circumstances that took place, that was the only option. It was either we were going to sit there and dwell on self-pity when we lost people or we sit there and stay together, pull for the guy that is in there, and everybody else pick up there game. It just seemed like it happened enough that it kept created a stronger bond and stronger belief reinforced with the results that made you say; hey listen, how can you argue if we keep winning. As I said before, maybe my old theories that I have told some of the guys with which maybe I came into this business thirteen years ago that no starter should ever loss his job to injury. I’m not so sure I feel that way anymore. To me you see what your options are and if somebody steps in and is playing pretty good, if that happens that’s part of it. I understand somebody getting frustrated by it or upset by it but at the same time somebody comes in and is playing well and you’re playing well as a team, I don’t think that you disrupt that. Maybe I learned that this year and I think that we all keep learning. I don’t profess to have all the answers, I try to stay opened minded and be very self critical, and I’ll continue to do that. Hopefully, I’ll continue to grow as a coach, in the process try to be up front with the players in terms of what I’m thinking. They may not agree with it but I think in the long run they will respect.

Is it a drag coaching in the Pro Bowl?

I’m sure at some point it will be nice. Like I said, at some point I’ll watch the game, too.

Who do you like in the Super Bowl?

I’m not talking about the Super Bowl, I’m talking about our last game on video. I pull for the AFC, I always pull for the team that beat us.

How are the injured guys doing?

They are doing well. Kendall (Simmons), Hamp (Casey Hampton), Jay (Riemersma), and Mike (Logan), you can go right down the line, Charlie Batch. I saw all of those guys and I talked to them all. They are doing fine. Everyone is on schedule. The two surgeries that we have set right now are Matt Cushing, yesterday had surgery on his wrist and Verron (Haynes) had a MRI and will have surgery on his knee. So right now those are the only two offseason surgeries that we have planned.

Was Kendrell Bell able to play vs. New England?

Yes.

Was there a time when you realized this was a special team?

To be honest with as I sit here and say it, it was a number of games certainly you look at the Dallas game and the football team. The Dallas game is talked about with Ben as a pivotal win. To go down where the team was kind of backed into a corner and it was a very pivotal game for them at that time. He comes off that win and certainly the two games that took place at home following the bye it took our level of confidence to another level. I think from there we did what we had to do each week and I think that when we got done with that game we never reflected, we just kept looking at the next challenge. I think that was the kind of mind set that we adopted. So it was hard to say there was any one game but certainly I think early in the season after the Baltimore game, we had to make some choices. At that point, it became more of a sense of urgency, backed into a corner, and I’m not sure we ever lost that approach week in and week out.

What about the Miami game and the hurricane?

Yes. We didn’t have much of a choice. It was a unique experience. That game in my mind put a lot of things in perspective. We were playing a game and there were people down there who’s lives where being lost and effective forever. The trauma that existed, I have said before, I watched what build up to that hurricane it was almost like a count down. And they went through that four times. I have so much respect for the people in Florida for what they endured. Sometimes you think that you have it hard in life; try living down there. They probably have a better perspective as anybody has going through it down there. I have so much respect for the people in Florida for what they endured and I think they will forever have the right perspective, to be very thankful for some of the little things that you may take for granted everyday.

 Did Tommy Maddox’s injury force you to run the ball more?

I don’t know if we did anything different. I certainly think that what it did was probably limit some things earlier from the passing game but it never really altered what we thought about in the running game. We came into the season wanting to run the ball. That was the mind set if you look at our preseason games and looked at everything we did from training camp right up until the opening part of the season even against Oakland. The mind set was to run the football and to establish the running game as our foundation, and recognizing that we could still develop the passing game. We had weapons in the passing game and we could utilize that. But, we wanted to establish our mindset of running the football. Certainly when Tommy got hurt it may have limited more of what we could do in the passing game but I’m not so sure it altered our approach the running game.

Did Ken Whisenhunt exceed expectations?

Kenny did a great job. I was sitting back there, thinking about Kenny here for the first year as a coordinator and he did a great job. Mark Whipple here for the first time in our organization and Ben, their three-way conversation. Three guys that have come together in a very short period of time and I would like to think that’s going to become nothing but better and better as all three of those guys get to know each other. It was one of those things again there were a lot of new faces on this football team, and I would like to think again that this is a foundation for something that is going to continue to grow.

Is Tommy content with his role?

We talked. Tommy, like I said about Jerome, has been the consummate pro. We’ll continue to talk. He was outstanding in his contributions to this football team and his contributions to the development of Ben. He is very much wanted back here. So we will continue to talk to make sure that he is comfortable with what his role will be.

How did Ricardo (Colclough), and Max Starks do?

I am very excited about Max Starks.  I think the word on Max was that he was a soft player, and just a big guy.  I am glad someone told him that because he proved that is not his problem.  This guy came in and he was a pleasant surprise.  I say surprised because you watch him down in the Florida offense, everything he was asked to do was to throw the ball or a run a draw.  That doesn’t always show what you can do.  He is a smart guy.  He worked his way onto that active game day roster.  He could play both positions.  He could play guard.  He is flexible, he is a very bright guy.  I am excited about the prospects of him.  Ricardo did great.  He learned the whole nickel position, the corner.  I like both him and Ike (Taylor).  I thought they got better this year.  They took positive steps.  I like Ricardo.  I think that he is going to be a good football player.