Steelers football blog

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

Cowher joins CBS as studio analyst

Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher is returning to the NFL -- as an analyst on CBS' Sunday "The NFL Today" studio show.Cowher resigned as the Steelers' coach last month following 15 seasons and less than a year after winning the Super Bowl. He plans to spend more time with his family at their new home in Raleigh, N.C., but said working on the CBS show allows him to keep his ties to the league.

"I can still be part of it but not have it consume your life," Cowher said Thursday, speaking on a conference call. Cowher sent mixed signals as to how long he plans to stay away from coaching. Initially, he said, "It's an opportunity to stay busy on Sundays and it may go beyond this year." Later in the call, he said, "I'm planning on doing this for a couple of years." However, he would not officially commit to appearing beyond one season, saying, "It's an opportunity to remain a part of the NFL, and it may go a lot longer than that." Cowher doesn't expect to have any problems critiquing or criticizing his former team, saying it would be no different from doing so along the sideline. Continue

Tomlin's coaching staff is complete

Mike Tomlin said he wanted assistant coaches who were teachers and shared the same football values he possessed. Apparently, he also wanted coaches with whom he had previously worked. After spending the past four days in Minnesota, getting his family and house in order, Tomlin returned to the Steelers' offices on the South Side yesterday and officially put his coaching staff in order, announcing the hiring of six new assistants.

Heading the list is former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, whose hiring as quarterbacks coach was reported last week. He will replace Mark Whipple, who was not retained, and has been entrusted with working with the team's franchise player, Ben Roethlisberger. Continue

Rooney: 'It has been a great ride'

Kaye Cowher stood quietly behind her husband in a room filled with TV cameras, reporters and Steelers officials. Her presence on the second floor of the Steelers' South Side headquarters was only fitting, especially when Bill Cowher talked about how his family's backing allowed him to thrive as head coach and fulfill a Crafton kid's dream.

Opting to put family in front of football, Cowher walked away from the job with one year remaining on his contract, one Super Bowl victory and apparently no regrets. "It is the best thing for me and my family at this time," Cowher said Friday afternoon at a news conference, "and I've got to be honest with you, I'm looking forward to it." Continue

Cowher is due to resign today, take 1-year off

Bill Cowher, who led the Steelers to 10 playoff appearances, eight division titles and the fifth Super Bowl title in franchise history, will announce his resignation today after 15 seasons as head coach, sources have told the Post-Gazette.

Cowher and his wife, Kaye, are scheduled to fly to Pittsburgh this morning to attend a 1 p.m. news conference at the team's South Side facility and announce the decision that has been expected for several weeks, if not longer -- that he will resign, at age 49, to spend more time with his family. Continue

Cowher Stepping Down As Steelers Coach

Bill Cowher informed his assistant coaches Thursday night that he will step down as Steelers head coach after 15 seasons, reports ESPN.com's John Clayton. Pittsburgh has scheduled a 1 p.m. ET news conference Friday. Cowher went 161-99-1 in his 15 seasons, winning Super Bowl XXXIV. (ESPN)

Cowher to Dolphins not entirely improbable

Would the Miami Dolphins make a run at hiring Bill Cowher as their next head coach? It might not be far-fetched. If Cowher resigns as Steelers coach in the next several days, as expected, they would own his coaching rights through the end of his contract, which has one more year to run. After that, he would be free to coach elsewhere.

However, if another team wants to hire Cowher for next season -- and if he were willing to do so -- the Steelers would have to grant them permission to do so, thus releasing Cowher from his last year of obligation with them. NFL teams have done that in the past and received ample compensation in return -- draft picks and even cash on top of it. Continue

Steelers await Cowher's decision

Bill Cowher met with Steelers president Art Rooney II yesterday morning, then drove to his new home in Raleigh, N.C., to spend at least several days before deciding if he will step down as the team's coach. Rooney said he anticipates a verdict from Cowher in the next few days at the earliest.

"I expect to hear from him later in the week, early next week, something like that," said Rooney, who denied an ESPN.com report that he pressured Cowher to decide yesterday."I met with Bill this morning. We had talked last week about talking today, and then he was going to take a few days to go think about things, which is what he's going to do. So, I think he certainly deserves to take his time, get away, think hard about it. That's what he's going to do." Continue

Players now believe Cowher is quitting

Some Steelers players came from yesterday's meeting with coach Bill Cowher believing even more firmly that he will quit as their coach. Cowher met with his players and assistant coaches as a group yesterday morning and then spent the rest of the day meeting with each of them individually. The feeling in the organization -- from management to the players -- is that Cowher will step down after 15 seasons and with one year left on his contract. At least one prominent Steelers veteran said publicly he believes Cowher will soon quit, based on what he told his team the past two days. Continue

Cowher gives no word on his future to players

If Sunday's 23-17 Steelers overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals was Bill Cowher's final game as coach, he certainly acted the part. Cowher pulled out all the stops -- from a new-look trick formation on the opening kickoff featuring Hines Ward and Willie Parker that ended up with Cedrick Wilson lateraling to Santonio Holmes -- to Cowher icing Bengals kicker Shayne Graham by calling a timeout late in regulation and seeing the gamble pay off when Graham missed the kick.

