Steelers football blog

Cowher thinks Big Ben may be maturing

Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher says it was hard to get through to Ben Roethlisberger after the quarterback had so much success early in his career.

Yet Cowher believes the sexual assault investigation that led to a six-game suspension for Roethlisberger was a "slap in the face" that has led to some much-needed maturity.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Cowher described how Roethlisberger used to respond to advice about his off-field behavior. "'But we're winning games. We're winning championships,'" Cowher recounted. "'What do you mean? Isn't that what we're here to do?' "

"Yeah," Cowher said, "but there's more to it than that."

"It's the whole body of work. It's you as a person, what kind of legacy you want to leave," he added. "I really think he understands that now." (AP)

Bill Cowher loses wife to cancer

Kaye Cowher, the wife of former Steelers football coach Bill Cowher, died Friday in her native North Carolina after losing a battle with skin cancer. She was 54.

The Cowhers moved to Raleigh, N.C., in 2006, Mr. Cowher's final season coaching the Steelers, and continued to make it their home.

The Cowhers met when they were classmates at North Carolina State University in 1976. Mr. Cowher was on the football team and Mrs. Cowher, the former Kaye Young, and her twin sister, Faye, played basketball. Continue

Cowher’s surprisingly candid on camera

All fluff, no substance. You had to believe that's what CBS was getting when it hired ex-Steelers coach Bill Cowher. If Cowher's analyses were going to be anything like his news conferences, we were in for a lot of fine-line-in-this-business remarks and not much else. Certainly, he would shy away from ripping members of the NFL coaching fraternity. Well, guess what? "The Jaw" is proving he isn't afraid to sink those suddenly and disturbingly white teeth of his (what happened there?) into some people. Continue

Cowher Planning A Return To Coaching? Redskins Deny Involvement

Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher is reportedly already scouting possible teams for head coaching vacancies following the 2007 season.

At least if you believe a report Tuesday on Profootballtalk.com. The Washington Redskins, however, refute the claim in the report that Cowher has had at least one private talk with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder about the possibility of replacing Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs if he decides to step down following the season. "No one at the Washington Redskins has had any meetings or discussions with Bill Cowher or anyone else regarding any coaching position with the Redskins," the team released in a statement. Continue

Cowher content with his new life

Bill Cowher will not have a say in the Steelers' draft for the first time in 16 years, although he will be close by this week. Cowher will arrive in Pittsburgh tomorrow from his home in Raleigh, N.C., to take care of some business capped Friday night when he receives the History Makers Award for Leadership at the Westin Convention Center Hotel.

The award is presented by the Senator John Heinz History Center. By the time the draft starts at noon Saturday, Cowher will be on his way back to Raleigh. And, no, he has not been asked for any advice about prospects by his former co-workers with the Steelers. "No. Are you kidding me?" he asked. Continue

Cowher items add punch to already impressive sale

Budget your time and money as a series of multiple-day sales close out April's auction schedule.The marquee magic on this one is "Cowher Power." After retiring and moving to North Carolina with his family, former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher is putting the remaining contents of his Fox Chapel home on the auction block during Dargate's three-day sale, April 27-29. What you can expect to find is plenty of furniture from names such as Baker, Hendredon and Maitland-Smith. But don't look for much Black and Gold memorabilia.

"It's basically household things," says David Arnold, Dargate's consignment manager. "We have living room, bedroom furniture and dining room furniture. It goes from traditional to contemporary. From the game room, there are a pool table, foosball game and pinball machine. Kaye (Cowher) furnished the house when Bill first got the job." Continue

Magazine peeks inside Cowher's beach retreat

Check the local weather forecast. Take a walk through the rain and the North Atlantic temperatures. Mourn the dead daffodils. Wonder again whether spring will ever arrive in Pittsburgh as you sit in traffic on Route 28. Then try to blame ex-Steelers coach Bill Cowher for moving south to North Carolina.

If you want to know what he's been doing now that he doesn't have to worry about Joey Porter's mouth or Ben Roethlisberger's driving, check out the April issue of Coastal Living. The magazine wangled an invite inside Cowher's private family retreat on Bald Island, where ocean breezes blow, shoes are optional and nobody's trying to build a subway under the water to the mainland. "It's just a place to empty out and do nothing," Cowher tells the magazine. Continue

Cowher says future in football still undetermined

Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher still loves talking about the nitty gritty of football, but it's hard to get away from what people really want to know. Cowher, who resigned in February after 15 seasons and a Super Bowl victory, talked Friday to high school coaches at a clinic at the University of Tennessee. After speaking more than 30 minutes, one of the clinic participants asked him about his future.

Cowher, who turns 50 in May, said he wanted to spend more time with his youngest daughter, who is a sophomore in high school, and his wife at their home in Raleigh, N.C. His other two daughters are in college. He hinted he might be interested in coaching again after his daughter finishes high school. (AP)

Cowher to star in NASCAR show

Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher will star in an ABC-TV reality show about NASCAR that begins filming this week and is set to air in June. Cowher will compete against John Elway, Tony Hawk, William Shatner, Laird Hamilton and his wife, Gabby Reese, Serena Williams, Jewel and others, reports WTAE-Channel 4, Pittsburgh's ABC affiliate. Participants will compete in speed, driving from zero to 100 mph, braking and pit crew skills. (Pitt-tribune)

Will he or won't he? Cowher's future uncertain

Like a lot of Steelers fans, Hines Ward will be watching to see how Bill Cowher takes to broadcasting. Or, better put, how long he stays in broadcasting. A frequent landing place for fired coaches, the industry also has become a layover for successful ones taking a break in between coaching gigs. Cowher, who took a job as a CBS studio analyst less than two months after resigning as the Steelers' coach, will almost certainly coach in the NFL again.

When he returns will determine in the eyes of many, including Ward, whether he really left the Steelers with one year left on his contract so he could spend more time with his family. Or whether Cowher walked away because he realized the Steelers were never going to pay him the kind of money made by the top coaches in the league. Continue