Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Reveals The Ruthless Standard Bill Cowher Demanded

The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering a new era for the first time in almost two decades. New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy has slowly, but surely, been piecing together his new staff in the Steel City, as former head coach, Mike Tomlin, decided to step down after an extremely long tenure. Now McCarthy takes over the reigns in Pittsburgh looking to establish a new culture for the Steelers. Regardless of fan sentiment on the hire of McCarthy, it will be a true culture change in Pittsburgh for the 2026 NFL season and beyond.

While emotions ran high after the news of McCarthy, with some within the fan base finding the hire underwhelming and others being content with it due to past NFL success, McCarthy must bring a culture change to Pittsburgh in hopes of the team being contenders again. On his Footbahlin podcast, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger seemed to hint at a culture of accountability under one of his former coaches. Roethlisberger played under Tomlin and former head coach Bill Cowher in his NFL career in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger eluded to the standard and the culture that Cowher expected out of his players on his podcast. 

"With Coach Cowher, if you weren’t out there before he was before practice, boy oh boy," Roethlisberger exclaimed.

While it is not a direct hint at Roethlisberger taking a shot at the difference in culture and expectations between Tomlin's tenure and Cowher's, it definitely appears that players did not have it as easy with Cowher compared to how Tomlin ran the Steelers. Tomlin experienced a fair amount of player turmoil with his players while coaching in Pittsburgh. Former wide receiver Antonio Brown had turned into a sideshow while with the Steelers and, most recently, so did George Pickens. The Steelers would end up trading Pickens ahead of the 2025 season to the Dallas Cowboys, apparently due to Tomlin's inability to control Pickens' emotions.

While it is unclear if Roethlisberger's comments on Cowher carry an underlying message, he did have a message that should resonate with the McCarthy regime. Accountability is key to the team's success. Roethlisberger's comments give some insight into the culture Cowher built and provide concrete proof that Cowher commanded accountability and his players adhered to that message from him. This cannot become an issue should the Steelers want to quickly find success with McCarthy now in charge in Pittsburgh.

A Steelers Culture Change Is Vital To Changing On-Field Results In 2026

The Steelers must instill culture changes with McCarthy coming in for the 2026 season if they want to turn around their misfortunes of late. While times have evolved since Cowher was head coach in Pittsburgh, a similar standard of accountability is a great starting point in Pittsburgh. There cannot be anymore sideshows, antics, or unneeded locker room drama. The Steelers must get back to their winning, standard culture. This has been off of late, with the franchise going on a nearly decade long playoff-win drought. 

For the Steelers to get back to the success they are so historically known for, it will have to start at the top with McCarthy. He has to set the tone early to lead the way under his new regime in Pittsburgh. McCarthy has had success in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl title in 2011 with the Green Bay Packers against the Steelers. That standard should not change as the 62-year-old Greenfield, PA native takes over the Steelers.

McCarthy will have some big shoes to fill, as both his Steelers head coaching predecessors won Super Bowl titles during their tenures in Pittsburgh. With a fan base starving just for a mere playoff win, raising expectations to a Super Bowl would quickly win over McCarthy in Pittsburgh. 

Do you think that McCarthy can find success by changing the culture in Pittsburgh and holding players more accountable such as Cowher? Let us know in the comments below!

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