Bill Cowher... (1 Viewer)

[bakes]

They'd be nuts to drop him. I've been a fan of his ever since the championship game when they had one play left and O'Donnell walked over to the sidelines looking like a deer in the headlights. Cowher had this huge grin on his face and the first thing he said to O'Donnell "This is fun, isn't it?" That says a lot about him as a coach. Could they have had a better year this year? Certainly. But between Roethlisberger missing a couple of games and the triage unit disguised as a RBBC, they weren't going to be the Colts.

 

[Thunderchicken]

absolutely not fishing here..i have called for him to leave Pitt for three years now and am sure I am 100% right. He is just not the guy for that job anymore..his way of coaching has been worn out in Pitt for a few years now and the players just don't play for him anymore. All he can do is coach defense and that D was made a fool of today once again. What has he ever won in Pitt? He has never once won the big game and will never do it. Rah rah rah physical can only get you so far. Its all about the X's and O's now and he just does not have it in that department. He has had great teams and not done anything with them..he has had great players and done nothing with them but let them go in free agency. Sure its not all his fault but you can bet if he wanted to keep more of the stars he has lost they would still be in Pitt. If you Pitt fans don't realize that Cowher is a lame duck coach there then you will never win anything. Until he is gone it will never get any better than it is right now in Pitt. Deal with it cause its FACT. A change of head coahing is needed in Pitt bigtime.

Please define "big game". I suspect it means any game the Steelers lose. If I'm wrong, please give me your definition. Then we can discuss the issue intelligently.If you define "big game" to mean Super Bowl, you're right, he hasn't won a big game (of course, there are more than 20 other coaches out there who suffer from the same problem). However, if that is your definition, then yesterday was not a "big game". If your definition is "a game necesssary to move on towards an NFL championship", then Cowher has won lots of big games (as established by plaing in AFC Championship games and the Super Bowl).

Next, please list the great players the Steelers have lost who continued to be great after leaving the Steelers. Now, list all of the teams in the NFL who have not lost at least as many great players as a result of salary cap issues. Look at Baltimore, Tennessee and San Francisco and tell me again how teams can keep all of their stars and not suffer a salary cap disaster. In a league designed to promote parity, the fact that Cowher perenially has the Steelers in positon to play in big games is a testament to him, not a knock against him.

TIA.

 

[Steel Dillo]

I would rather take a shot at an unknown quantity in a head coach than a guy like Cowher who has proven to be incapable of winning a title. Of course, I have never seen my city win a title. For fans of other cities, maybe titles are less important.

You know you'd drink a gallon from the Chin's spit fountain if he would come coach those lowly Browns.

 

[kupcho1]

WTF is this crap?  Pats fans cried and blubbered and whined for 2 years when some Steelers fans suggested that Pittsburgh was the better team that year.  

That's not the case anymore?   I missed the memo.

It suits this week's argument better that history be revised.

I'd stick around, but I had typed up this long post about running Paterno out of town on a rail, and the ******* goes and has a good season.

kupcho, i don't follow penn too much, but didn't joepa turn over a lot more responsibilities to the o-coordinator which could account for some of the success?

i think wisenhunt is pretty much a puppet for cowah. i think if we had an o-coordinator really call his game it may be beneficial if we could get a non cowher guy in here.

Any head coach worth his salt turns most of the responsibilities over to his assistants. Head coaches that micro manage won't be head coaches for long. Yes, they need to instill a philosophy and more important, hire the right people (talent plus alignment with their philosophy) ... and of course the philosophy (e.g., gameplan) has to be good.Joe has always done this. Delegation was not a 2005 Eureka moment for Joepa. Same with Cowher. Just look at the assistants he's had over the years that have gone on to other jobs.

And just like Joepa's guys are Joepa's guys, Cowher's assistants will be (and should be) Cowher's guys. The first step a coach takes on the road to being fired are taking on assistants that aren't "their guys"

 

[Bri]

Did they do the same thing yesterday with Roethlisberger throwing for almost 400 yards?

SharkAttack,let's debate Roth. You Stihler fans love this guy right? Great young QB, awesome record. Well, I say he'll be gone when his contract's up + they'll just watch him walk away. Granted this can only be done in theory but try and prove me wrong.

