dan rooney on bill cowher

[tony hipchest]

adam schefter was just talking about bill parcells returning to the sidelines next year and said how he and cowher could potentially be out there.

he randomly dropped the little nugget that dan rooney said he expected cowher to return "sooner than later".

this tells me that cowher was offered the opportunity to "resign" with dignity, rather than being fired. the fact that russ or ken werent given the job, and bens recent remarks suggesting that the coaching held him back, tells me that this really is tomlins team, and the steelers philosophy of "3 yds and a cloud of dust" may officially be dead.

i asked a while back if the rooneys were married to a certain image or philosophy. (at the time i thought a "divorce" wasnt necessary). it now appears that winning is the only thing that matters. if that means putting all the pressure on a qb and finding out if hes worth the big bucks, thats the direction we are gonna go in.

if dan knows cowher didnt choose to "walk away", and since dallas already has their new head coach, it seems that the giants, cleveland, and washington will be the front runners for his services.

[Black@Gold Forever32]

Originally Posted by tony hipchest

adam schefter was just talking about bill parcells returning to the sidelines next year and said how he and cowher could potentially be out there.

he randomly dropped the little nugget that dan rooney said he expected cowher to return "sooner than later".

this tells me that cowher was offered the opportunity to "resign" with dignity, rather than being fired. the fact that russ or ken werent given the job, and bens recent remarks suggesting that the coaching held him back, tells me that this really is tomlins team, and the steelers philosophy of "3 yds and a cloud of dust" may officially be dead.

i asked a while back if the rooneys were married to a certain image or philosophy. (at the time i thought a "divorce" wasnt necessary). it now appears that winning is the only thing that matters. if that means putting all the pressure on a qb and finding out if hes worth the big bucks, thats the direction we are gonna go in.

if dan knows cowher didnt choose to "walk away", and since dallas already has their new head coach, it seems that the giants, cleveland, and washington will be the front runners for his services.

I so agree with you about Ben and putting the pressure on him. You draft a QB in the first round for a reason....So its time to find out if Ben is indeed one of the best QBs in the NFL and see he is worth of signing that big deal....Its all up to Ben now and he has no more excuses. I think he will be fine and develop into one of the best. I'm calling 30 passing TD's this year.lol

[Atlanta Dan]

I think Cowher will be back in 2009 because some team that he regards as a good fit will meet his price. The Rooneys were not going to meet that price since they pay top $ for future and not past performance (ask Faneca how that works) and, having seen how 2006 turned out with Cowher looking for the next stage of his career/life, may not have fired Cowher but were glad to see him go.

Had the Steelers not won the SB, which put Cowher in the position of wanting to try to repeat and the Rooneys being over a barrel in terms of conducting a sifting search for a new coach, I think he would have followed through on plans to take a break after 2005 - his wife clearly thought that was the deal.

10 playoff appearances, 6 AFC championship and 2 SB appearances (w/1 SB) is a great record, but if you take out the first 6 years it is a still impressive but not overwhelming record that had run its course. Both sides had the sense to realize the relationship was over.

As for why 2009 rather then 2008, I do believe Cowher is seeking to grab some family life while it is still there for him and he wants to spend some time with his last daughter at home; she graduates in 2009 and at that point Cowher will close that chapter in his life - bailing after 1 year at home might cause some real issues on the home front.

I have always thought Cowher was a natural for the inevitable LA franchise, but since that is still on hold I believe the 2 owners who will meet his price and have marquee franchises Cowher deems worthy of his talents are Jerry Jones (I think Phillips is a stop gap hire) and Danny Snyder. Gibbs going after 2007 is the one wild card that could blow up my 2009 scenario.

[HometownGal]

I don't see it that way at all, Tony, but to each his/her own! Though many people believe that the team's performance (and note I said TEAM) last season was due directly to Cowher's performance as a coach (and please keep in mind that all of the stories floating around about Cowher's "lack of interest and motivation" were simply rumors), Cowher was still, for all intents and purposes, a winner during his 15 tenure as the Steelers HC. I don't see the Rooneys wanting to fire a coach who brought them a 161-99-1 overall record, 8 division and 2 AFC Championship crowns and a Lombardi. I do believe Cowher had some issues with Art III which could have led to Cowher making a faster decision to get out of dodge, but I refuse to believe the Rooneys would look a gift horse in the mouth.

Agreed, Dan, about Ben.

[fansince'76]

Am I the only one who thinks Cowher may wind up with the Panthers? John Fox is on a warm seat that is only going to get hotter if Carolina finishes in the 7-9/8-8 neighborhood again.

[HometownGal]

Originally Posted by fansince'76

Am I the only one who thinks Cowher may wind up with the Panthers? John Fox is on a warm seat that is only going to get hotter if Carolina finishes in the 7-9/8-8 neighborhood again.

