The Steelers and Bengals have a storied rivalry that is filled with animosity and controversy. While recent years have seen the violence in the rivalry toned down, many fans still don’t hold much love in their hearts for Cincinnati or their players. However, former Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson may be the lone exception to this rule. While most people know Anderson as the star player for the Bengals throughout the 1970s and part of the 1980s, he was also a coach in Cincinnati from 1993-2002.
Anderson was fired after the 2002 season, and after a short stint coaching in Jacksonville, he joined the Steelers’ staff. From 2007-2009, Anderson was the team’s quarterbacks coach, helping the Steelers capture a Super Bowl in 2008. On a recent episode of the Chasing Hardware podcast, Anderson spoke very highly about his time in Pittsburgh and specifically about head coach Mike Tomlin.
”First of all, I got a lot of grief about that from people in Cincinnati, and I said I did not choose to leave the Bengals. Marvin Lewis, and rightfully so, wanted to go in another direction, and I went down for four years in Jacksonville with Jack Del Rio,” Anderson said on being fired by the Bengals and Jaguars before landing with Pittsburgh. “That didn’t work out, and I knew Bruce Arians, and I did not know Mike Tomlin. I actually got the job through Bruce’s recommendation, but I went to Pittsburgh, and Mike Tomlin is just a great guy and a great coach. I told him when I retired, ‘I wish I would’ve gotten with you when I was younger so I could’ve rode it up the stream with you’ because he was a great guy to work for. The Rooney family was great to me, and that was a lot of fun.”
Considering Anderson played in some games against the Steelers in the ‘70s that were chalk full of some downright nasty violence, it’s surprising to hear him compliment Pittsburgh so much. His high praise for Tomlin isn’t surprising given what we know about him now, but during Anderson’s time with the Steelers, Tomlin was a young head coach trying to prove himself. Tomlin doesn’t get all the credit he deserves for helping the team win Super Bowl XLIII, but it’s clear from Anderson’s perspective that he was instrumental in the team’s success.
It’s not often that you hear a Bengals player give such high praise to the Steelers, but Anderson has a unique perspective on the situation. He took plenty of beatings from the Steelers while he was playing, but his greatest success came as a member of the Steelers organization. He would retire from coaching after the 2009 season but led a storied career both on and off the field. It is nice for Steelers fans to know that one of the best players in Bengals’ history had to come to Pittsburgh to get his Super Bowl ring.
