Steelers' Super Bowl Winning Coach Bill Cowher Knew Real Football According To Jim Harbaugh

The Pittsburgh Steelers went to six AFC Championship games under former Head Coach Bill Cowher, two of those resulting in victories that sent Pittsburgh to the Super Bowl. One of the more dramatic endings was the 1995 AFC Championship win over then-quarterback Jim Harbaugh and his Indianapolis Colts. Leading up to Sunday's 2023 AFC Championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, Harbaugh had some high praise for Cowher as they reminisced about their history.

Steelers' Cowher Would Make Vince Lombardi Proud

Cowher and Harbaugh faced off in a high-tension, drama-filled AFC Championship game in 1995, with Cowher on the Steelers' sidelines as the head coach and Harbaugh starting under center for the Colts. It all came down to the final play, with a Hail Mary from Harbaugh coming dangerously close to being caught by Colts' receiver Aaron Bailey. That drop secured Pittsburgh's 20-16 victory, although they would lose to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX two weeks later.

During the NFL on CBS pregame show leading up to the 2023 AFC Championship game, Harbaugh was in attendance due to his brother, John Harbaugh, coaching the Ravens. After a clip was played for both Cowher and Harbaugh showing the final incomplete pass of that 1995 AFC Championship game, it would be understandable if Harbaugh had some sore feelings. Instead, the former Indianapolis quarterback and new head coach for the Los Angeles Chargers praised Cowher and everything he brought to the game.

"That just brings back such outstanding memories. We didn't win it, but you're such a tough son of a gun! Man, you made the opponents have their best game! That's what I always loved about you and playing the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's real football! Vince Lombardi [is] forever proud of you, Bill Cowher."

Quite a classy move by Harbaugh, especially considering he had just watched one of the more painful losses in his NFL career played back in the presence of the coach who beat him. It just goes to show the impact Cowher had, not just on the game of football, but even on the opponents he defeated. It's a true testament to one's character when even a crushing playoff loss at the doorstep of the biggest NFL stage doesn't take anything away from the opposing head coach.

With Cowher still enjoying his retirement from coaching and Harbaugh about to embark on another NFL journey from college, seeing two giants of the game build each other up was a surprising and refreshing change. Harbaugh has the challenge of reviving the Chargers' franchise, and what better person than Cowher to understand that kind of task?

Steelers Challenging Themselves For 2024

Cowher led with a fire and a chin that never stopped. Whether it was a preseason game, training camp, or a wintery playoff game, he was always ready to go and brought every ounce of energy he had for the moment. Mike Tomlin embodies that aspect of Cowher, showing plenty of emotion and fight on the sidelines, but the way it translates to the team itself hasn't always been the smoothest.

Tomlin has the widely-known record of never having a losing season in his NFL head coaching career, and as he goes into his 17th season, he knows that bar needs to be raised. While Cowher had his down seasons, one would almost argue that his losing seasons allowed the team to build for the winning ones that followed. Cowher had a total of three seasons with a losing record, but the upside was that with a worse record comes a better draft pick.

One of the biggest, most impactful results of those losing records was the ability to select Ben Roethlisberger with the 11th pick in the 2044 NFL Draft. Of course, no one expected the eventual Hall of Fame career that Roethlisberger would put together, but the temporary downside led to a generational victory for the franchise. It is enough to make fans wonder if the comfort of never having a losing record is worth the continued middle-of-the-pack feeling.

Even though we're only 25 games into his NFL career, it's fairly easy to say that Kenny Pickett is not the instant star that Roethlisberger turned out to be. Although, at this point, Pittsburgh fans would be grateful if Pickett evolved into a decent game manager. The expectations aren't unreasonable, but even with a low bar, it's doubtful that Pickett can turn in anything remotely close to what Roethlisberger did.

With that perspective, it's possible the prospect of a losing season could start to sound mildly attractive. Don't tell Tomlin, though.

Would you accept one or two losing seasons if it gave the Steelers a chance to become a consistent postseason team again? 

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