Exhibit #1 to prove you wrong: Hines WardExhibit #2 to prove you are wrong: Casey Hampton

Now prove I'm wrong.

my "exhibit's" were posted a couple above yours and I got tired of it. Assuming you're a steelers fan, you know there's been plenty.I'd venture a statement that Rod Woodson was as much to the Steelers then as Roth is now and they watched him walk away.

 

[BassNBrew]

He just cant win the big game, year in and year out, the window is closed..time for that team to smarten up and make a change. Todays game was an embarrassment for Pitt. as long as he is the HC they will not win any big games in Pitt. Imagine there was a thread asking if he was a better coach than Shanny this week..that poster should be barred..

Who do you replace him with?

Someone w/o an NC State pedigree.

 

[IDP4ME]

Boy, this thread looks kind of ridiculous now, doesn't it?

 

[bryhamm]

Boy, this thread looks kind of ridiculous now, doesn't it?

 

[Steel Dillo]

One of the best bumps evah!

 

[Kosar]

Ah yes, just what we need. Every thread since Bill Cowher was hired to be brought back up and shown to the world on how wrong it was.

Great job.

 

[loqutis]

great bump. In one thread you see which posters know their stuff and which do not. I only wish I was able to voive my opinion back in December

 

[CrossEyed]

He just cant win the big game, year in and year out, the window is closed..time for that team to smarten up and make a change. Todays game was an embarrassment for Pitt. as long as he is the HC they will not win any big games in Pitt. Imagine there was a thread asking if he was a better coach than Shanny this week..that poster should be barred..

Hmmm, who should be barred?

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

Ah yes, just what we need. Every thread since Bill Cowher was hired to be brought back up and shown to the world on how wrong it was.

Great job.

well, to be fair, this post was just started 2 months ago. That's not to say I'm a huge fan of the "HAHA, you were wrong" bump (unless the OP is a huge toolbox), but it's not like this thread is from years ago.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Ah yes, just what we need. Every thread since Bill Cowher was hired to be brought back up and shown to the world on how wrong it was.

Great job.

I'm all for it. From my avatar, it's not difficult to glean the knowledge that I am a big Cowher fan. After having to listen to 10 years of "he can't win the big game" garbage, you don't think I enjoy having a few moments of redemption?You have to expect this.

 

[Kosar]

I guess I'm sensing the start of something really stupid, that's all.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

I guess I'm sensing the start of something really stupid, that's all.

The same could be said of pretty much any thread.

 

[BlueOnion]

"Nice Pick Cowa!"

 

[Kleck]

i have called for him to leave Pitt for three years now and am sure I am 100% right.

Quality sig material here.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

i have called for him to leave Pitt for three years now and am sure I am 100% right.

Quality sig material here.

Right you are. The only reason I haven't adopted it is because if I use every piece of sig fodder I find in this Super Bowl aftermath, my sig will be 40 lines long. Someone should grab this, though.

 

[Borat]

"Nice Pick Cowa!"

I never understood that commercial. I don't remember hearing one single person ever criticize that pick.

 

[Banger]

i have called for him to leave Pitt for three years now and am sure I am 100% right.

Quality sig material here.

there's quality sig material all over this thread. It's a goldmine...

 

[simey]

He just cant win the big game, year in and year out, the window is closed..time for that team to smarten up and make a change. Todays game was an embarrassment for Pitt. as long as he is the HC they will not win any big games in Pitt. Imagine there was a thread asking if he was a better coach than Shanny this week..that poster should be barred..

Who do you replace him with?

Someone w/o an NC State pedigree.

you are on my list and staying there.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

"Nice Pick Cowa!"

I never understood that commercial. I don't remember hearing one single person ever criticize that pick.

I don't think that many people were calling for Holmgren's firing early in this season either - I believe it's simply supposed to illustrate that no one knows what will happen in the NFL....

 

[BlueDredSo]

There should be a smilie that has a giant Cowher-like underbite, with spittle.

 

[kupcho1]

there's quality sig material all over this thread. It's a goldmine...

Truer words have never been spoken.

WAIT UNTIL THE BEARS ROLL INTO STEEL CITY NEXT WEEK.

Yeah baby! Four straigh losses for the Steelers!

Steelers going down . . . grab it!

Today was a big game?

