Steelers' Former Head Coach Bill Cowher Gives Cheat-Sheet To Fix The 2023 Team

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the midst of a roller-coaster of a season that has not gone the way that anyone in Steeler Nation has hoped. Despite all the controversy surrounding the team after they dropped from 7-4 to 7-7 (losing to the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts), there's still a slim chance of making the postseason. It starts on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16. Whether it is Mike Tomlin guiding the team next year or someone else, former Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher has some ideas on how the Rooney family can get this team going back in the right direction. 

The Super Bowl-winning coach in the 2005 season joined The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday and said he thinks that things with the franchise he presided over for 15 years can bounce back. The central issue will be fixing the team's offense which has been abysmal at times in 2023. 

"I think you have to sit back when the season’s over and see what you want to do on the offensive side of the ball," explained Cowher. "Bring in someone who is established, who is going to bring in a system that will make them get back to what Steeler football is about." 

The team finally said enough was enough by firing Matt Canada after the team only put up 10 points in a loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. The unit has been a major source of frustration as quarterback Kenny Pickett wasn't progressing in his second year and the team has failed to score points. They have yet to score more than 30 points in a game this season and only have more than 20 in five games. 

While the defense hasn't been criticized as much as the offense, they're still having their trials and tribulations as well. The inside linebacker and safety rooms have taken significant hits with injuries, which has caused Pittsburgh to elevate numerous practice squad players. Cowher said that because of the lack of a consistent offense, the defense has been counted on with little margin for error. Early in the season, when they were forcing turnovers, this helped power some wins, but the formula was unsustainable and came crashing down with the injuries. 

Steelers' Cowher Says A Return To Under Center Offense Is Needed

Cowher is old school and proud of it. He thinks that the Steelers need to get Pickett or whoever is playing quarterback for the team next year under center more. 

Cowher iterated that with Pittsburgh's personnel on offense, a move away from a shotgun-heavy offense makes a lot more sense. He said that even though a lot of teams are focused on throwing the ball to beat defenses, there's still a lot of value in establishing a good run game and working under center. 

"If I was them right now, I’d be putting Kenny Pickett under center," said Cowher. "You have Najee Harris, who is a downhill runner, he's not a side box car runner. [Jaylen] Warren, you see all the big runs, they're downhill." 

Cowher said that to run things out of shotgun as a coach, you need to be confident that you can trust them. He said during his days coaching Ben Roethlisberger, if he felt that Roethlisberger was making poor decisions, he'd just start running it. He said that for you to run things out of the shotgun, the quarterback has to prove to you that he can do it.  

He added that the Buffalo Bills, since the firing of Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey, have moved away from shotgun and are running the ball more. He said that has taken some of the workload off of Josh Allen's shoulders and has helped the team turn it around when things were looking dire.

Pittsburgh has a lot of questions to be answered in the final three weeks of the season and the 2024 offseason. Cowher perhaps offered a little bit of a roadmap to how his former organization can proceed.