Bill Belichick Went Out Of His Way To Help Steelers End Super Bowl Drought

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a pretty frustrating history with former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. He was the lead man in New England for a long time, and that team was often in Pittsburgh's way in the conference. The Patriots kept the Steelers from adding a few more trophies to the franchise's collection, which is a big reason a large portion of the fan base in Pittsburgh has a strong disdain for the Patriots, Belichick, and Tom Brady. It doesn't help that New England was accused of cheating several times, and former Steelers players have always said that games against the Patriots were fishy.

Pittsburgh had two coaches that had to deal with Belichick and the Patriots. From 1992 through 2006 it was Bill Cowher, and from 2007 through 2024, it was Mike Tomlin. Tomlin won a Super Bowl in his second season as the head coach in Pittsburgh, so he didn't have that burden hanging over his head for long. Cowher was a different story. He didn't win a Super Bowl until his second to last season as the head coach of the Steelers. His teams struggled to get over the hump, despite the fact that the group made it to the big game during the 1995 season, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys.

Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo joined 93.7 The Fan on Thursday afternoon, and he spoke about Tomlin's recent comments about leaving the Steelers in part because of the lack of postseason success that he has had over the last decade. Fittipaldo made the connection between that and the fact that it took a while for Cowher's teams to get over the hump, and he noted that Belichick actually spoke to Cowher about that.

"I go back to Bill Cowher," Fittipaldo said. "You know, Bill Cowher lost in '94, lost the Super Bowl in '95, lost the AFC Championship Game again in '97, then he lost to the Pats again in '01. I think it was around this time that he talked to Bill Belichick, and Belichick basically told Cowher, 'You know, to get over the hump in some of these playoff games, you got to take some chances. You have to play a little bit differently than you have been playing in these games.' Then he kind of does it, like in that '05 run, he flips the script. Comes out throwing against the Colts and takes some chances."

Belichick spoke to Cowher at some point and gave him some advice, which is unheard of considering they were each in the same conference. The two never overlapped on any coaching staffs throughout their careers, so it is hard to say what might have prompted a conversation like that.

It sounds like Belichick basically told Cowher to stop being so conservative, and to take a few unpredictable chances once the playoffs rolled around. Cowher had coached his team to the Super Bowl before, but he hadn't known what it was like to feel the confetti rain down over him. By the time this conversation likely happened, Belichick had won rings as an assistant coach, and probably one or two as the head coach in New England. 

Regardless, Belichick's conversation with Cowher helped snap a Super Bowl drought in Pittsburgh that almost lasted three decades.

Steelers Were Falling Into The Same Trap Once Again

Towards the end of Tomlin's tenure in Pittsburgh, the team seemed to be playing the same way that Fittipaldo was describing: a little too conservative, and the group was never really taking any risks. That led to a ton of playoff losses as Pittsburgh hasn't advanced in the postseason in nearly a decade.

What do you think about this story from Fittipaldo? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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