Cowher Power!: A Pittsburgh Steeler/Alternate NFL Timeline CFM (1993-???)

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This CFM will take place on Madden 22. It will be an alternate timeline of the NFL. This is a reboot of the 93 franchise I began using a rerate roster from Teach. I opted to create a 92 roster from his 1990 roster to reboot the dynasty.

The alternate timeline will start in 1992 and feature many questions.....Can Bill Cowher win a title before Ben Roethlisberger landed in Pittsburgh as a franchise QB? Will the Bills shake off 2 straight SB losses and finally bring the Lombardi to Buffalo? Will the Triplets in Dallas cement their legacy by becoming a dynasty? Will Steve Young ever get the monkey off his back and prove the 49ers right in choosing him over Montana? Will Joe Cool have a chance to claim his 5th ring or will he retire on the Niner bench? Will Elway and Marino ever shake the "yeah, but" and add titles of their own? Will Favre become everyone's favorite gun slinger? Will the Run and Shoot survive and prove to be an offense you can win the championship with? Will guys who became all-pros or Hall of Famers develop the same? Will guys who became busts pan out this go round?

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Yearly Recaps

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Award Winners and Pro Bowlers

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Team Draft Results

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Team Yearly Stats/Rankings

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Reboot begins here

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1992 AFC Season Preview

As we enter the 1992 season the NFL enters an era of change. The NFL jump from 28 teams to 32 as new franchises will debut in Jacksonville, Charlotte, Houston, and Baltimore. To accommodate the new franchises the NFL will move to 4 divisions in each conference. An increase from 3 in prior seasons. The Seahawks will also transition from the AFC West to the NFC counterpart. Along with new teams jumping into the marathon that is the NFL journey, rules changes have been implemented to increase offensive output. Emphasis on protecting QBs, limiting contact on WRs down field, the addition of the 2 point conversion following a TD, and radio communications being placed inside of QBs helmets are all among the strategies that the NFL will look to employ. The NFL will also expand the regular season schedule to 17 games and add a 7 playoff team to each conference.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens

1991 Recap
N/A

Football is back in Baltimore! The Ravens will kick off their inaugural season with Darrell "Mouse" Davis, the god father of the Run and Shoot offense, as their head coach. Davis served as the head coach of the Knights in the WLAF during the '91 season. Before that he led the Lions offense as their OC during the '89 and '90 seasons. As the four new franchises didn't obtain NFL approval till after the draft, the Ravens hope that talent from the WLAF they have chosen to employ on their roster can keep them competitive until they begin to start draft players they believe they can build around.

Cincinnati Bengals

1991 Recap
3-13
Offense: 14th in yards/23rd in scoring
Defense: 28th in yards allowed/28th in points allowed

The Bengals will enter the 1992 campaign facing uncertainty and transition. Dave Shula enters his first season as a head coach in the NFL. He inherits former MVP QB Boomer Esiason, but the team is unsure of his trajectory. After making the pro bowl in the 1989 season he led the league in interceptions in 1990 and threw more interceptions than TDs in 1991. This uncertainty led the team to using the 6th overall pick on Houston QB Dave Klingler. That said, Esiason (31) will enter the season as the starter after a solid preseason showing in which he posted a QB rating of 84.3. The Bengals also had strong showings from their other first round pick S Darryl Williams and second round pick WR Carl Pickens. The growth of these young players will be instrumental in the transition for the Bengals as guys like Tim Krumrie and Anthony Munoz pass the torch.

Cleveland Browns

1991 Recap
6-10
Offense: 19th in yards/16th in scoring
Defense: 18th in yards allowed/14th in points allowed

Bill Belichick stepped into the role of an NFL head coach last season after helping the Giants win two super bowls as their defensive coordinator. Year 1 was filled with adversity as the team labored to a 6-10 record. The Browns lost 7 games by 7 points or less. Returning at QB is 29 year old Bernie Kosar. Kosar had a statistically strong season in 1991 as he threw for over 3,400 yards and 18 TDs to 9 INTs while posting a 62.1, a career high, completion percentage leading to a QB rating of 87.8. Kosar will have to build a rapport with his new group of WRs as many of his targets from '91 will not be with the club this season. DT Michael Dean Perry and LB Clay Matthews will look to lead Belichick's defense take a step forward under defensive coordinator Nick Saban.