Nope - you're not. I have stated several times that if Cowher goes anywhere, it will be to the Panthers. It's a perfect fit for him at this stage in his life. He gets his bread buttered on both sides.

At least I wouldn't have to watch John Fox chawing on that gum like a cow chewing its cud. Blech.

[Atlanta Dan]

Originally Posted by fansince'76

Am I the only one who thinks Cowher may wind up with the Panthers? John Fox is on a warm seat that is only going to get hotter if Carolina finishes in the 7-9/8-8 neighborhood again.

Geographically it makes great sense, but Cowher's ego requires him to be the highest paid coach in the game when he comes back. I do not know if Carolina will lay out that kind of $$; Snyder and Jerry Jones (with a new 100,000 seat Taj Mahal to fill) will.

[RoethlisBURGHer]

I tink it was Cowher's choice,but the Rooney's didn't try to stop him.

I can see Cowher in Dallas,Cleveland,or San Diego for the 2008 or 2009 season.

Dallas: Jerry Jones will meet his asking price,and get Cowher the players he wants.I also think thier current HC is a stop gap,but will probally last beyond this season.

Cleveland: This is where he played and began his coaching career.Also,if the Rooney's did kind of force his hand,he'd love to be the coach to bring the Browns back.He knows the fierce rivalry's past,and he knows how the fans feel about each other.It would be the way to stick it to the Rooneys if they did force his hand.Romeo is on the hot seat,but I think with the draft they just had he might be given one more year to see if he can get it done with Quinn and Thomas.

San Diego: This team is set up for success.I don't think even Norv Turner can screw this team up enough to not make the playoffs.However,Turner is a stop-gap to the next HC.

The one thing all these teams have in common is that they run the 3-4 defensive scheme that Cowher has run in Pittsburgh.

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by Atlanta Dan

I think Cowher will be back in 2009 because some team that he regards as a good fit will meet his price. The Rooneys were not going to meet that price since they pay top $ for future and not past performance (ask Faneca how that works) and, having seen how 2006 turned out with Cowher looking for the next stage of his career/life, may not have fired Cowher but were glad to see him go.

Had the Steelers not won the SB, which put Cowher in the position of wanting to try to repeat and the Rooneys being over a barrel in terms of conducting a sifting search for a new coach, I think he would have followed through on plans to take a break after 2005 - his wife clearly thought that was the deal.

10 playoff appearances, 6 AFC championship and 2 SB appearances (w/1 SB) is a great record, but if you take out the first 6 years it is a still impressive but not overwhelming record that had run its course. Both sides had the sense to realize the relationship was over.

As for why 2009 rather then 2008, I do believe Cowher is seeking to grab some family life while it is still there for him and he wants to spend some time with his last daughter at home; she graduates in 2009 and at that point Cowher will close that chapter in his life - bailing after 1 year at home might cause some real issues on the home front.

I have always thought Cowher was a natural for the inevitable LA franchise, but since that is still on hold I believe the 2 owners who will meet his price and have marquee franchises Cowher deems worthy of his talents are Jerry Jones (I think Phillips is a stop gap hire) and Danny Snyder. Gibbs going after 2007 is the one wild card that could blow up my 2009 scenario.

i always thought there was no way the steelers would actually fire cowher. but im really starting to think he was nudged out the door. not to say his family time was more of a negotiating ploy rather than honest ambitions or anything, because
i think he is gonna make the most of his life at home and new tv job. but i stiil think rooney knows cowher didnt just walk away, and there is an itch that needs to be scratched.

i do think the 09 target is the most likely time for his return, but i think dan snyder and his wife (cowhers, not snyders) will have as much to do with when he returns as he does. and i think cowher has as much to do with whether joe gibbs "resigns" next season. its definitely gonna be interresting.

i cant believe im gonna say this, but if the rooneys were willing to let cowher play out his contract, it may have been a blessing in disguise that he walked this year, rather than next. we were able to land tomlin rather than the giants or some other team and i have all the confidence that it will be a good hire rather than luck if he is more than a 3 year coach (the nfl average).

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by fansince'76

Am I the only one who thinks Cowher may wind up with the Panthers? John Fox is on a warm seat that is only going to get hotter if Carolina finishes in the 7-9/8-8 neighborhood again.

ive always liked richardson as an owner and always got the feeling he models his franchise after the steelers. everything ive read, leads me to believe him and the rooneys are in good relations and always see eye to eye when it comes down to league votes.

i think fox has a long leash in carolina, much like the leash cowher was given in pittsburgh. i think the owner realizes there shortcomings were more of a matter of players rather than coaching. they have had some awful luck with keeping their players healthy in the past few years. i doubt that fox gets the ax because of that.

however, even bens accident cant be used as an excuse for an 8-8 season after a sb, especially considering how well charlie batch filled in.