10 years ago: The 1997 Steelers

[Lord Stiller]

Originally Posted by BlastFurnace

The 1999 draft still marks the angriest I have ever been at the Steelers during draft day when they passed on Kearse for Edwards.

Yeah but we did get Porter and Aaron Smith later in that draft.

I was most angry when we passed on Urlacher to draft Burress (Urlacher was taken the very next pick)

[OX1947]

The Steelers lost so many players to free agency during the last half of the 90's, it finally caught up with them those 3 years they didn't make the playoffs. I do not think it was so much decisions although those decisions were magnified a little more because of the losing. But losing that much talent finally overwhelmed the team and having a couple of bad draft picks made it look worse. Whats funny is, even with those 3 years of not making the playoffs, Steelers still have the best record in football since 1992. I just wish we could have had Neil get one more drive in him in SB XXX. That would have been a perfect tenure for Cowher had that happened....

[Steel Pit]

Originally Posted by Atlanta Dan

The decline of that team after 1997 illustrates 2 points: coaching matters and don't let the players dictate hiring deisions.

IMO Kordell's skills and flaws would have been better handled if Chan Gailey would have remained as offensive coordinator through at least 1998.

Instead, Gailey became HC of the Cowboys and Kordell allegedly was given input into the decision to hire the infamous Ray Sherman as O-coordinator. Sherman was so bad that Cowher stripped him of play calling responsibilities before firing him at the end of only one season. Then it was on to Kevin Gilbride trying to turn Stewart into a pocket passer and the team becoming so bad that Cowher almost lost his job after the 1999 season. Whiel Kordell had a very good 2001 regular season, his confidence & mechanics were shot.

A similar inmates running the asylum downward spiral quite possibly would have resulted if Grimm would have been hired over Tomlin.

Cowher stripped "ALL" of his coordinators of play calling responsibilities at one time or another during their tenures. If you watch the NFL Films-sideline footage from Super Bowl XXX, you'll notice that Cowher snubbed Earhardt and radio communicated with WR's coach, Chan Gailey, during crucial points in the game.

Being from London, Ohio and knowing Dick LeBeau's brother, I can also tell you that Cowher used to overrule about 50% of LeBeau's calls. Many players have since stated that LeBeau is no longer "handcuffed" as he was with Cowher.

You are right though, Sherman was the absolute WORST offensive coordinator ever but Cowher can also be described as a dictator.

[BlastFurnace]

Originally Posted by Steel Pit

Cowher stripped "ALL" of his coordinators of play calling responsibilities at one time or another during their tenures. If you watch the NFL Films-sideline footage from Super Bowl XXX, you'll notice that Cowher snubbed Earhardt and radio communicated with WR's coach, Chan Gailey, during crucial points in the game.

Being from London, Ohio and knowing Dick LeBeau's brother, I can also tell you that Cowher used to overrule about 50% of LeBeau's calls. Many players have since stated that LeBeau is no longer "handcuffed" as he was with Cowher.

You are right though, Sherman was the absolute WORST offensive coordinator ever but Cowher can also be described as a dictator.

I had heard that LeBeau left partly because of Cowher's overruling of the playcalling. Cowher was a heck of a coach, but there are plenty of stories....or I should say rumors....that was could be overbearing at times with his assistants.

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by Steel Pit

Being from London, Ohio and knowing Dick LeBeau's brother, I can also tell you that Cowher used to overrule about 50% of LeBeau's calls. Many players have since stated that LeBeau is no longer "handcuffed" as he was with Cowher.

You are right though, Sherman was the absolute WORST offensive coordinator ever but Cowher can also be described as a dictator.

its like tomlin quickly saw as good as d. lebeau, the legend, was, he would be even better if he were allowed to run his own show as DC. lebeau seems born again, and tomlin is learning the steeler way of defense from an old master.

the best part of 97 against denver was l. kirklands interception of elway in the 1st quarter. i knew it was over then.

....and then elway to shannon sharpe on 3rd and 6 was the worst. despite kordell, that game was in our hands.

[Atlanta Dan]

Originally Posted by Steel Pit

Cowher stripped "ALL" of his coordinators of play calling responsibilities at one time or another during their tenures. If you watch the NFL Films-sideline footage from Super Bowl XXX, you'll notice that Cowher snubbed Earhardt and radio communicated with WR's coach, Chan Gailey, during crucial points in the game.

Being from London, Ohio and knowing Dick LeBeau's brother, I can also tell you that Cowher used to overrule about 50% of LeBeau's calls. Many players have since stated that LeBeau is no longer "handcuffed" as he was with Cowher.

You are right though, Sherman was the absolute WORST offensive coordinator ever but Cowher can also be described as a dictator.

Oh yeah- Cowher was hell on his assistants, especially in the earlier years, starting with 2 assistants he canned after the 1993 playoff loss to the Chiefs.

Cowher fell in love with Gailey's more wide open approach during the 1995 season and canned Erhardt at the end of the season so he could keep Gailey as the new O-coordinator. Other coaches (special teams ace Bobby April and LeBeau) took lateral jobs with other teams in the mid-1990s because Cowher was such a bastard. Getting LeBeau back from Buffalo after Tim Lewis was the ritual human sacrifice for the 2003 season was surprising, since Cowher & LeBeau definitely were not close.

[Godfather]

Anyone else remember the Bubthumper song they did that year?

[Elvis]

Originally Posted by SCSTILLER

Isn't that the truth. That is when I became a Steelers fan. Good old Bubby Brister and his mom constantly on TV. Never considered cheering for another team though, my family would killed me.

A friend and myself had a conversation about Bubby one day this past week and I was telling him how much I liked Bubby, he didnt understand why. He was just fiery and just seemed like he would have been a great leader in a battle somewhere. Those years were marred' with the bad drafts that included No. 1 picks
RB Tim Worley Georgia
and
OT Tom Ricketts
You just cant draft like that and expect to be competitive
every year. But I made it through all those years including every sunday wondering why the Steelers kept starting
Mark Malone!!!!!!

[Galax Steeler]

Some of these stories bring back bad memories.

[SteelersMongol]

I know that you guys probably gonna laugh but one of the reasons that I liked the Steelers was the guy in #10 jersey back in the 1997 when I was watching the highlights by accident. And I know you guys know way far a lot about Kordell than me but I just can't dislike him.