Report: Cowher unlikely to coach in 2010
Posted by Anthony Stalter (01/04/2010 @ 4:30 pm)
According to a report by ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, former Steelers’ head coach Bill Cowher is unlikely to return to the sidelines in 2010.
Despite being part of a meeting with the Buffalo Bills last week, it does not appear as if Bill Cowher will coach in the NFL next season, a source close to the situation told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Sources recently told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen it is believed that owner Ralph Wilson Jr. and team president Russ Brandon met last week with Cowher to gauge his potential interest in returning to coaching.
Cowher reiterated on CBS’ “The NFL Today” on Sunday that he is “not going to talk about any jobs during the regular season.”
The Bills also met with Mike Shanahan after Dick Jauron was fired in November.
I wonder how much this has to do with the job openings that are immediately available to Cowher. It appears that Mike Shanahan is headed for Washington, so with that job off the market Cowher is left with Buffalo and maybe Tampa Bay as choices. He’s been linked to the Panthers in years past, but Carolina has already publicly stated that John Fox and his staff will be back in 2010.
Who knows though – things could change quickly. It’s the first day after the regular season, so more firings could be coming soon. I wonder if the Bears’ job could entice Cowher if Chicago decides to part ways with Lovie Smith (and the McCaskeys open up their wallets, of course).
Report: Cowher interested in Bills job
Posted by Anthony Stalter (12/30/2009 @ 11:30 am)
According to Buffalo Sports Daily, former Pittsburgh head coach Bill Cowher is interested in the Bills’ open coaching position.
Capaccio, who was broadcasting live his UStream “Buffalo Bills Now!” show Tuesday evening when an excessive amount of listeners forced the site to crash, spoke with me moments ago by telephone.
The source, which Capaccio says is not someone inside the Buffalo Bills organization but rather a source who knows Cowher, says that “I wouldn’t be surprised if they are talking today.”
He went on to mention Cowher will continue to monitor other situations, most notably Tampa Bay and Carolina, but in no way, shape or form has he written off Buffalo as a possible destination. This contradicts several reports that claim Cowher has snubbed the Bills in their efforts to pursue him.
He also went on to say Cowher wouldn’t necessarily demand a general manager role and/or complete control of the team, provided the right people were in place for him to work with.
Cowher would spurn all other offers to coach in Buffalo and wouldn’t want complete control of the team in the process? That’s certainly thinking outside the box.
With the regular season coming to an end, I’m sure we’ll hear more reports and rumors like the one above. Half the league has been out of playoff contention for weeks and head coaching rumors are about the only hot news some teams have. I highly doubt “The Chin” would want to coach the Bills if he didn’t have complete control of the team (and why wouldn’t the Bills want to give him complete control?), but hey, you never know.
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Report: Bears reached out to Bill Cowher
Posted by Anthony Stalter (11/30/2009 @ 4:30 pm)
According to 670 The Score’s Hub Arkush, the Bears reached out to Bill Cowher in order to gauge his interest in the team’s head-coaching job should Lovie Smith be fired at the end of the season.
On today’s pregame show on the Score, Hub clarified this point, saying that it wasn’t multiple free agent coaches but one in particular – former Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher.
The Bears have denied the report, but Hub stands by the story and calls his source impeccable.
This is an interesting rumor because the Bears have highly been regarded as a cheap organization that refuses to open its wallet in order to attract high-profile coaching candidates. But considering the team traded away two first round draft picks in order to acquire quarterback Jay Cutler, maybe the front office finally realizes the need for a marquee head coach like “The Chin” in order for it to make another Super Bowl run.
Just a few weeks ago, it appeared that Smith’s job was safe for now and next season. But given the ass kicking Chicago received in Minnesota on Sunday (along with their general poor play throughout the year), maybe the Bears have realized that Smith is a lost cause.
Cowher has said that he won’t talk to any team until after the season, but if he thinks Chicago is a good fit for him, then maybe he’ll make an exception.
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Bill Cowher turns down Bills
Posted by Anthony Stalter (11/24/2009 @ 11:00 am)
According to the Buffalo News, Bill Cowher told the Bills that he isn’t interested in interviewing with the team at this time.
Apparently, he wants to wait until end of season before considering his options. But the refusal would seem to take him out of the running for the Bills.
The Bills are expected to sit down with former Denver coach Mike Shanahan within a week.
Their pursuit of the two high-profile coaching names is proof that Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. is willing to break with his tradition of hiring modestly-priced head coaches.
It’s good that Wilson is doing his due-diligence when it comes to seeking a replacement head coach. He needs to aim high and hopefully he’ll land one of the marquee names that won’t just be a great head coach, but someone that can also rebuild the franchise from the ground up.
It’ll be extremely interesting to see where Cowher winds up next season if he does decide to coach. Does he want a project like the Bills or Browns? Or does he want to step into a situation where the team already has its roster set, but just needs more on-field direction like in Dallas? Time will tell.
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Firing Mike Shanahan: The Aftermath
Posted by Anthony Stalter (12/31/2008 @ 10:05 am)
Here’s a look at what some columnists are saying in the wake of the Denver Broncos firing head coach Mike Shanahan:
– With Shanahan out of the picture, Dave Kreiger speculates that the Broncos could turn to John Elway as their next head coach. (Rocky Mountain News)
– Jason Cole notes that Shanahan would be a perfect fit for the dysfunctional Dallas Cowboys. (Yahoo! Sports)
– Woody Paige throws out the names of Bill Parcells, Bill Cowher, Steve Spagnuolo, Jim Schwartz, Rex Ryan, Raheem Morris, Josh McDaniels, Mike Leach and Pete Carroll as possible replacements for Shanahan. (Denver Post)
– Tom Curran writes rather bluntly: Shanahan deserved to be fired. (NBC Sports)
– Arash Markazi writes that Shanahan is currently unemployed because in the end, he couldn’t meet his own goals. (SI.com)
Posted in: NFL
Tags: Bill Cowher, Bill Parcells, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Mike Leach, Mike Shanahan, Mike Shanahan fired, New York Jets, NFL head coaching firings, Pete Carroll