As television camera crews followed Cowher off the field, he tipped his beige baseball cap and waved to fans as he approached the tunnel leading to the Steelers' locker room. While speaking with his players, outside linebacker Joey Porter, one of Cowher's longtime favorites, asked Cowher if he was coming back next season.  (Tribune)

Steelers expect Cowher to quit

Steelers management has compiled a list of head coaching candidates when, as they expect, Bill Cowher steps down after he concludes his 15th season on the job in Cincinnati today. Although Mr. Cowher, 49, said last Tuesday that it would not be long before he makes an announcement clearing up his plans, no press conference is scheduled and none may occur this week in Pittsburgh, at least not with Mr. Cowher present.

Mr. Cowher plans to meet with his players at the team's UPMC complex on the South Side Tuesday and then leave for his new home in Raleigh, N.C., where his wife, Kaye, and youngest daughter, Lindsay, a high school sophomore, have lived most of the past year. Continue

If Cowher leaves, captains prefer in-house successor

If the game Sunday is Bill Cowher's last as the Steelers' coach, the team's captains would like to see the team promote from within. Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and offensive line coach Russ Grimm, also the Steelers' assistant head coach, are considered strong candidates to replace Cowher if he steps down after the season.

"Of course, you would love to stay in house," said wide receiver Hines Ward. "The transition ... the coaching staff knows you and you see some of the same faces." Guard Alan Faneca agreed with his fellow offensive co-captain. "If there is a change, you'd always like to see a guy you know and have a feeling for. But, if something happens, you never know which way it's going to go." Continue

Steelers say Cowher's possible departure not a motivator

If the Pittsburgh Steelers are determined to win one for Bill Cowher, they're certainly not acting like it. With the Steelers (7-8) now out of playoff contention, the focus for their season-ending game Sunday at Cincinnati has shifted to the possible resignation of Bill Cowher less than 11 months after he coached them to a Super Bowl victory. Except, it seems, in their own locker room. "No, that's not the motivation," linebacker Joey Porter said Wednesday. "I don't think nobody is using that because he's never said anything like that to us. That's not a motivational speech you can use until somebody says it." Continue

Cowher ready for resolution

The news conference will go down as one of the shortest Bill Cowher has had. It may also go down as his final weekly briefing with the media as the Steelers' coach. Cowher didn't say Tuesday whether he will return to the Steelers next season. He did hint that an answer will come shortly after the season ends. The Steelers play their final game Sunday against the Bengals in Cincinnati. "It won't go long," Cowher said of his decision process. "I'm not sure what the time frame is, but I think the most important thing right now is focusing on this game, because there's such a difference in my mind between 8-8 and 7-9." Continue

What about Cowher?

In the end, they failed to hold up their end, but Dan Rooney wasn't holding it against his Steelers after the Ravens spoiled Christmas Eve and stole the Steelers' playoff dreams. Admittedly "very disappointed and down" upon being eliminated from postseason contention, Rooney was asked if the Steelers were still comprised of championship stock despite the 7-8 record they will drag to Cincinnati for the meaningless regular-season finale on New Year's Eve. "The players? Yeah," Rooney said. "We need some players, obviously, but I think we're going to be able to get some." The coaching staff, apparently, is another matter entirely. Continue

The last time? Cowher may be coaching his final Steelers home game

The Pittsburgh Steelers have known for weeks that Sunday's game against Baltimore would be their last at home this season. A 2-6 start has a way of making the playoffs look out of reach. What they don't know is if it will also be Bill Cowher's final home game as their coach, too.

Cowher is weighing whether to retire — he may have already decided to do so — but is refusing to discuss his future until the season ends. His undecided status adds an element of intrigue to what already is one of the NFL's best rivalry games, even though the Steelers (7-7) are long shots to reach the postseason. ''I'm not going to elaborate on it,'' Cowher said. ''We're talking about the Baltimore Ravens.'' Continue

At last, Cowher discusses his coaching future with local reporters

Bill Cowher could prowl the Steelers' sideline for the final time at Heinz Field Sunday, yet he said it will hold no special significance for him, nor will he reflect on it possibly being his last home game as coach."I compliment you for asking the question," Cowher said at his news conference yesterday, five days after the Pittsburgh media was blocked from asking questions about his admitted upcoming decision whether to retire or stay on as the Steelers' coach.