Exactly. Time has pssed the Steelers by. Your post is exhibit #10,235 in "Reality v. Steelers Playoff Hopes".

today was a BIG game..Pitt is OUT of the playoffs this year..the afc championship @home vs the pats as 10 point cant lose favorites was a big game..the superbowl that he got killed in was a big game..it just goes on and on..you need to firgure out what big games are before you talk.

Cowher = Schottenheimer

Guys like them will always have a head coach gig. They are good coaches. Unfortunately, they dont have the imagination or balls to take a team from a playoff team to a Super Bowl champion.

===========And let's not let the Steeler fans off the hook:

i think wisenhunt is pretty much a puppet for cowah. i think if we had an o-coordinator really call his game it may be beneficial if we could get a non cowher guy in here.

===========But the winner and world champion remains ...

I would rather take a shot at an unknown quantity in a head coach than a guy like Cowher who has proven to be incapable of winning a title. Of course, I have never seen my city win a title. For fans of other cities, maybe titles are less important.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Pat Patriot's is a good one - I'll have to remind him of that.

 

[Borat]

"Nice Pick Cowa!"

I never understood that commercial. I don't remember hearing one single person ever criticize that pick.

I don't think that many people were calling for Holmgren's firing early in this season either - I believe it's simply supposed to illustrate that no one knows what will happen in the NFL....

Believe it or not, I actually do remember hearing that Holmgren's job was pretty much on the line this season, and that some Seattle fans were pushing for a change. I can't remember any of the other examples from those commercials, but I thought I remembered each of the rest of them being reasonable predictions that turned out to be completely wrong. (Which, as you said, is supposed to illustrate that no one knows what will happen in the NFL).My point? I really don't have one.

 

[Pat Patriot]

Pat Patriot's is a good one - I'll have to remind him of that. 

I had forgotten that one. I know I congratulated the Steelers on their win but why was it BS that Cowher couldnt win the big one? He had had many opportunities and failed. More than any other active coach. You can say he didnt have the horses but he was favored by the bookmakers in most if not all of those AFC Championship games.

He finally got over the hurdle and you cant say he cant win the big one anymore but I dont think you can retroactively go back and say it was a bunch of crap for people to say that about him prior to this playoff season.

PS. If the Patriots hadnt crapped their pants in Denver, people would STILL be saying that Cowher cant win the big one and NE would have had 3 straight SB titles.

 

[roadkill1292]

He finally got over the hurdle and you cant say he cant win the big one anymore but I dont think you can retroactively go back and say it was a bunch of crap for people to say that about him prior to this playoff season.

I guess when I see that kind of comment about a successful coach who has yet to win a Super Bowl, my first impression is that it's an unnecessarily strong opinion. Maybe the true criteria is, what coaches who haven't (hadn't) won a Super Bowl do you consider capable of winning the big one? Because, by definition, you would think those coaches were better than Cowher, right?

 

[CrossEyed]

Pat Patriot's is a good one - I'll have to remind him of that.

I had forgotten that one. I know I congratulated the Steelers on their win but why was it BS that Cowher couldnt win the big one? He had had many opportunities and failed. More than any other active coach. You can say he didnt have the horses but he was favored by the bookmakers in most if not all of those AFC Championship games.

He finally got over the hurdle and you cant say he cant win the big one anymore but I dont think you can retroactively go back and say it was a bunch of crap for people to say that about him prior to this playoff season.

PS. If the Patriots hadnt crapped their pants in Denver, people would STILL be saying that Cowher cant win the big one and NE would have had 3 straight SB titles.

And if Josh Miller would have listened to Cowher, the Steelers may have won the SB in 2001 and there wouldn't even be discussion of a Patriot's Dynasty. You can play the "what if" game all day long.

 

[Pat Patriot]

Pat Patriot's is a good one - I'll have to remind him of that. 

I had forgotten that one. I know I congratulated the Steelers on their win but why was it BS that Cowher couldnt win the big one? He had had many opportunities and failed. More than any other active coach. You can say he didnt have the horses but he was favored by the bookmakers in most if not all of those AFC Championship games.

He finally got over the hurdle and you cant say he cant win the big one anymore but I dont think you can retroactively go back and say it was a bunch of crap for people to say that about him prior to this playoff season.

