Bill Cowher officially gone

[Dward00]

Cowher expected to step down Friday
Steelers plan to immediately begin search for coach
Posted: Thursday January 4, 2007 7:40PM; Updated: Friday January 5, 2007 2:41AM


PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Bill Cowher is returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers -- to say goodbye.

The Steelers will begin a coaching search Friday to replace the departing Cowher, a person familiar with Cowher's status said Thursday night. Cowher called owner Dan Rooney on Thursday to tell him of his decision, and the team announced a Friday news conference not long after that. Cowher is expected to attend.

The 49-year-old Cowher, one of the NFL's most recognizable faces and most successful coaches for 15 seasons, has weighed resigning since shortly after the Steelers finally won the Super Bowl in February following numerous near misses.

Cowher has talked of wanting to spend more time with his family, especially now that they are living in a new home in Raleigh, N.C., where he and wife Kaye attended North Carolina State. Cowher's two oldest daughters are at Princeton and the youngest has only 21/2 years of high school remaining, time Cowher apparently doesn't want to spend away from her.

While Cowher would be resigning with one season left on his contract, there is no indication he would retire from pro football. He said recently he is not close to being burned out, and still likes coaching and dealing with players.

Cowher, who led the Steelers to the playoffs 10 times, the AFC title game six times and the Super Bowl twice, met with Rooney and team president Art Rooney II on Tuesday and asked for several days to weigh his future plans. There was an understanding a decision would be made quickly because the Steelers don't want any top candidates accepting other jobs before talking to them.

While the Steelers would have given Cowher until next week to make up his mind, he decided not to make them wait and called Dan Rooney on Thursday.

Two strong contenders to replace Cowher -- Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and offensive line coach Russ Grimm -- already are in place and are interviewing with other teams. The team would interview at least one minority candidate, possibly more, and talk with several candidates outside the organization.

The Steelers were willing to give Cowher some time following a disappointing 8-8 season to get away from the team, but felt they couldn't wait much longer with the Falcons, Cardinals and Dolphins already seeking coaches. The Falcons interviewed Whisenhunt on Thursday, and the Cardinals plan to interview both Whisenhunt and Grimm.

There have been numerous signs pointing to Cowher's departure, beginning when he told the team last spring he was uncertain of his plans past this season. Contract extension talks last summer did not progress past the preliminary stage.

Also, his season-ending meetings Monday with his players, which often last hours and hours, were much shorter than usual. No players were seen in the Steelers' complex past mid-afternoon and Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca said it was obvious Cowher looked ready to leave.

The Steelers gave Cowher the option of returning next season and completing his current contract, but that arrangement would probably not satisfy either side.

Cowher, if he coaches again, has signaled he wants to be one of the league's highest-paid coaches. His current $4 million-plus salary is about half that of Mike Holmgren, whose Seahawks lost to the Steelers in the Super Bowl last season. The Steelers have given no indication they are willing to pay any coach an $8 million salary.

The Steelers also wouldn't welcome a lame-duck coaching situation because it would create a season-long distraction, and ongoing speculation about who Cowher's successor would be.

Cowher is the NFL's longest-tenured coach with his current team; Tennessee's Jeff Fisher, with 13 seasons, is second. Cowher, a former Pittsburgh area high school player, is third among active coaches in regular-season victories with a 149-90-1 record, and fourth overall with a 161-99-1 record counting postseason games.

If he wants to return to a sideline immediately, with another team and at a much higher salary, that team would have to work out compensation with the Steelers because Cowher is under contract for 2007. But several players said they were certain that if Cowher didn't coach the Steelers next season, he would not coach any team.

A Steelers head coaching search is one of the NFL's rarest events. This would be only the second time since 1969, when Hall of Famer Chuck Noll began a 23-season run, they have sought a coach. By contrast, the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts have had 15 coaches during that span, including interim coaches.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


:band:

[Dward00]

Eight Reasons Bill Cowher Is Leaving the Steelers


1. The Rooneys don't pay. Sure, Cowher could have gotten a nice extension in Pittsburgh, but he wants to be paid like one of the best coaches in the business and it wasn't going to happen in Pittsburgh.

