Tag: Bill Cowher (Page 4 of 4)

      Cower to the Jets?

      December 23, 2008 /

      Bob Glauber of Newsday writes that if the Jets fire head coach Eric Mangini that they should pursue Bill Cowher.

      What better coach to replace him than Cowher, a perennial winner with the Steelers who captured Super Bowl XL after the 2005 season, then stepped away a year later. Cowher was 166-99-1 during his run with the Steelers from 1992-2006 and consistently was one of the top coaches in the league. In his 15 seasons, the Steelers won eight division titles, went to the playoffs 10 times, played 21 postseason games, made the AFC Championship Game six times and played in two Super Bowls, winning one.

      Playoff disappointments? Sure. But I’d take that resume any day to lead a Jets team sorely in need of an elite coach to push it in the right direction.

      Cowher is just the kind of emotional sparkplug the Jets need, a guy who will get in players’ faces the way few coaches can. He’s a major contrast with the placid Mangini, who too often shows no emotion in a game that thrives on it. If players reflect the personality of their coach, then the Jets have adopted Mangini’s flat-line temperament.

      What concept – hire the best head coach available to replace the deadbeat that currently holds the position. This is a nice idea, but unfortunately for Glauber and the Jets, the Browns, Rams and every other team that is soon to have a head coaching vacancy is thinking the same thing.

      If (and that’s a big if) Cowher decides to come out of retirement and return to the NFL, he’s going to want complete control. The situation is going to have to be perfect and I just don’t know if the Jets or Browns job will entice him enough to return.

      NFL

      Shaw criticizes the idea of Browns hiring Schottenheimer

      December 10, 2008 /

      Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that the Browns would only essentially be applying a band-aid fix to their soon-to-be head coaching vacancy by hiring Marty Schottenheimer.

      Romeo CrennelIn fact, it sounds exactly like something Lerner would do if he can’t land Cowher and that’s what should concern you. It would be taking the easy way out. Hire a coach with experience primarily because the last one you hired had never been a head coach and it showed.

      But with Schottenheimer, all you’d be doing is rinsing and repeating two or three years from now.

      Maybe Lerner wants a quick turnaround so he can sell. But that kind of short-term thinking doesn’t do Browns fans any good.

      If you make the right choice based on a wide knowledge of the coaching talent around the league, it makes it easier to ride out the bumps. In picking Crennel from New England and Savage from Baltimore, Lerner was intent on borrowing from successful organizations. But within a year he was ready to fire Savage and had serious concerns about Crennel.

      Getting the right people is what’s most important, not taking one from Column A and one from Column B as if you’re ordering in Chinese.

      This next hire demands foresight. Sorry, that’s not Marty Schottenheimer, whose time here came and went 20 years ago.

      What’s ironic about Shaw’s criticisms of Lerner “borrowing from successful organizations” is that Shaw goes on to note that the Ravens were wise in taking a chance on John Harbaugh, who came from Philadelphia…a successful organization.

      As I wrote when the news first broke, the Browns could do a lot worse than Marty Schottenheimer – a lot worse. Would he be a band-aid fix? Yeah, probably. It’s Lerner and Savage’s responsibility then to make sure that Schottenheimer’s eventual replacement is already on staff so when it’s time to move on, you already have someone familiar with the organization and the direction it wants to go in. Don’t just write off Schottenheimer because he’s not a long-term answer. Bring him in to establish structure and to get his players to believe in a system and then make a transition to one of his coordinators that could be a long-term solution.

      I say this assuming the Browns can’t land Cowher. Because if they can, than clearly he’s the ideal choice.

      NFL

      Titans win AFC South – Browns interested in Marty Schottenheimer

      December 7, 2008 /

      The Tennessee Titans became the first team to win their division after beating the Cleveland Browns 28-9 on Sunday. Unless you want to break down Ken Dorsey’s passing chart, there’s really not much to discuss regarding this game, although Titans’ RB Chris Johnson made another case to win Rookie of the Year after rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown.

      The most significant news regarding this matchup is that the Browns are apparently interested in former San Diego Charger head coach Marty Schottenheimer.

