PITTSBURGH - Steelers Coach Bill Cowher made a surprise addition to the injury report for Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers when he listed defensive back Ricardo Colclough as “questionable.”Virtually every player on the team has been sidelined the past several days with illness. "Practically the entire team has caught a bug," said Coach Bill Cowher. "Except the receivers, who can't catch anything." But Colclough was considered fine until today.
Colclough fumbled a punt in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' last game against Cincinnati. The miscue led to a Bengals touchdown, and was widely considered the turning point in a winnable game that the Steelers ended up losing.
Speaking to reporters at his weekly press conference, Cowher said Colclough's injury was “a freak thing” that could have been caused by “any number of factors." The coach added matter-of-factly: "But it was probably the result of me choking him.”
When asked about the incident, Cowher offered the following explanation: “I know that after the last game I said that nobody felt worse than Ricardo about fumbling that punt and costing us the game. But after reflecting on the matter during our bye week, I was forced to conclude that there was somebody who felt worse than Ricardo. And that somebody was me.”
Cowher said he has always taken a hands-on approach to coaching, but that this was the first time this approach resulted in a player losing consciousness.
“I just wanted Ricardo to know that when you hold on to something, you can’t let it slip out of your grasp,” said Cowher. “I realize now that I should have used a football to illustrate my point instead of his Adam’s apple.”
