Cowher's tenure

[miami_fan]

Bill Cowher is ending his 14th season as head coach of the Steelers. He has not won a Super Bowl (yet?) but from all indications, Steeler ownership and Steeler fans would not trade him for anyone. I get the impression that this is something unique to that organization and that fan base. I don't think most fan bases in the NFL would not have called for his head on a platter, in order to find that coach who could get them "over the top". I don't remember any calls for Cowher's job during his tenure. You could find areas of his career that have gotten other coaches fired all over the league. Cowher has survied back to back losing seasons, getting not out of the playoffs and not winning Super Bowls. These have all been the downfall for other coaches in the NFL over the last 14 years. Why not Cowher? Recently we have heard talk about the patience Rooney have always displayed with coaches, but why haven't they and the Steeler fan base gotten caught up in the win now craze in the NFL? The Steelers fans are no less passionate than any other fan base in the NFL. I am not criticizing the Steelers. I am just wondering why they are so much the exception.

[Cuckoo]

I think it's great, and I wish more organizations were run that way. I don't have a major opinion either way on the Steelers, but the way the organization does business for the most part impresses me.

[astrosfan64]

Denver is starting to be like that with Shanahan. Granted he won some super bowls, but people have been calling for his head the last few years. (till this year).

Andy Reid lost 3 straight NFC Championships and they held onto him in Philly. By all accounts signed him to a longer deal.

Jeff Fisher in Tenn has had some rough moments, but I would be surprised to him see him fired.

I wish more teams stuck with their coaching staff also.

[Lorena]

That kind of loyal ownership is a dying breed. I wish the Chargers were like that :(

[JPhillips]

It all starts with the owner. Rooney believes in continuity and he's sold that to the fanbase. Given his results its hard to argue. They have easily been the most successful and consistent small market team in the NFL.

As a Bengals fan I hope that the Brown family will try to keep Marvin for a decade or more. Mike Brown has taken his rightful share of abuse, but I think he's been trying to find his Cowher for years. He's been loyal to almost every coach he's hired, the problem was that all of them until Lewis haven't been up to the job.

That's really what has been amazing about the Steelers. They've gotten the right guy both times. I'd be very intreested to see what would happen if they hireda poor coach.

[sterlingice]

I think if Bill Cowher went 5-11 and were fired next year, he'd easily be the hottest coaching candidate on the market unless he had looked like he had lost his mind. Only one team gets to win the Super Bowl every year and to make that the standard by which you judge your coach is unduly harsh and a case like Cowher is perfect to illustrate that.

SI

[Julio Riddols]

I dont think Bill Cowhers coaching skills should be judged in just the amount of wins he has.. His skills as a motivator make his team a constant threat regardless of talent level, and in my mind, would make him a coach I wouldn't want to lose, whether it be as a fan or an owner.. I want Marvin Lewis to stay in Cinci as long as possible, and i don't care whether his teams produce playoff caliber seasons every year.. I feel like Lewis' coaching skills are getting more refined every year as he learns new ways to deal with players and their personalities seperately... I feel like he has that team turned around based mostly on his ability to get them to play with confidence and not just fold like they used to when things went bad.

I think in that way, fans and owners alike might be more interested in keeping a coach like that that they know can produce a gem from a coal mine of talent or disarray every year rather than to take a chance on someone who may not pan out as a coach. I honestly think Cowher is better than anyone who has been available in the last few years, save two or three. Lewis is comparable in my mind.. Crennel looks like he has it, and Parcells seems to be turning a young Cowboys team in the direction of the playoffs in the next year or two.

It will be interesting to see just how long he lasts.. and I also think the league has a very high talent level as of late as far as coaches go. It seems almost like we may be headed for a period where coaches get more chances.

[larrymcg421]

I guess it's hard for people to blame him for not winning the Superbowl. They've come very close. They had no business being in that game with Dallas, but they had a shot to win it if not for Neil O' Donnell. Cowher totally outcoached Switzer in that game. He's suffered some pretty tough postseason losses, but he keeps bringing the team back.

The postseason is really tough. Sometimes there is one thing or another holding a team back every year. The important thing is to remain competitive year in and year out. If you've got a coach who can do that for a long period of time, you hold on to him.

[henry296]

Although there was a period in the late 90s where they had a couple of 7-9, 6-10 seasons and there were plenty of Steelers fans who wanted a change. They ended up letting Tom Donahue go and brought in Kevin Colbert who built this current group of Steelers that has 4 playoff appearances, 3 AFC title games and today's Super Bowl. Donahue had been with the Steelers organization longer than Cowher and they were willing to make a change in the front office.

[Hurst2112]

donahue sucked. they got that one right

[cthomer5000]

There was a point just a few years ago were there were grumblings about getting rid of Cowher. They had a few tough years before bouncing back last year.

Now, why have they retained him?

1. On-field success. Before this year, the Steelers had been in 5 AFC championship games under Cowher (this year being #6), won a number of division titles, and been a contender far more often than not.

2. Adaptability. This guy made 4 AFC championship games with Neil O'Donnell, and Kordell Stewart. There has been a constant flow of talent out of Pittsburgh into free agency over the years, and largely they've kept on rolling. (the GM deserves a great deal of credit here as well).

3. Likeability. He seems to be a prefect fit for the city and the overall Pittsburgh style of play (pound the ball all day).

4. Stability. The Rooney family clearly feels strongly about this, and i think it probably helps retain or attract players as well. If you sign a contract with Pittsburgh, you're pretty damn certain you're playing for Cowher the whole time.