"I said it will be decided after the season, it will not be a knee-jerk reaction. ... There's been no decision made. It will be something I will need to get away from and give some serious thought to, and I will do that -- at the right time. Now is not the right time." Continue

Money motivates Cowher's stance

What people don't realize is that Bill Cowher is motivated by the same factors away from the football field that motivate his players. In particular: Mo' money, mo' money, mo' money. When Cowher said during a conference call this week that he would make a decision on his future with the Steelers shortly after the season concludes, it was nothing more than psychological — not to mention financial — warfare.

Cowher is a winner. He ranks fourth among active NFL coaches with 159 career victories (including playoffs). He has the highest winning percentage of any Steelers coach. The Steelers have the best overall record in the league since 1992, when Cowher took over as coach. Plus, he's won a Super Bowl. Winning a Super Bowl placed Cowher in a different coaching stratosphere. Continue

Cowher dismisses N.C. State rumors

His ties to the school and ownership of a house near its campus apparently do not add up to Bill Cowher becoming the next football coach at North Carolina State. The Steelers coach said he is "flattered" he has been mentioned as a successor to Chuck Amato at his alma mater. But Cowher dismissed the talk as speculation spawned by his history with N.C. State (and by his own uncertain future in Pittsburgh) and fueled by the Internet. "I've heard some of the things that have been coming out, but I'm not a candidate," Cowher said after practice Wednesday at the Steelers' South Side facility. "I have a job here, and my focus is really on this job right here."

How long he stays at his current job has been a question since talks on a contract extension broke off before the start of the season. Cowher is under contract with the Steelers through 2007, but it is not certain he will return next season, especially since his family has already relocated to Raleigh, N.C. Cowher, however, made it clear yesterday he will not take the job that became open when N.C. State fired Amato following a season in which the Wolfpack won just three games and lost to Akron and East Carolina at home. Continue

Cowher not throwing in towel

There are several things Bill Cowher won't accept from his Pittsburgh Steelers: not working hard in practice, looking toward next year rather than focusing on what remains of this one, and, most of all, giving up on the season. The Steelers have five games left, but they couldn't have expected to be so far out of playoff contention with more than a month of the season remaining.

"It certainly is not where we expected to be at this point, but we're going to deal with it and proceed," he said. The Steelers' 27-0 loss Sunday at AFC North-leading Baltimore not only exposed all of their season-long weaknesses, it ended any thoughts about staging another late-season rally and reaching the playoffs again. They could sweep their final five games and finish 9-7, but that record probably wouldn't be good enough to get them into the postseason. Continue

Cowher's attention on special team problems

Bill Cowher's impatience with the Steelers' kickoff-coverage team may have reached the breaking-a-long-one point.Josh Cribbs' 92-yard touchdown return that put the Browns back on top by 10 points in the fourth quarter Sunday in Cleveland might have done the trick. With All-Pro returner B.J. Sams lurking -- or smacking his lips -- Sunday in Baltimore, Cowher is ready to make a change.

"Where we are right now, we're going to have a big challenge because our coverage team has not been very good," Cowher said. He might do something drastic, such as putting more starters on the kickoff team. The prospect of seeing former special-teams terror Brett Keisel and his 285 pounds bounding down under kicks or All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu chasing Sams Sunday would be enticing. Continue

Cowher in control

The week after the Steelers lost yet another winnable game is the perfect time to examine how much coach Bill Cowher remains in control of his team. In the AFC North, the Steelers are the only team whose players have remained loyal and committed to their coach and his system. But cracks are forming in the foundation. In Baltimore, running back Jamal Lewis and wide receiver Derrick Mason whined about play-calling until coach Brian Billick finally fired offensive coordinator Jim Fassel.

In Cincinnati, several offensive stars, including wide receiver Chad Johnson and running back Rudi Johnson, have called out coach Marvin Lewis for the unit's lack of production. In Cleveland, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. complained he wasn't getting enough looks in the passing game. Winslow got his wish. Coach Romeo Crennel started getting him the ball more, and offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon was fired. Continue

Cowher considers lineup moves

Steelers coach Bill Cowher would neither commit to nor rule out any lineup changes Tuesday, and he made it clear any alterations would be strategic rather than symbolic. "I don't send messages; I deliver them," Cowher said yesterday during his weekly press conference. "I really try to talk to the team very openly, and it's about accountability. It's about doing what I may perceive to think is in the best interest of this football team to win a game. If changes are made, it's for that reason only."

The Steelers host the New Orleans Saints (6-2) on Sunday. Cowher has said changes could be coming following Sunday's 31-20 loss to Denver, a game in which Cowher yanked rookie wide receiver Santonio Holmes from the punt and kickoff return teams because of Holmes' inability to hold onto the ball. Continue

Tense Cowher taking blame for team's woes

Is the uncertainty that has swirled around Bill Cowher affecting his players? Have Ben Roethlisberger's medical issues cut into his preparation? Did Cowher consider using Charlie Batch at all during the Oakland game, and might Batch play Sunday against the Denver Broncos if Roethlisberger struggles? No, no and no. Those were Cowher's answers, literally, to questions posed at a weekly news conference in which the Steelers coach alternated between tense and terse. Cowher did elaborate on a number of things involving the Steelers and took the blame for the sorry state of the defending Super Bowl champions.