Pittsburgh Steelers

1991 Recap
7-9
Offense: 20th in yards/17th in scoring
Defense: 22nd in yards allowed/22nd in points allowed

It has long been said in sports, that being the guy after a legend can be daunting. That is exactly where new head coach Bill Cowher finds himself. Cowher inherits a roster that has quality players that need to continue to develop. He also inherits play makers like OLB Greg Lloyd, who may be the most physical player in the league, and all world CB Rod Woodson. Cowher most recently served as the DC in Kansas City under Marty Schottenheimer and will lean on that expertise to build a strong unit. To lead his offense Bill Cowher brought in Ron Erhardt. Erhardt has been a part of 2 Super Bowl champions and most recently coached in 1990 when the Giants defeated the Bills for the Lombardi Trophy. The Steelers will look to employ an offense that is committed to the run and will lean on new starting RB Barry Foster to guide the run game. Foster started 9 games last season, but only totaled 96 carries on the ground while churning out 5.1 yards per carry in '91. At QB the Steelers split time between Bubby Brister and Neil O'Donnell in '91 as they both started 8 games. O'Donnell has wrestled the starting gig away from Brister and has been named the week 1 starter.

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AFC South

Indianapolis Colts

1991 Recap
1-15
Offense: 28th in yards/28th in scoring
Defense: 20th in yards allowed/26th in points allowed

The Colts finished the 1991 campaign with only 1 win and struggled to compete. Only 5 of their 15 losses were within 10 points and they employed 2 different head coaches throughout the season. Ted Marchibroda makes his return to the Colts at the age of 61. In his first stint as the franchise's head man he compiled a record 41-33 over the course of 5 seasons. Most recently he served as the OC in Buffalo and helped QB Jim Kelly orchestrate the K-Gun offense to 2 straight AFC title games. Marchibroda inherits one of the most talented arms in the NFL at the QB position. Jeff George has experienced growing pains in his first two seasons, but his arm talent has flashed on multiple occasions. The Colts hope that Marchibroda's coaching can get the George on a similar trajectory as Jim Kelly of the Bills. The Colts will use a lot of one back sets and lean on a lot of Run and Shoot principles. Defensively the Colts will continue to employ a 3-4 defense. After only recording 29 sacks on defense last season the Colts looked to bolster their pass rush by using their first pick on DL Steve Emtman. They followed up that pick by using their next two picks on the other levels of the defense. LB Quentin Coryatt and CB Ashley Ambrose.

Jacksonville Jaguars

1991 Recap
N/A


The Jacksonville Jaguars enter the 1992 season as one of the four new franchises to enter the NFL. Leading them is head coach Galen Hall. Hall most recently served as the OC for the Orlando Thunder of the WLAF. Hall has head coach experience in the college ranks as well where he compiled a 41-18-1 record at the university of Florida. Hall will look to employ the west coast offense. Leading his offense will be former Thunder QB Kirwen Bell. Bell was a former 7th round pick by the Miami Dolphins. In 1991 Bell threw for 2,214 yards and 17 TDs. On defense the Jaguars will employ a 4-3 front while trying to apply pressure with their defensive line.

Houston Oilers

1991 Recap
11-5
Offense: 2nd in yards/4th in scoring
Defense: 9th in yards allowed/6th in points allowed

The Oilers will be one of the teams that are moving to a new division this season. The Oilers join the AFC South after being crowned the last AFC Central champions ever. They are far and away the favorites to win the newly formed AFC South as they are joined by 2 expansion teams and the rebuilding Colts. Warren Moon guided the Oilers offense by throwing for 4,690 yards and 23 TDs on his way to another Pro Bowl, his 4th straight trip. One has to assume that the emphasis on increasing offensive output from a rules stand point will make the Oiler offense even more potent. The Oilers sported a stout defense in 1991 and defensive coordinator Jim Eddy will look to have his unit continue to play at a high level as the team looks to make a deeper post season run in 1992.

Houston Texans

1991 Recap
N/A

The Houston Texans are the 2nd expansion team to form the the new AFC South. Leading the Texans will be head coach Kay Stephenson. Stephenson served as the head coach of the Sacramento Surge (WLAF) during the 1991 season. His team posted a 3-7 record. Stephenson has NFL head coach experience. He served as the Bills head coach from 1983-1985. During that time he posted a 10-26 record before eventually being replaced by Marv Levy. Many around the league were very surprised by the hiring of Stephenson considering his win-loss record as a head coach. The NFL will be monitoring the fan support for the franchise. It will be interesting to see if the Texans can form a rivalry with their fellow Houston team.....and that may be one reason the NFL put them in the same division where they will play twice a year. Offensively the Texans will employ what Stephenson calls a "pass balanced" offense. Defensively they will employ a 4-3 defensive.