      Chris JohnsonThe Cleveland Browns are formulating a plan that ultimately could lead to the return of Marty Schottenheimer as their coach for the 2009 season, according to sources.
      The Browns would also be open to considering Bill Cowher if he sends stronger signals that he’s ready to return, the sources said.

      The Browns plan to fire coach Romeo Crennel after a disappointing year, regardless of injuries the team has suffered, the sources said. Pubicly, owner Randy Lerner has only said he will evaluate Crennel after the season.

      Schottenheimer was the Browns’ defensive coordinator under Sam Rutigliano in 1980 but took over as head coach when Rutigliano was fired midway through the 1984 season. Schottenheimer had a 44-27 record with the Browns, won three divisional titles, had four playoff appearances and two AFC Championship Game appearances before he was fired by owner Art Modell.

      Schottenheimer might not be as sexy a name as Cowher, but he’s a proven winner and the guy has a history of turning around morbid franchises like the Browns. Cleveland needs structure and they need a coach to get the players to buy into a system. Schottenheimer can do both of those things and over time, he could probably build a winner, too. Granted, he doesn’t come without his flaws, but the Browns could do a hell of a lot worse than Schottenheimer if they can’t convince Cowher to come out of retirement.

      Fantasy Football, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Source: Browns pursuing Bill Cowher

      November 21, 2008 /

      A source has told ProFootballTalk.com that the Cleveland Browns are pursuing Bill Cowher to possibly become their next head coach.

      Bill CowherPer the source, the Browns are willing to give Cowher a contract worth $8 million to $9 million per year.

      Presumably, Cowher’s arrival would occur only if G.M. Phil Savage were fired or significantly marginalized. (Maybe Savage can go work for the Bills — or if all else fails he can root for them.) Cowher would want final say over personnel, and Cowher would want to install one or more of his former Steelers colleagues into key positions.

      Likely candidates, if they can finagle a path out of Pittsburgh, would be director of football operations Kevin Colbert and/or director of business operations Omar Khan.

      Cowher played for the Browns (i.e., Ravens) from 1980 through 1982, and he served as special teams coach in 1985 and 1986. He was moved to defensive backs coach in 1987, and he remained in that position through 1988.

      This is obviously interesting news but keep in mind the source. PFT rarely (if ever) reveals their sources and I’m not so sure they don’t make 50% of their stories up. And how convenient is it that they released this story the same day word surfaced that current Browns’ GM Phil Savage sent a Bills’ fan an e-mail with the words “F&*% You” in it?

      I don’t want to dash any hopes for Browns fans because the story might be 100% accurate, but I’m going to wait until a more reputable sports site does a follow up.

      NFL

      NFL News & Notes: McNabb practices for Eagles

      September 26, 2008 /

      – RB Brian Westbrook and TE L.J. Smith once again did not practice for the Eagles on Friday, but QB Donovan McNabb did. It looks more and more likely that Westbrook and Smith will not play against the Bears Sunday night, but now that he’s practiced, McNabb of course will. (PhiladelphiaEagles.com)

      Adrian Peterson– The Minnesota Vikings have listed RB Adrian Peterson as questionable for Sunday’s game at Tennessee. Peterson is battling a hamstring injury, but he was listed as questionable last week against Carolina and still played significant time so he’s like to start against the Titans. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

      – New Orleans Saints’ head coach Sean Payton said Friday that the team could expect to have TE Jeremy Shockey back by Week 6. Despite several reports, Shockey doesn’t have a sports hernia and Payton noted that his tight end feels “comfortable” again. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

      – Jerry Porter is reportedly set to make his debut this weekend for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Porter has dealt with a hamstring injury since arriving from Oakland in the offseason, but would provide the Jags’ passing game with a much-needed boost if he can play Sunday against the Texans. (Jaguars.com)

      – Retired Bill Cowher told NFL Network’s Adam Schefter that he will not coach in 2009 and that the earliest he could see himself returning to the sidelines would be 2010. (NFL.com)

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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