When the Pittsburgh Steelers played the New England Patriots in the playoffs (and in most regular-season instances), heartbreak followed. It was the “Evil Empire” of Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Rodney Harrison, and others consistently blocking the Steelers’ path to the Super Bowl, Pittsburgh only making a run when it could avoid the Patriots in postseason play.
But the forgotten man who helped shape and run the organization was Ernie Adams. Belichick’s right-hand man, Adams’ official title was Football Research. But he worked in tandem with Belichick to build the roster and the game plan. Appearing on Julian Edelman’s Games with Names podcast Tuesday, Adams remembered the team’s 2001 Super Bowl run, which included beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game.