Tim Benz: What was Bill Cowher's best Steelers team he ever coached? His answer is surprising.

One of the more surprising declarations in Bill Cowher’s new book “Heart and Steel” comes when the former Pittsburgh Steelers coach describes the disappointment of losing the 1997 AFC Championship game.

“That 1997 team might have been the best team we had in my 15 seasons in Pittsburgh,” Cowher wrote. “Our running game, with (Jerome Bettis) once again leading the way, was awesome. We finished with 572 rushing attempts, which was one of our highest numbers of the decade. Bettis had over 1,600 yards on the ground, and (quarterback) Kordell (Stewart) had nearly 500. We had good receivers in Yancey Thigpen and Charles Johnson; our tight end Mark Bruener was an excellent blocker. Our offensive line was rock-solid with Dermontti Dawson at center. Our defense was unbelievable.”

However, the team lost at home in the AFC Championship game to the Denver Broncos 24-21.

The 1997 team was very good. It went 11-5, won the AFC Central and was the No. 2 seed in the conference.

But the best team in Cowher’s 15 seasons? That stunned me to read because he had a Super Bowl winner in 2005 and another AFC Champion in 1995.

I’d also argue that the 15-1 (2004), 13-3 (2001) and 12-4 (1994) groups were all better than that 1997 squad. I thought all three of those clubs were going to win the AFC playoffs and go to the Super Bowl.

I didn’t think that was possible in ’97 with Stewart as a first-year starting quarterback. After all, at the start of the playoff bracket, the Steelers — as the No. 2 seed — would have had to go to Arrowhead Stadium against the 13-3 top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs if chalk held. The Chiefs had won the regular-season matchup at home 13-10 and had won six in a row to end the season.

Two of the wild cards were the 12-4 Broncos and the 11-5 Jacksonville Jaguars (who split two tough games with the Steelers that year). Then Cowher’s team barely scraped by the New England Patriots 7-6 in the divisional round.

I never allowed myself to believe that team was going to the Super Bowl until the AFC title week. Then I talked myself into it because the Steelers managed to win a 35-24 shootout against the Broncos in Pittsburgh earlier that season.

I should’ve listened to my pessimistic self.

So when Cowher joined me for Tuesday’s “Breakfast with Benz” podcast, I asked him why he was so steadfast in his belief.

“I thought we were the most balanced,” Cowher said of that team. “I thought that, defensively, we were really good. We had the right blend. Offensively, Jerome was running as well as anyone was running the football. Kordell came along in his first full season as a starter. We did a lot of different things with him. We were running no huddle and empty backfield before a lot of people were.”

OK. Fair enough. And there is a lot of truth to that statement about balance.

Defensively, the ’97 Steelers were 11th in points allowed at 19.2 per game, sixth in overall yards allowed (294.1 yards per game), 18th against the pass (211.7 yards per game) and sixth in total sacks (48). Plus, that unit was tops in the NFL against the run (82.4 yards per game).

Offensively, that edition of Cowher’s team was seventh in the NFL in total offense at 346.3 yards per game. It averaged 23.3 points per game (seventh in the NFL) and was 23rd in passing (191.4 yards per game). And they were first running the ball (154.9 yards per game).

But I think, defensively, all of those other Steelers teams were at least as good statistically if not slightly better than the ’97 bunch.

And for as good as Bettis was with 1,665 yards rushing (third in the NFL), as that AFC Championship game loss to Denver eventually proved, Stewart was very green at quarterback.

Those other editions of Cowher teams I mentioned either had a better version of Stewart (’01), Ben Roethlisberger (’04 and ’05) or Neil O’Donnell in his best season in 1995.

Kordell was flashy as a first-time starter in 1997. But he was also far from refined. And if those flaws didn’t show in the AFC title game with his three interceptions and a fumble, they may have in the Super Bowl.

Come to think of it, if Cowher was that high on that team, then I probably should’ve asked him if that game was his biggest coaching regret.

After all, the Steelers had a touchdown lead at one point in the second quarter. Bettis had 105 yards on just 23 carries. So should Cowher have run the ball more instead of entrusting Stewart to throw 36 times, which resulted in three interceptions and one fumble?

I mean, we all know the answer. But I still should’ve asked.

Yes. That club was good. I wouldn’t rate it any higher than sixth out of Cowher’s 15, though.

Even though the 2005 team probably wasn’t Cowher’s “best” team, it won the Super Bowl. Roethlisberger was evolving as a passer, and I think all the injuries in the early and middle parts of the year made that 11-5 record deceptively low.

After that my rankings would go like this:

2. 2004 team

3. 1994 team

4. 1995 team

5. 2001 team

6. 1997 team

Argue amongst yourselves in the comments section. I’ll be over here watching Stewart get picked off by Allen Aldridge in the end zone.

Bill Romanowski was right. What were you thinking, Kordell?!

Listen: Tim Benz speaks with former Steelers coach Bill Cowher about his new book and thoughts on the Steelers now