STEELERS Success doesn't surprise Cowher

The Black and Gold are No. 2 in rushing and No. 1 in defense.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Days after the Steelers wrapped up a 6-10 season that matched the worst record in his 12 years on the job, coach Bill Cowher said in January his team wasn't that far from contending again.
Maybe that's why Cowher hasn't seemed all that surprised as the Steelers (8-1) have won their last seven games to start 8-1 for the first time since their 1978 Super Bowl championship season.
How could he possibly think a team that went through a five-game losing streak about this time a year ago could turn it around so quickly?
"I don't think there are many teams that are that far away," Cowher said. "Ten weeks [after the season starts], we are the best team in football with the same guys. How does that happen? I think it's a very fine line, and I don't know if we are that much better than the teams we are playing."
The Steelers are No. 2 rushing and No. 1 in defense, but Cowher said their turnaround has resulted mostly from lack of turnovers, third-down efficiency and an ability to score once reaching the opponent's 20-yard line. They are No. 2 in turnover rate (plus-11) and have converted 52 of 119 third-down opportunities. They also have converted nearly 63 percent of their possessions inside the 20 into touchdowns.
"We are doing some of the little things it takes to win football games and, if you don't do those things, I don't care who you are, you will not win games," he said. "If you turn the ball over you will not win games. If you're not efficient on third down, if you are not efficient in the red zone, you're not going to win football games, you're going to lose a bunch of close games. You start losing games, and you start to question yourself."
Avoiding letdowns
That's why Cowher has constantly talked about avoiding letdowns that could lead to a bad game and, perhaps, a loss in confidence. Maybe he was thinking about the 1983 Steelers, though Cowher was playing for the Eagles at the time.
Despite losing quarterback Terry Bradshaw to an apparent season-ending elbow injury, the Steelers won seven consecutive games at midseason behind Cliff Stoudt and were 9-2. But a 17-13 loss at home to Minnesota began to unravel that confidence. Four days later, they were embarrassed 45-3 on Thanksgiving Day at Detroit. They wouldn't win again with Stoudt at quarterback, losing five of their final six, including a 38-10 playoff loss to the Raiders.
No wonder Cowher wants to guard against that one loss that can undo a season's worth of work, though wide receiver Hines Ward said the Steelers are having too much fun to let down now.
"We're playing loose," he said. "When you're a loose team like that, good things will happen."