If anyone knows about the Steelers-Browns rivalry it would be Coach Bill Cowher. Coach Cowher has had a remarkable regular-season record of 149-90-1. He has beat the Browns 21 times during his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers including 2 playoff wins against the Browns. Cowher made the rounds this morning on the radio stations in Pittsburgh and Cleveland to talk about the Steelers-Browns. Bill thinks this Browns team can compete with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He gives a lot of credit to the Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski. He said with having no preseason he is impressed with how Stefanski has instituted a great offense that has an identity. Cowher continued to say one of the biggest things he did was hire offensive line coach Bill Callahan. The Browns have a sense of confidence and this is a big game for the Browns to make a statement. He continued to say the Browns look very focused and are playing unselfishly. It is a good opportunity for the Browns to come into Pittsburgh and make a statement.
The biggest thing Bill Cowher said for the Browns was Baker Mayfield needs to stay patient, but he still comes back to the impressive offensive line that the Browns have. Cowher complimented the Browns running game and said he is a fan of the running by committee because it is sustainable and you can throw the ball all you want, but when you play in places like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, or Cincinnati in December you better be able to run the football. He continued to say running the ball frequently helps the defense stay fresh. Cowher says when both teams are 4-0 and 4-1 right now you want to play with some emotion and you want to make it personal, but the biggest thing the Browns have to do is control their emotions.
Bill said anytime you are dealing with rivalries it doesn't mean you have to be apart of it, but you should understand the history behind the rivalry. The Steelers-Browns rivalry has gone from Turkey Jones slamming Terry Bradshaw all the way to Myles Garrett hitting Mason Rudolph with his own football helmet. Again this boils down to making it personal but controlling your emotions in the moment. Cowher did admit the rivalry between the Steelers-Browns hasn't been the same since when he was coaching, but this one feels different from having similar records. He then talked about his old quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and is happy with how he is looking so far this season by getting the ball out more quickly. He said he has tons of offensive weapons. Bill continued to say Ben Roethlisberger holds the mental edge at this point in his career. Finally, Cowher ended the interview by saying "For both of these quarterbacks, they need to be patient, take what the defense is giving them and seize the opportunities as they come.”