2006 was a year of unexpected changes for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite the departure of running back Jerome Bettis and a scary motorcycle accident involving quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, fans and players alike entered the new season with confidence. They were shocked when the defending champions of Super Bowl XL staggered to a 2-6 start. Then, just as the team remembered how to win, questions began to arise about Coach Bill Cowher's future with the Steelers.
These mutimedia presentations record the highs and lows experienced by the Steelers Nation in 2006.
COWHER'S FAREWELL
01/05/07 ~ Slideshow: Cowher through the years
Cowher became known as "The Chin" or "The Jaw" for his trademark look of fury when an official made a call he didn't agree with, or if a player made a costly mistake on the field. He was also known for the genuine affection he felt for his players. That showed up in pictures, too. Cowher, 49, announced his retirement today at a news conference at the team's UPMC South Side facility, joined by his wife, Kaye, and flanked by team chairman Dan Rooney and president Art Rooney II. These Post-Gazette staff and archive photographs document Cowher's career in Pittsburgh.
Slideshow by the Post-Gazette Staff
01/05/07 ~ Video: Bill Cowher's farewell press conference
Cowher, 49, made the announcement today at a news conference at the team's UPMC South Side facility, joined by his wife, Kaye, and flanked by team chairman Dan Rooney and president Art Rooney II. "I've given this a lot of thought and it's in the best interest of my family and myself at this time," Cowher said. "I'll be honest, I'm looking forward to it." This video is of the entire half-hour press conference, from Cowher's introduction by the Rooney family to his farewell to reporters.
Video by Curt Chandler
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2006 REGULAR SEASON
Monday, January 01, 2007 ~ Slideshow: A win for pride -- and for the coach
The Steelers shared some of the disappointment of their long, disappointing Super Bowl reign with Cincinnati yesterday. On a rainy New Year's Eve they hung a 23-17 overtime victory on the Bengals, eliminating Cincinnati from the playoffs on the final game of the regular season for the second year in a row. For Cincinnati, the final blow came when rookie Santonio Holmes caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger on the third play of overtime to win it for the Steelers.
Slideshow By Peter Diana
Monday, December 25, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Playoff hopes lost
Dressed in their Black and Gold finery, with appropriate Santa accents, the members of the Steelers Nation took their seats at Heinz Field yesterday hoping to witness a playoff miracle. Instead they saw Ravens circling around the carcass of a season gone awry. As a warm winter sun set over Heinz Field, the final score read Steelers 7, Ravens 31, playoffs another year.
Slideshow By Peter Diana and Matt Freed
Monday, December 18, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Nothing could be finer...
The Steelers put on a dominating performance yesterday in Charlotte, pounding the Panthers 37-3 as running back Willie Parker racked up 132 yards. The game was a homecoming of sorts for Parker and kicker Jeff Reed, both of whom are from the Carolinas. The lopsided win lifted the Steelers to .500, but their hopes of earning a wild-card berth in the AFC playoffs remain slim.
Slideshow By Peter Diana and Lizabeth Gray
Friday, December 08, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Steelers win with a hot running back on a cold night
Light snow. Temperatures in the teens. The Steelers logo painted on the bare dirt at midfield. The hated Cleveland Browns on the other side of the ball. All of the ingredients for a memorable football game were present at Heinz Field last night. By the time the last fan beat the miserable traffic on the icy roads outside the stadium, the Steelers were red hot inside.
Slideshow By Peter Diana and Matt Freed
Monday, December 04, 2006 ~ Slideshow: A win for the home team
The Steelers may not have a winning season, but they had to feel better this week with a 20-3 victory than they did after last week's 27-0 loss. In the first quarter Ben Roethlisberger was sacked once and threw an interception. Then the quarterback rebounded with two touchdown passes -- both to tight ends -- as the Steelers took a 20-0 lead into the final seconds of the game. The Buccaneers kicked a last second field goal to avoid the goose egg, but that didn't seem to dampen spirits on the Steelers sideline.