PS. If the Patriots hadnt crapped their pants in Denver, people would STILL be saying that Cowher cant win the big one and NE would have had 3 straight SB titles.

And if Josh Miller would have listened to Cowher, the Steelers may have won the SB in 2001 and there wouldn't even be discussion of a Patriot's Dynasty. You can play the "what if" game all day long.

Doesnt the wink indicate that I am being facetious and understand that a ### for tat conversation could go on all day using what ifs? Is there a more universally excepted smilie that I should be using to express that?

 

[Pat Patriot]

He finally got over the hurdle and you cant say he cant win the big one anymore but I dont think you can retroactively go back and say it was a bunch of crap for people to say that about him prior to this playoff season.

I guess when I see that kind of comment about a successful coach who has yet to win a Super Bowl, my first impression is that it's an unnecessarily strong opinion. Maybe the true criteria is, what coaches who haven't (hadn't) won a Super Bowl do you consider capable of winning the big one? Because, by definition, you would think those coaches were better than Cowher, right?

Coaches who havent won a SB that I would consider better than Cowher:CANT THINK OF ANYONE.

Cowher was the best of the coaches that had never won the big one. Now that could be Schottenheimer. He is the most accomplished although I wouldnt anoint him the best.

There were many great coaches that NEVER won the SB:

Bud Grant

Marv Levy

Chuck Knox

You dont think they carry the stigma of never winning the Bowl? Does it change that they were great coaches? NO. But they still NEVER won the big one.

Cowher was on his way to a Hall of Fame career whether he won the SB or not but now the SB victory validates many of his other accomplishments.

Taking his team to the AFC Championship game so many times can now be looked at as an accomplishment instead of a dissapointment.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

He finally got over the hurdle and you cant say he cant win the big one anymore but I dont think you can retroactively go back and say it was a bunch of crap for people to say that about him prior to this playoff season.

I guess when I see that kind of comment about a successful coach who has yet to win a Super Bowl, my first impression is that it's an unnecessarily strong opinion. Maybe the true criteria is, what coaches who haven't (hadn't) won a Super Bowl do you consider capable of winning the big one? Because, by definition, you would think those coaches were better than Cowher, right?

Coaches who havent won a SB that I would consider better than Cowher:CANT THINK OF ANYONE.

Cowher was the best of the coaches that had never won the big one. Now that could be Schottenheimer. He is the most accomplished although I wouldnt anoint him the best.

There were many great coaches that NEVER won the SB:

Bud Grant

Marv Levy

Chuck Knox

You dont think they carry the stigma of never winning the Bowl? Does it change that they were great coaches? NO. But they still NEVER won the big one.

Cowher was on his way to a Hall of Fame career whether he won the SB or not but now the SB victory validates many of his other accomplishments.

Taking his team to the AFC Championship game so many times can now be looked at as an accomplishment instead of a dissapointment.

I'll respond to this after my live mock.

 

[Pat Patriot]

He finally got over the hurdle and you cant say he cant win the big one anymore but I dont think you can retroactively go back and say it was a bunch of crap for people to say that about him prior to this playoff season.

I guess when I see that kind of comment about a successful coach who has yet to win a Super Bowl, my first impression is that it's an unnecessarily strong opinion. Maybe the true criteria is, what coaches who haven't (hadn't) won a Super Bowl do you consider capable of winning the big one? Because, by definition, you would think those coaches were better than Cowher, right?

Coaches who havent won a SB that I would consider better than Cowher:CANT THINK OF ANYONE.

Cowher was the best of the coaches that had never won the big one. Now that could be Schottenheimer. He is the most accomplished although I wouldnt anoint him the best.

There were many great coaches that NEVER won the SB:

Bud Grant

Marv Levy

Chuck Knox

You dont think they carry the stigma of never winning the Bowl? Does it change that they were great coaches? NO. But they still NEVER won the big one.

Cowher was on his way to a Hall of Fame career whether he won the SB or not but now the SB victory validates many of his other accomplishments.

Taking his team to the AFC Championship game so many times can now be looked at as an accomplishment instead of a dissapointment.

I'll respond to this after my live mock.

By the looks of your mock draft:1. it could take 4 days. See you on Friday.

