Tag: Bill Cowher

Steelers can tie stunning NFL record with win vs Cleveland Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers can clinch their 21st consecutive non-losing season on TNF, tying with the Dallas Cowboys for the NFL record.

The 8-2 Steelers are on track for yet another winning season under head coach Mike Tomlin, who has never experienced a losing season. On Thursday night, they can secure 21 consecutive seasons without a losing record.

If successful, the Steelers would tie the NFL record for 21 straight seasons at .500 or better, a mark currently held by the Cowboys, who maintained that consistency from 1965 to 1985.

Pittsburgh’s last losing season was in 2003 (6-10) under Bill Cowher. The Steelers haven’t finished worse than 8-8 since. The Patriots hold the next-longest streak of non-losing seasons at 19, running from 2001 to 2019.

Since 1972, the Steelers have assembled their legendary dynasty and the franchise has enjoyed remarkable success. They’re on track for their 41st winning season in that span, with only seven losing seasons and five .500 finishes during the same period.

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Former Steelers HC appeals to Arthur Smith to open up the offense for Justin Fields

Bill Cowher has advice for Arthur Smith.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are used to seeing a conservative Steelers offense in recent years. This season is no different. But wait, things are different. There’s a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith and a new quarterback in Justin Fields.

Even with these upgrades, the Steelers offense is still stuck in neutral. But this time it feels self-imposed by Smith. He’s got an athlete in Fields and he’s got a freakish athlete in wide receiver George Pickens but seems content trying to grind out a run game that hasn’t been at all effective.

Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher was on the pregame show and he implored Smith to open things up for Fields and give him a chance to make some plays.

“Arthur Smith, open this offense up,” Cowher said. “I think give him a chance to start spreading out the field. Go empty, go no-huddle. Use him now and give him a chance to grow as a quarterback.”

Cowher is fully aware of how you go outside of your comfort zone when you have an athletic quarterback. He did something similar with Kordell Stewart so he has some insight that Smith needs to listen to.

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CBS’s NFL studio show had a classy message for former colleagues Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms

What a classy move by CBS’s NFL studio show.

In the hard-nosed world of NFL media, there’s a lot more churn and turnover than you think. This sentiment even applies to the established former professionals who actually played the game at its highest level.

In advance of the 2024 NFL season, CBS restructured its lead studio show, The NFL Today, to include former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and former Houston Texans pass-rusher J.J. Watt. That meant the network said goodbye to long-time panelists and NFL legends Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms, whose respective contracts weren’t renewed.

Before taking a break, host James Brown made sure to acknowledge all the success the show has had by properly shouting out Esiason and Simms’ roles. Naturally, the entire panel agreed that they “missed them” in a classy moment:

 

It’s a cold world out there. But if you’re Esiason and Simms, it’s probably nice knowing your old friends still appreciate you even if you don’t work for them anymore.

Bill Cowher on the athleticism of Steelers rookie Payton Wilson: ‘It’s off the charts’

Payton Wilson has the potential to be a special player on this Steelers defense.

Much like last season when the Pittsburgh Steelers were able to get defensive tackle Keenau Benton in the middle of the second round of the 2023 NFL draft, Pittsburgh might have scooped up another dynamic athletic defender outside of the first round with linebacker Payton Wilson this year.

Unfounded injury concerns pushed Wilson to the end of the third round and the Steelers wasted no time bringing in the former North Carolina State star.

Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher gushed about Wilson and when you consider just how many great linebackers he coached, it’s hard to argue with his reasoning.

“His athletic ability speaks for itself,” Cowher said. “It’s off the charts. If you’re smart, productive, tough and can run, those are qualities that I saw with the linebackers with the Steelers. He has all those same qualities.”
Wilson was one of the most productive defenders in college football in 2023. Wilson finished with 138 total tackles in 12 games along with six sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and six passes defended. It’s no stretch to say he’s as close to Ryan Shazier as this team has seen since he was with the team and has a very bright future.
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Who is the best head coach in Steelers history?

Cast your vote and tell us who you consider the greatest HC in franchise history.

This week the Pittsburgh Steelers signed head coach Mike Tomlin to a contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2027 season.

Tomlin’s extension puts him in a position to pass the iconic Chuck Noll for career wins and within two seasons of Noll’s record for years as head coach. No NFL franchise can boast the level of consistency the Steelers have had with Noll, Tomlin and Bill Cowher being the only head coaches the franchise has had going all the way back to 1969. A mark no other franchise can approach.

 

While Noll and Cowher are universally loved by Steelers fans, the same cannot be said for Tomlin. This is due to Tomlin’s lack of postseason success. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016 and for many fans, this is unacceptable given the amount of talent Tomlin has had.

Cast your vote and tell us who you believe the best head coach is in Steelers history.

