On Friday, MDS pointed out recent comments from former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, while appearing on WFAN in New York.
“The way the Jets are playing, I’m telling you this is going to be a game, I think it will be a classic game, and I like the Jets,” Cowher said. “They match up well. I think it’s going to be a tough ball game, but they certainly have all the ingredients to go to the Super Bowl.”
The remark prompted a response from receiver Hines Ward. “He can pick whoever he wants,” Ward said. “Coach Cowher’s not our coach anymore. Guess we have to prove him wrong, too.”
But Cowher apparently wasn’t picking the Jets. As The NFL Today came to a conclusion on Sunday, Cowher made his official prediction.
“I like Pittsburgh in this game,” Cowher said. “Like I said earlier in the week, the New York Jets they have a team to go to the Super Bowl, but they got a team they’re going against here that’s got more experience and I think they’re playing just as well. I like Pittsburgh.”
By referring to what he said “earlier in the week,” Cowher apparently was referring to what he told WFAN. And while some may think he wasn’t sufficiently clear that he wasn’t actually picking the Jets, the bottom line is that he officially picked the Steelers before the game started -- and he got it right.
Possibly after giving the Steelers some Tom Jackson-style motivation by creating the impression that he was picking the Jets.