2. You should have plenty of time between picks to articulate your thoughts on your hero.

 

[Pat Patriot]

Bump. where is Evilgrin?

 

[RTB1]

Steelers' fan circle jerk - CATCH IT!

 

[Odogs]

Steelers' fan circle jerk - CATCH IT!

Bitter much?

 

[RTB1]

Steelers' fan circle jerk - CATCH IT!

Bitter much?

Yea, a little bit still. I'll admit it.

 

[Odogs]

Steelers' fan circle jerk - CATCH IT!

Bitter much?

Yea, a little bit still. I'll admit it.

Okay, just checking!

 

[kwille]

PS. If the Patriots hadnt crapped their pants in Denver, people would STILL be saying that Cowher cant win the big one and NE would have had 3 straight SB titles.

And if the Packers hadn't taken a dozen craps they would have had a perfect season.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Pat, I agree with a lot of what you said. And no, saying he couldn't win the big one prior to the Super Bowl was not entirely unjustified. The only thing I would have taken issue with was the statement that he lacked the imagination or balls to win it all. Anyone willing to start the second half of the Super Bowl with an onside kick lacks neither. His problem in the past was having substandard QBs who wilted under pressure. Good teams were able to sell out against the run and dare the Steelers to beat them through the air because their Qbs were incapable of doing so. O' Donnell, Stewart, Maddox - all these guys wilted when given the chance to carry the team. Now, for the first time in his tenure, Cowher has a QB he can lean on when necessary (see every AFC playoff game this season.) That was the difference this year.

Give Cowher John Elway and Shanahan Kordell Stewart and see who would have multiple rings now and who would have none. QB play is everything in the playoffs, and it was that shortcoming, not a lack of imagination or balls, that had kept Cowher from the mountaintop all these years. Lest you think this is revisionist history, a search will pull up posts I made to this exact effect prior to the Super Bowl win. Given the tools, Cowher showed why he's as good as anyone.

 

[Pat Patriot]

Pat, I agree with a lot of what you said. And no, saying he couldn't win the big one prior to the Super Bowl was not entirely unjustified. The only thing I would have taken issue with was the statement that he lacked the imagination or balls to win it all. Anyone willing to start the second half of the Super Bowl with an onside kick lacks neither. His problem in the past was having substandard QBs who wilted under pressure. Good teams were able to sell out against the run and dare the Steelers to beat them through the air because their Qbs were incapable of doing so. O' Donnell, Stewart, Maddox - all these guys wilted when given the chance to carry the team. Now, for the first time in his tenure, Cowher has a QB he can lean on when necessary (see every AFC playoff game this season.) That was the difference this year.

Give Cowher John Elway and Shanahan Kordell Stewart and see who would have multiple rings now and who would have none. QB play is everything in the playoffs, and it was that shortcoming, not a lack of imagination or balls, that had kept Cowher from the mountaintop all these years. Lest you think this is revisionist history, a search will pull up posts I made to this exact effect prior to the Super Bowl win. Given the tools, Cowher showed why he's as good as anyone.

The AFC is set up for a major run similar to the SF/Dallas/Packers run of the 90's.

The AFC has not had this caliber of teams since Oakland/Miami/Pittsburgh in the 70's.

I would suspect with the resigning of Alexander and most likely resigning of Hutchinson, as well as the rest of the team being pretty young, the Seahawks will be the favorite in the NFC next year.

How do you anoint a favorite in the AFC? Pittsburgh is the defending champ and will only lose Randle-El and Bettis. NE will be getting Harrison back and only lose Givens. Indy loses nobody and was 14-2 last year.

Also, you have Denver doing a bit of retooling and they were 13-3 last year. SD, with a little bit of luck, could have been 13-3 last year. They are letting Brees go however. Cincinnati was 12-4 last year but has the injury to Carson Palmer to contend with. Jacksonville was 12-4 and is an up and coming team. KC is making strides on D but now has Herm Edwards as coach.