Slideshow By Peter Diana, Matt Freed and Lake Fong
Monday, November 27, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Steelers' playoff hopes sacked
BALTIMORE -- Nine sacks. Nine quarterback hurries. Two interceptions and a lost fumble. The Steelers playoff hopes dashed in a 27-0 shutout. It was hard to tell who was more stunned, Ben Roethlisberger after being slammed to the turf by unblocked Ravens linebacker Bart Scott, or coach Bill Cowher after the game as he revealed safety Troy Polamalu may be lost for the season with a "significant" knee injury. "A very pitiful performance out there today," Cowher said. "Where we go from here is we've got to line up and play this thing out. It starts next week."
Slideshow By Peter Diana
Monday, November 20, 2006 ~ Slideshow: One kind of wonderful
Ben Roethlisberger, who threw three interceptions in the first half and had one returned for a touchdown, showed up in the fourth quarter wearing a red cape and blue tights. And the offensive line joined him in creating a quarter of football that kept the stand full till the last second.
Slideshow By Peter Diana and Lizabeth Gray
Monday, November 13, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Big day for "Fast Willie"
It was Fast Willie time. On his first of two long runs, Parker ran 72 yards to the Saints' 14, and scored from the 3 to give the Steelers a 31-24 lead. He did it again on the next series when he bounced an inside call around right end and took it 76 yards to the 4, where he was caught from behind by Jason Craft. After a timeout, Parker scooted around left end for a 4-yard touchdown that put the Steelers ahead by two touchdowns. It was a big day for Parker.
Slideshow By Peter Diana, Matt Freed and Lizabeth Gray
Monday, November 06, 2006 ~ Slideshow: On the rocks
For the fourth time this season, the Steelers outgained an opponent and lost because of turnovers. With 24 turnovers, one more than all of last season, they were at a loss to explain that difference as much as they were their stunningly poor first half of the season.
Slideshow By Peter Diana, Matt Freed and Lizabeth Gray
Monday, October 30, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Super slide continues
"I'm embarrassed by the way I played," said Steeler quarterback Roethlisberger, who refused to use the head injury of last week as an excuse. The fifth loss in six games left the reigning NFL champion Steelers 2-5 and tied for last in the AFC North Division with the Cleveland Browns.
Slideshow By Peter Diana and Lizabeth Gray
Monday, October 23, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Costly mistakes
The Steelers let a double-digit lead slip away for the second time this season under a mound of turnovers and lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a mild head injury in their 41-38 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime. The Steelers' 2-4 record left at least one starter pessimistic about their chances to make it to the Super Bowl again, and an official's disputed call at the end of regulation that cost them a chance at a victory left their owner fuming.
Slideshow By Peter Diana and Lizabeth Gray
Monday, October 16, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Steelers rout the Chiefs
A three-game losing streak comes to an end and a quarterback emerged from the haze that has enveloped him since the Super Bowl yesterday. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger explained the difference in his play as, "being smart, throwing to the guys in the black jerseys, not the white jerseys." The Steelers' 45-7 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs victory carried a bonus as both teams above them in the AFC North Division lost, drawing the Steelers (2-3) back into the thick of things with Baltimore (4-2) and Cincinnati (3-2).
Slideshow By Peter Diana, Matt Freed and Curt Chandler
Monday, October 09, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Chargers take Steelers for a ride
The Steelers' Super Bowl headache turned into a pounding migraine last night when they lost their third game in a row. The San Diego Chargers avenged a last-second loss to the Steelers at Qualcomm Stadium a year ago by coming back in the second half for a 23-13 victory. The setback was the second in which the Steelers lost a lead and dropped the defending Super Bowl champs to 1-3.
