dan rooney on bill cowher

[drew102e]

Originally Posted by TackleMeBen

maybe we should have just gave ben the year off and let charlie play, maybe then we could have been in the playoffs.

at least the friggin raiders game...then we would have ben in playoffs cause of the tie breaker with KC, but hindsight is 20/20

[drew102e]

Originally Posted by delhess

how would we, as fans, feel about cowher going to cleveland next year? i don't know if i could cheer against him. that's like george bush joining al-quida!

or GW bush joining Mensa, it just doesnt make sense does it

[fansince'76]

Originally Posted by drew102e

or GW bush joining Mensa, it just doesnt make sense does it

You have to admit it would make the rivalry much more interesting.

[Preacher]

Let me throw in two teams that no one has discussed... as um.. darkhorse teams.

1. Seattle. Regionally it is very different. However, Seattle does NOT have a history of coaches staying for a long time. If Seattle has one or two mediocre seasons, the coach will be gone. he has been there quite a while for Seattle standards.

2. Tampa Bay. Tampa wants a strong Defensive team. They have gone WAY downhill, after getting a taste of winning. Expect them to make a move to a winning coach with a strong defensive mind. And don't forget the Pittsburgh connection with Tampa... it was Tony Dungy who brought that team all thier success.

[yinzer-inseattle]

Originally Posted by Preacher

Let me throw in two teams that no one has discussed... as um.. darkhorse teams.

1. Seattle. Regionally it is very different. However, Seattle does NOT have a history of coaches staying for a long time. If Seattle has one or two mediocre seasons, the coach will be gone. he has been there quite a while for Seattle standards.

2. Tampa Bay. Tampa wants a strong Defensive team. They have gone WAY downhill, after getting a taste of winning. Expect them to make a move to a winning coach with a strong defensive mind. And don't forget the Pittsburgh connection with Tampa... it was Tony Dungy who brought that team all thier success.

I really think Kay's got Bill by the nose. I'd be shocked if he coached anywhere more than an hour flight from raleigh-durham. The Panthers, Chiefs, Redskins and Giants would be my gueses (in that order).

[DACEB]

I would love to see Cowher go to Cleveland, that way we could beat the snot out of him year in and year out.

I think Cowher was a very good coach for us, but great?? I don't think so. I think he showed great promise taking the team to the SB in his 3rd season, but in the end he was just like Marty his mentor. I know there is alot of love for Cowher but really one SB win in 15 years and losing 2 AFC championship games at home is inexcusable.

There are many who doubt coach Tomlin, I do not. I would love to see Cowher in Cleveland just to prove to the doubters who the better coach is, which I believe will be Tomlin.

Before everyone gets all crazy defending Cowher, ask yourself do you expect to win more than 1 SB in 15 years no matter who the coach is? I do! If that doesn't work try to remember how you felt after those two loses to the Pats! 'F**king Cowher that choker' never crossed your mind or came out of your mouth.

Come home to Cleveland Bill, we're all waiting!!!

[Atlanta Dan]

Originally Posted by DACEB

Before everyone gets all crazy defending Cowher, ask yourself do you expect to win more than 1 SB in 15 years no matter who the coach is? I do! If that doesn't work try to remember how you felt after those two loses to the Pats! 'F**king Cowher that choker' never crossed your mind or came out of your mouth.

Seeing as there are 32 teams, winning one SB every 15 years works out to twice as many as arguably should be expected, especially for a small market team that cannot spend its way out of personnel mistakes.

Cowher was not Lombardi, Noll or Walsh, but ask Lions or Falcons fans (to use two examples) if they would take his record over what they have been served up for the last 15 years.

I hope Tomlin works out and certainly had issues with the 2006 model of Cowher, but for everyone who regards his departure as an unqualified blessing, be careful what you wish for. If Tomlin was told today he would have Cowher's record over the next 15 years I bet he would take it in a heartbeat.

P.S. - he lost 4 home AFC championship games, but I admit 2 would have been bad enough.

[Livinginthe past]

Originally Posted by DACEB

I would love to see Cowher go to Cleveland, that way we could beat the snot out of him year in and year out.

I think Cowher was a very good coach for us, but great?? I don't think so. I think he showed great promise taking the team to the SB in his 3rd season, but in the end he was just like Marty his mentor. I know there is alot of love for Cowher but really one SB win in 15 years and losing 2 AFC championship games at home is inexcusable.

There are many who doubt coach Tomlin, I do not. I would love to see Cowher in Cleveland just to prove to the doubters who the better coach is, which I believe will be Tomlin.

Before everyone gets all crazy defending Cowher, ask yourself do you expect to win more than 1 SB in 15 years no matter who the coach is? I do! If that doesn't work try to remember how you felt after those two loses to the Pats! 'F**king Cowher that choker' never crossed your mind or came out of your mouth.

Come home to Cleveland Bill, we're all waiting!!!

The thing is Cowher would almost certainly make the Browns very competitve in the AFCN - and thats with the bengals and Ravens already looking like tough opposition.

Sure, Cowher may have been outcoached in the AFCCG a couple of times but when it comes to building a fundamentally sound team Cowher would be near the top of my list (along with Belichick and Parcells).

Cowher to the Browns can only have negative connotations - mainly because Cleveland has nowhere to go but up.

[DACEB]

Originally Posted by Atlanta Dan

Seeing as there are 32 teams, winning one SB every 15 years works out to twice as many as arguably should be expected, especially for a small market team that cannot spend its way out of personnel mistakes.

If Tomlin was told today he would have Cowher's record over the next 15 years I bet he would take it in a heartbeat.

P.S. - he lost 4 home AFC championship games, but I admit 2 would have been bad enough.

Your absolutely right Atlanta Dan. But considering I grew up as a child with the Steelers winning 4 SBs in the '70s and add to that we had a great oppurtunity to win 5 more in the 15 years under Cowher, I think we all expect more.

I also agree that coach Tomlin would love to have Cowhers overall record for 15 years. I would have to say though that even with our limited experience with coach Tomlin, he would be quick to say that 4 AFCCG losses (especially at home) is unexceptable. Let me ask this question. If coach Tomlin were to lose his job after his contract is up and the Rooneys wanted to hire Marty Shottenhiemer, how would you feel??

P.S. Seeing as I am from Mass. the 2 AFCCG against the Pats sting the most. We should have easily beaten S.D. (I remember that, '93 season right?). I can't remember the 4th for the life of me.

[Atlanta Dan]

Originally Posted by DACEB

P.S. Seeing as I am from Mass. the 2 AFCCG against the Pats sting the most. We should have easily beaten S.D. (I remember that, '93 season right?). I can't remember the 4th for the life of me.

The fourth loss was Denver (24-21). I recall 2 specific incidents in that game that can be tied to coaching - having Kordell throw up an end zone INT when the Steelers were pounding the ball late in the 2nd Q and then not running out the clock and giving Elway the ball back for another score to end the first half. That flipped a 4 point lead to a 10 point deficit.

The difference between Cowher and Marty is that Marty usually flames out in the first round.
I agree a 1-4 record in home AFC championship games is unacceptable, but when the QBs were O'Donnell, Kordell, and a rookie Ben in those losses the question becomes how much of those losses are attributed to being outcoached and how much to not having a top shelf QB. Noll was a lot more successful coach when he had Bradshaw, Shanahan was more successful when he had Elway, and Belichick has done a lot better with Brady rather than Testaverde under center.