Its a good time to be a fan of an AFC team. The competition is tremendous.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Pat, I agree with a lot of what you said.  And no, saying he couldn't win the big one prior to the Super Bowl was not entirely unjustified.  The only thing I would have taken issue with was the statement that he lacked the imagination or balls to win it all.  Anyone willing to start the second half of the Super Bowl with an onside kick lacks neither.  His problem in the past was having substandard QBs who wilted under pressure.  Good teams were able to sell out against the run and dare the Steelers to beat them through the air because their Qbs were incapable of doing so.  O' Donnell, Stewart, Maddox - all these guys wilted when given the chance to carry the team.  Now, for the first time in his tenure, Cowher has a QB he can lean on when necessary (see every AFC playoff game this season.)  That was the difference this year.

Give Cowher John Elway and Shanahan Kordell Stewart and see who would have multiple rings now and who would have none.  QB play is everything in the playoffs, and it was that shortcoming, not a lack of imagination or balls, that had kept Cowher from the mountaintop all these years.  Lest you think this is revisionist history, a search will pull up posts I made to this exact effect prior to the Super Bowl win.  Given the tools, Cowher showed why he's as good as anyone.

The AFC is set up for a major run similar to the SF/Dallas/Packers run of the 90's.

The AFC has not had this caliber of teams since Oakland/Miami/Pittsburgh in the 70's.

I would suspect with the resigning of Alexander and most likely resigning of Hutchinson, as well as the rest of the team being pretty young, the Seahawks will be the favorite in the NFC next year.

How do you anoint a favorite in the AFC? Pittsburgh is the defending champ and will only lose Randle-El and Bettis. NE will be getting Harrison back and only lose Givens. Indy loses nobody and was 14-2 last year.

Also, you have Denver doing a bit of retooling and they were 13-3 last year. SD, with a little bit of luck, could have been 13-3 last year. They are letting Brees go however. Cincinnati was 12-4 last year but has the injury to Carson Palmer to contend with. Jacksonville was 12-4 and is an up and coming team. KC is making strides on D but now has Herm Edwards as coach.

Its a good time to be a fan of an AFC team. The competition is tremendous.

No question. I don't think you can say anyone is a prohibitive favorite in the AFC. In addition to the teams you named, the Ravens still have a good defense and are a tough out every week, and the Dolphins are a team on the rise. there are as many as 8 or 9 teams that could theoretically win the conference, and no fewer than 6 teams (PIT, NE, IND, DEN, SD, CIN) that you could classify as not being a surprise at all if they take it.

 

[streamkeeper]

I really enjoyed readin this thread again. What fun. Gloat!

 

[DonnyT33]

Boy, this thread looks kind of ridiculous now, doesn't it?

when it was posted it seemed right on the money. He could not win a big game in five tries and it looked as though his style was getting stale in Pitt. That was my feeling. Lets face it he got VERY LUCKY this year. The officials were as responsible for the outcome of the SB as anyone this year, it was truly embarrassing for the NFL IMO. He also got lucky to have beaten Indy and not having to face the Pats in the playoffs.

 

[jetpack]

Boy, this thread looks kind of ridiculous now, doesn't it?

when it was posted it seemed right on the money. He could not win a big game in five tries and it looked as though his style was getting stale in Pitt. That was my feeling. Lets face it he got VERY LUCKY this year. The officials were as responsible for the outcome of the SB as anyone this year, it was truly embarrassing for the NFL IMO. He also got lucky to have beaten Indy and not having to face the Pats in the playoffs.

I simply think there is always going to be a segment of the population that can't seem to look beyond a few close calls in the Superbowl and thus will never give Cowher or the Steelers the credit they deserve for winning this Superbowl. Shame because it really devalues what was perhaps Cowher's very best coaching job of his career. The Steelers never scored less than 21 points in the playoffs and were often brilliant at taking away their opponent's strengths (Manning, Hawk's and Denver's running attacks, etc.). They stayed motivated for 3 consecutive away games and used that and a strong team chemistry to make up for any obvious team deficiencies. As a fan who had himself gotten tired at times of coming up short year after year I have to say: Brilliant job Bill, brilliant job.

 

[Despyzer]

when it was posted it seemed right on the money. He could not win a big game in five tries and it looked as though his style was getting stale in Pitt. That was my feeling. Lets face it he got VERY LUCKY this year. The officials were as responsible for the outcome of the SB as anyone this year, it was truly embarrassing for the NFL IMO. He also got lucky to have beaten Indy and not having to face the Pats in the playoffs.