"I accept full responsibility for that," Cowher said. "Each one of us has to do more, and it starts with me." Less certain is how the Steelers, who are coming off a 20-13 loss to lowly Oakland, pull themselves out of the funk that has left them at 2-5 and in the same company as the Cleveland Browns. Continue

Cowher: Don't blame anyone except me

Bill Cowher isn't blaming Ben Roethlisberger's frequent interceptions for the Pittsburgh Steelers' terrible record. Or a major falloff by the special teams. Or a surprisingly inconsistent offensive line. Cowher is faulting the boss.

"Obviously, there's a lot of disappointment to be sitting here at 2-5. I accept full responsibility for that," Cowher said Tuesday. "It starts with me. There's been a lot of frustration ... in the different ways we have found to lose. The bottom line is we have lost." Cowher dismissed his own uncertain future as a reason for the Super Bowl champions' stumbling - he hasn't said if he will return in 2007 - and that topic is almost never mentioned by his players. Continue

Cowher: Steelers can't count on replay of last season

The Pittsburgh Steelers can refer to their late-season comeback from a three-game losing streak last year as a model for how they can recover from their current three-game slide. Even if coach Bill Cowher said Tuesday that's exactly what they shouldn't do — namely, expect to do it now just because they did so last season when faced with adversity. "Everyone wants to refer to last year. Last year was last year," Cowher said. "We've got to deal with right now."

Right now, here's the Steelers' already precarious situation: One quarter of the way through the new season, the Steelers (1-3) trail Baltimore (4-1) by 2 1/2 games and Cincinnati (3-1) by 2 games in the AFC North. They have three games remaining against the two rivals and 12 games left to catch them, but not if they keep playing the way they are now. Continue

Reports aggravate Cowher

If Ben Roethlisberger grabs his elbow, it's news. If he shows up with his elbow in a sling under his shirt at his postgame news conference, it's news. Coach Bill Cowher, though, blasted the television networks -- most recently NBC Sunday night -- for what he described as sensationalism regarding their reporting on Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger was not on Cowher's injury report yesterday, nor was he last week. NBC cameras caught the quarterback rubbing his right elbow during pregame warm-ups and played the clips of it. Continue

Cowher to Steelers: Forget About Start

Playing the San Diego Chargers on the road figures to be difficult enough for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's why coach Bill Cowher doesn't want them thinking about the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals, too. The Steelers (1-2) are down 2 1/2 games to Baltimore (4-0) and 1 1/2 games to Cincinnati (3-1) in the AFC North, but Cowher said Tuesday that it's way too early in the season to be fretting over a poor start. Continue

Cowher won't panic over slow start

With no game on the horizon, coach Bill Cowher's weekly news conference essentially turned into a state of the Steelers address. And he told reporters what he probably relayed to his players before letting them go for a long weekend: the Steelers have plenty of work ahead of them but they also have a lot on which to build.

"We've done a lot of good things, and I don't want them to lose sight of that," Cowher said Wednesday. "But at the same time, we're doing some things that aren't allowing us to win football games or to play consistently week in and week out, and yet it's still only week three." The defending Super Bowl champions have lost consecutive games and are already two games behind the Bengals and Ravens in the AFC North. Continue

Cowher promises changes on special teams

He faced the TV cameras and the questions of how he could have so badly bungled what turned out to be the pivotal play Sunday at Heinz Field. Like him or want to get him a one-way Greyhound ticket out of town, Ricardo Colclough has been a stand-up guy since the botched punt return that has been directly linked to the Steelers' 28-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Whether he is the right guy to return punts may have already been decided by Bill Cowher. The Steelers coach said Wednesday that changes will be made to what has been a pitiful punt return unit, though he has declined to be specific. Continue

Cowher's unthinkable folly

Nobody was surprised when Ricardo Colclough muffed a punt midway through the fourth quarter Sunday and, essentially, cost the Steelers a winnable game against the Cincinnati Bengals. You don't have to be a coach, scout or player to know this much about Colclough: HE CAN'T CATCH!

That's why so many people were questioning coach Bill Cowher coming into the game, wondering why he would keep putting Colclough back there -- never mind putting him back there on a windy day with a critical game on the line, protecting a 17-14 lead with 8 minutes left. It was unconscionable, really. Incomprehensible. It made Cowher's decision to leave Tommy Maddox out there in the second half of last year's Jacksonville game look like a stroke of genius. Continue