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How 12 football head coaches fared as the replacements for legends like Bill Belichick and Nick Saban

Who replaced Bear Bryant, Don Shula and John Madden and how did they do?

During one of the craziest weeks of football in recent memory, we saw the end of an era for legends like Bill Belichick and Nick Saban.

Belichick, 71, and Saban, 72, are easily two of the greatest coaches that the sport has ever seen. Next season, college football will look very different without Saban coaching Alabama. Meanwhile, the NFL will also look very different without Belichick coaching the Patriots.

Both teams will have huge decisions about how to fill these massive shoes. While there are some interesting candidates for the gig in New England and the job in Tuscaloosa, can either live up to the reputation that Belichick and Saban built?

We looked back at some of the most legendary coaches in football history, both in the NFL and in college football, to learn how these replacements have typically fared.

The results are a fairly mixed bag but if there is one thing we learned, it is that it is not easy to replace someone as accomplished as either of these two Hall of Fame-caliber coaches.

Bill Cowher offers sage advice to Steelers HC Mike Tomlin

Bill Cowher offered some words of wisdom for Mike Tomlin.

Consistency has been the standard when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This team has only had three head coaches over the last 54 years. But as we have seen this season, the desire to stay static in terms of players and coaches is costing the team. This is something former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher understands all too well.

Cowher was on the Pat McAfee show and he offered up some excellent advice for head coach Mike Tomlin coming from a point of not just a former NFL head coach but the second-best Steelers head coach in franchise history.

I the interview, Cowher talked about making change for change’s sake, making coaching changes when things get stale and you have to inject some energy into the team.

Tomlin’s been around the block. Cowher isn’t saying anything Tomlin doesn’t already know. Only he’s made the wrong choice time after time. His loyalty is to himself and not bringing in someone who is smart and innovative to help bring the offense into the current NFL meta.

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Bill Cowher joins disingenuous Trevor Lawrence ‘little towel’ outrage

The silliest subplot of the Jaguars’ season so far keeps getting sillier.

The silliest subplot of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2023 season so far keeps getting sillier with former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher now adding himself to the mix.

In a Friday appearance on ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show,” Cowher chastised Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence for what he said Wednesday about the “Terrible Towel.”

“Trevor Lawrence talked about those little gold towels this week,” Cowher said. “Little? Come on, Trevor, it’s called a Terrible Towel. And you’re going to be terrible because this towel is going to make you terrible. That’s why it’s called a Terrible Towel.”

A quick recap for the uninitiated: Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was asked if he’s too young to know about the Terrible Towel. He correctly and accurately said they he knew about the “little yellow towels they swing around.”

Lawrence, 24, then spoke for a minute about his excitement to go to Pittsburgh to play a historic franchise that has an “aura” surrounding it.

Somehow, an entirely innocuous and overwhelmingly respectful answer has plenty of Steelers fans riled up. Evidently, that overly dramatic group includes Cowher. As a segment from The Rich Eisen Show said about the situation, it’s a terribly thin-skinned reaction from (some, not all) Steelers fans.

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Legendary Steelers HC Bill Cowher to be inducted into NC State Ring of Honor

Bill Cowher coached the Steelers for 15 seasons.

For 15 seasons, Bill Cowher served as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But before that, Cowher was a successful assistant in the NFL. And before that an NFL player. But if you go all the way back to college, you find out Cowher was also an All-American linebacker at North Carolina State University.

Cowher’s contributions to Wolfpack football are being recognized by the University. The team announced on Twitter that Cowher is being recognized as a former player by being inducted into the Wolfpack Ring of Honor.

“Bill Cowher has left an indelible mark on the game of football and is certainly beloved by Wolfpack Nation,” said Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan. “It is an absolute privilege to recognize his remarkable contributions and celebrate his outstanding career.”

“Throughout his career, Bill Cowher has epitomized what Wolfpack football is all about,” said head coach Dave Doeren. “He is a true mentor, leader, and icon in the coaching profession, and we are so proud to be able to honor him in Carter-Finley Stadium alongside other NC State legends.”

As the Steelers head coach, Cowher went 166-99-1. He was twice named Coach of the Year and he led the Steelers to a Super Bowl win.

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Bill Cowher calls Jeff Saturday hire ‘a disgrace to the coaching profession’

Bill Cowher blasted the Colts’ decision to hire Jeff Saturday as interim coach

Bill Cowher did not mince words Sunday on “The NFL Today.”

He delivered a strong commentary on the decision by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay to make Jeff Saturday the team’s interim coach after firing Frank Reich.

Cowher said he knew Saturday turned down multiple opportunities to be an assistant coach in Indianapolis to remain with his TV job and spend time with his family.

The former Steelers coach also cited assistants on the Colts’ current staff who had much more experience on the NFL level than Saturday, who has, um, none as a coach.

Cowher concluded by calling Irsay’s decision “a disgrace to the coaching profession.”