2. His daughters can ball. Two of Bill's daughters play basketball for Princeton and the third is a high school star in North Carolina. As someone who obsesses over his 10-year-old daughter's soccer games, I can understand why Bill wants to see as many of his kids' games as possible.

3. He's tired. When I saw Cowher this summer riding around St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., on a bike with a built-in motor, I knew his energy level wasn't what it should be.

4. It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that ring. Cowher finally has his, which means no one can ever question his credentials. He can take a step back, reassess and plot his next move.

5. His quarterback was driving him crazy. This may be somewhat of an overstatement, but think about it. Cowher told Ben Roethlisberger to wear a helmet. Ben didn't listen. Think that was the only time that happened?

6. Whiz is leaving. Few coaches have hired such impressive assistants year after year, but Cowher, who knows brainy offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt is about to get a head-coaching job, wouldn't so easily have replaced his gutsy play-caller.

7. The Steelers are done. Well, maybe not done, but this team will have to revamp to compete for another title. Like Tampa Bay in 2002, the '05 Steelers were so drained after years of trying to reach the top, they didn't have another run in them.

8. The Brink's Truck is on his way. All Cowher has to do is sit back, chill, maybe do a little TV, and his value goes up ... and up ... and up ... and up. Meanwhile, owners like Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones will become more and more desperate for a proven winner and master motivator who can take their franchises to the top. Can you say bidding war?

:beer: :Party:

[Mike the Greek]

I wonder what the real deal is here. I see him coaching really soon. Perhaps next year. There has to be details we are not getting.

[Spitball67]

I wonder what the real deal is here. I see him coaching really soon. Perhaps next year. There has to be details we are not getting.

I don't think there is anything behind the scenes that has made Cowher leave. He's been talking about it for a couple of years now. Probably a little bit of everything mentioned in the above "Eight Reasons" post. Plus, just the fact he has been coaching for 15 years. That's eons in the NFL. Sometimes you just need to take a break from it all.

Anyway, I will miss Cowher. He's has been one of the great coaches in the NFL for the past 15 years. He kept a proud winning tradition in Pittsburgh, Maybe he didn't win as many Super Bowls as some would have wanted. But he did win one and had the Steelers consistently in the playoffs during his tenure. He's done a lot more than most coaches have done. If he does come back teams will be lining up to try to get him. Especially all of those perennial losers who, shall remain nameless. ;)

[rockin500]

I wonder what the real deal is here. I see him coaching really soon. Perhaps next year. There has to be details we are not getting.
i can see him coaching again in a coupla years, but not next year. besides rooney would probably demand high compensation from another team if he were to coach next year since he left with one year left.

cant say as i am surprised as i thought he may have left after the super bowl...

[PissedPrincess]

I'm with Ray. I expected him to leave after last year. Those 8 reasons were pretty accurate.

[Mike the Greek]

There is ZERO chance he never comes back. He cannot leave football for long. He will surely get a monster contract too.

But yeah, thinking about the Steelers in general, they are on the decline and he can get far more money so I guess it makes sense.

[redsfan]

Since it was leaked yesterday, I have heard 2 theories about where he will go.

1. He will end up at Carolina. The theory is Fox has fallen out of favor at the Panthers. Cowher just bought a house in NC.He is waiting for the fallout.

2. The Browns are going to give Crennel one more year. If he can't turn them around, they will make a run at Cowher

[Dward00]

check out this link (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0701/gallery.nfl.franchise.coaches/content.1.html) to the 10 nfl coaching legends. They put Cowher at number 10, and the more you think about it I couldn't think of any omissions on the list. I don't know who else they could have put at number 10.

You think 15 years is a long time, but heck George Halas was coach of the bears for 40 years. Landry, Lombardi, Shula, Bud Grant, and Chuck Noll all stayed with their teams for more then 20 years.

2 coaches that were good enough to retire this year: Bill Cowher, and Nick Saban. :eyebrow

[redsfan]

They are starting there search today?? I thought he had until Monday.