Cowher keeps game face on

Bill Cowher has added levity to several of his news conferences this season, cracking one-liners from time to time, but the Steelers coach had his game face on Tuesday, partially due to a contentious exchange with a local television reporter.

Cowher's team is in do-or-die mode, supported by the fact he uncharacteristically had them practicing in full pads last week.

The Steelers (8-5), who snapped a three-game losing streak last Sunday, are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive by winning their final three games.

It starts Sunday in Minnesota against the Vikings (8-5) -- who've won six in a row -- and hoping for a loss at some point by the Kansas City Chiefs -- who own the playoff tiebreaker over the Steelers if both teams win their final three games.

The Chiefs (8-5) play at the New York Giants (9-4) on Saturday.

Asked if he'll remind his team to refrain from scoreboard watching this weekend, Cowher answered quickly.

"I don't have to tell them," Cowher said. "They know that."

Cowher appears to be in his "back to the basics" mode, as several Steelers players discussed last week when they were informed that they'd be practicing in full gear. The result was intense workouts and what appeared to be a more focused team in thoroughly dominating the physical Bears at snow-covered Heinz Field. Cowher plans to keep his team in full pads this week.

"We had a good week of work, and we need another good week of work," Cowher said. "There are certainly times, not all the time, but most of the time, you could say our Sunday play is a reflection of how we prepare. We'll pretty much take the same approach this week."

His approach with a member of the media was slightly different yesterday.

Cowher was in no mood for exchanges about quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's thumb injury.

The second-year quarterback sustained the injury in Week 11 against the Indianapolis Colts, but he has not missed a snap because of it. He is listed on the team's injury report as probable (which means he'll play barring a setback) for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Last Wednesday, Roethlisberger spoke of his inability to throw the ball more than 40 yards at his weekly media session in the Steelers locker room. He also said he'll need to wear a special apparatus on the thumb the rest of the season in order to play.

That's why he was somewhat irritable when KDKA's John Shumway -- who typically does not cover sports for his station but has been a regular at Cowher news conferences since Roethlisberger had arthroscopic knee surgery Nov. 3 -- attempted to get Cowher to elaborate on Roethlisberger and his thumb injury.

The first exchange occurred after Cowher spoke of the blustery conditions at Heinz Field on Sunday and how it impacted his decision to run the ball so frequently in the second half (30 times) of a 21-9 win over the Chicago Bears.

Shumway wanted to know if Roethlisberger's sore thumb also factored into Cowher's decision to run.

"No," Cowher said.

Before Shumway could complete a second question about the injury, Cowher jumped in.

"John, you gotta let that go, man," Cowher said, pleading with Shumway, who's made it a weekly rite to ask several follow-up questions on Roethlisberger, the team's marquee player. "You gotta let it go, honestly, at some point. I answered that. I'm not going to answer anymore about that. Really. Let it go.

"I mean, come on. Talk to him, I'm not going to talk about it. So don't ask me questions, you can talk to him. Let it go, John. Let it go."

Shumway continued to press, saying, "When your quarterback says he can't throw past 40 yards doesn't that effect the game planning?"

A frustrated Cowher responded in brief.

"I answered you," he said.