Steelers to Wear Sunday Whites

To Coach Bill Cowher, the Pittsburgh Steelers simply look right in white.

The Steelers will wear their white road jerseys in the Super Bowl against Seattle, even though they were designated by the NFL as the home team and could have worn their black jerseys and gold pants, which is their traditional look.

Said Cowher, who made the decision alone: “We’re not playing at Heinz Field so, in my mind, it’s an away game.”

The Steelers’ success as a road team no doubt factored into Cowher’s decision to wear white for the fourth consecutive game. The Steelers won in successive weeks at Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver.

Their choice will put the Seahawks in their metallic blue jerseys. They were 10-0 in the regular season and playoffs while wearing blue at home, but were 0-2 away from Qwest Field with them.

Cowher became perplexed at the constant questioning about the issue at his weekly news conference, saying, “You want to know what shoes I’m wearing too?”

“I didn’t think it was that big a deal what jersey color you’re wearing,” Cowher said. “Maybe that’s just me, OK? To me, if you’re not playing at Heinz Field it’s an away game. I think anyone can understand that rationale. If it’s a sensitive issue to people, I’m sorry.”

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Seahawk running back Shaun Alexander was relaxing in front of his television when a face from the team’s middling past appeared on the screen: Tim Brown, now retired after 16 seasons with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders.

From 1988 to 2002, Brown and the Raiders won 17 of 29 games against the Seahawks, who were still in the AFC West. Brown is now a TV commentator.

“He said, ‘I love the Seahawks. I love what they do. But I have beaten them so many times, I just can’t pick them,’ ” Alexander said.

That perception helps explains why Seattle (15-3), the NFC’s top-seeded team, is a four-point underdog against the Steelers (14-5), the AFC’s sixth-seeded team.

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SUPER BOWL XL

Pittsburgh Steelers (14-5)

vs. Seattle Seahawks (15-3)

Feb. 5, 3:15 p.m. PST, Channel 7

at Ford Field, Detroit