I agree that it seemed like the smart opinion at the time, and I'll agree that Pittsburgh had some luck on their side, but I can't agree that the refs decided the SuperBowl. The Seahawks had a dozen opportunities to take over that game and never took advantage of it.It's hard to say what the outcome of a Pats/Steelers playoff game would have been, but we know two things... the Steeelers got hot at the right time and they beat the team that knocked the Patriots out of the postseason.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Boy, this thread looks kind of ridiculous now, doesn't it?

when it was posted it seemed right on the money. He could not win a big game in five tries and it looked as though his style was getting stale in Pitt. That was my feeling. Lets face it he got VERY LUCKY this year. The officials were as responsible for the outcome of the SB as anyone this year, it was truly embarrassing for the NFL IMO. He also got lucky to have beaten Indy and not having to face the Pats in the playoffs.

See, just when the waters are calm......... Cowher and the Steelers were far from "lucky." Roethlisberger's mid-season injury left them in a spot where they were forced to win 8 straight games in order to reach the mountaintop. Say what you will about the SB officiating, I have no desire to re-hash that, but a team simply does not get lucky 8 games straight. They played the most brutal schedule the playoffs have ever seen, knocking off Cincinnati, Denver, and Indy, all on the road, to even GET to the Super Bowl. In the Indy game, I'd say the Steelers were anything but lucky, having to overcome a horrible call against, and an untimely fumble that would have gone down in NFL lore had they not pulled the game out. How on Earth can you say they were lucky to win that game? They thoroughly outplayed Indy for 3 1/2 quarters and had they lost, it would have been UNBELIEVABLY lucky for Indy.

And enough of this "not having to face the Pats" crap. I get it - you love your team, but you know what? you guys weren't robbed - you got your butts handed to you on the same field that Pittsburgh marched onto a week later and completely dominated that same Broncos team. The Patriots are a great team, but the Steelers peaked at the right time this year, and the Patriots would have met the same fate had they played Pittsburgh that every other team in the AFC playoffs met.

His style is also far from stale or conservative. This is a common misconception due to the fact that the Steelers tend to run 90% of the time in the second half of games when they have the lead. You may call that predictable and boring, but when you're 107-1-1 with a lead of over 10 points in a game over your career, you stick with what works. The Steelers run more option passes, reverse passes, halfback options, and surprise onside kick plays than any other team in the league. He also repeatedly went for it on fourth down in the Indy game rather than punting to play the field position battle as most other coaches would do. Bottom line is that Cowher and Whisenhunt are every bit as much riverboat gamblers as any other coach in the league. The reason he coached a certain way many years is because he had no faith in his QBs to come back and win games with their arms, because they proved time and again that they did not have the capacity to do so. I'd said for years that with a good QB, the Steelers would be dangerous. Well, with Roethlisberger, they're 27-4 over the last two years, with 2 AFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl ring.

Cowher is a HOF coach and has forever shed the "can't win the big game" label. Enough of this - it's silly now. Move the discussion to another guy who individually takes too much heat for not having reached the ultimate goal - Peyton Manning.

 

[scooper]

I'm a Bengals fan and I loathe the Steelers. And yes, I think some lucked played into their superbowl win.

But as much as I don't like him, I have to respect the job Cowher has done as a coach. He has been one of the more consistent coaches in the game. He did a great job of refocusing the team after their Bengals loss and starting a great run. I won't root for the guy out of loyalty, but if I were a player, I'd love to play for him.

 

[Godsbrother]

Boy, this thread looks kind of ridiculous now, doesn't it?

when it was posted it seemed right on the money. He could not win a big game in five tries and it looked as though his style was getting stale in Pitt. That was my feeling. Lets face it he got VERY LUCKY this year. The officials were as responsible for the outcome of the SB as anyone this year, it was truly embarrassing for the NFL IMO. He also got lucky to have beaten Indy and not having to face the Pats in the playoffs.

Let's review:Beat #3 seeded team in AFC by 14 points on the road.

Beat #1 seeded team in AFC by 3 points on the road (would have been more if not for fluke fumble with 1:00 left)

Beat #2 seeded team in AFC by 17 points on the road where home team had not lost a game all season and had just beaten last year's SB champs by 14 points

Beat #1 seeded team in the NFC by 11 points.

Yep, sure sounds lucky to me.