Slideshow By Peter Diana and Lizabeth Gray
Monday, September 25, 2006 ~ Slideshow: A mistake-filled loss in Game Three
The Steelers uncorked two fumbles and three interceptions to turn a roller coaster game against the Bengals into a 28-20 loss yesterday, placing the defending Super Bowl champs into a two-game hole in the AFC North. They lost the game even though Willie Parker ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns, they outgained the Bengals, and the Steelers held leads in the first, third and fourth quarters. The two fumbles, a 15-yard celebration penalty on running backs Verron Haynes and Parker, and a 10-yard taunting penalty on safety Mike Logan especially seemed to stick in the craw of coach Bill Cowher. "There is no reason for those things," Cowher said. "... It will not happen again."
Slideshow By Peter Diana, Matt Freed, Lizabeth Gray and Curt Chandler
Tuesday, September 19, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Steelers Game 2
Steelers fans waved their Terrible Towels and cheered as Ben Roethlisberger shook off yet another surgery and trotted onto the field in Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. But Big Ben alone couldn't manufacture a win. The running game produced an anemic 26 yards. Steelers receivers dropped several passes. But Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis didn't. He intercepted Roethlisberger twice. "I went out there and did not play very well tonight," Roethlisberger said. "Not only did I let my offense down, but I let my defense down as well."
Slideshow By Peter Diana and Lizabeth Gray
Friday, September 08, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Steelers vs. Dolphins
Quarterback Charlie Batch overcame a costly fumble at the Miami 1 in the fourth quarter and threw an 87-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller to lift the Steelers to a 28-17 victory against the Miami Dolphins.
Linebacker Joey Porter sealed the win when he intercepted a Daunte Culpepper pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown with 2:59 left.
Slideshow By Peter Diana, Matt Freed and Lizabeth Gray
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STEELERS PRESEASON, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, 2006
Saturday, August 26, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Preseason Game Three at Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles preyed upon Ben Roethlisberger last night, giving him the roughest outing in the three preseason games to date. The Eagles bounced the Steelers' quarterback around and shut his offense out. Roethlisberger was sacked once, intercepted once and knocked to the ground four times in two series of work at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The Eagles went on to beat the Steelers, 16-7, keeping them winless so far this summer.
Slideshow By Peter Diana and Lizabeth Gray
Sunday, August 20, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Preseason Game Two vs. Minnesota Vikings
It was all good again for Ben Roethlisberger, who continues his remarkable comeback from a motorcycle accident two months ago, a return that hit a small speed bump when his right thumb was injured in practice Wednesday. After not practicing Thursday and being listed as questionable by coach Bill Cowher, Roethlisberger started his second consecutive exhibition game and looked rather good doing so. Despite Roethlisberger's play, the Minnesota Vikings won, 17-10, in a game that was delayed 16 minutes because of a thunderstorm.
Slideshow By Peter Diana, Matt Freed and Lizabeth Gray
Sunday, August 13, 2006 ~ Slideshow: Game One at Arizona Cardinals
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returned to football yesterday. He played in his first game and, perhaps most important of all, took his first hit. The Steelers did not score a touchdown during Roethlisberger's one series. The Steelers helped christen yet another new NFL stadium when they became the first opponent to play in the Cardinals' $465-million stadium with the retractable roof and floor. They played the first game in Detroit's new field and the first regular-season game in new stadiums in Cleveland and Baltimore.
Slideshow By Peter Diana and Lizabeth Gray
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STEELERS TRAINING CAMP AT ST. VINCENT COLLEGE, JULY AND AUGUST, 2006
Audio Slideshow: Preparing for Arizona
(Aug. 11, 2006)
Audio Slideshow: Camp marches on
(Aug. 9, 2006)
Audio Slideshow: Week two begins
(Aug. 8, 2006)
Audio Slideshow: Big Ben at Camp
(Aug. 6, 2006)
Audio Slideshow: Goal-line drills
(Aug. 3, 2006)
Audio Slideshow: Heating Up
(Aug. 1, 2006)
Video: 
First peek for the fans
(July 31, 2006)
Audio Slideshow: Drills begin
(July 31, 2006)
Audio Slideshow: Sprint Day
(July 30, 2006)
First published on January 30, 2007 at 12:00 am
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