Tag: Bill Cowher

An angry Bill Cowher explained why he thinks the Colts’ hiring of Jeff Saturday is a ‘disgrace’

Bill Cowher did not hold back.

The Indianapolis Colts will face the Raiders later today in Las Vegas and they will do so with their new interim head coach, Jeff Saturday, taking them into battle for the first time since his surprising hiring last Monday.

Saturday, of course, has only been a coach at the high school level and now he’s getting his chance to lead a NFL team thanks to the controversial decision by owner Jim Irsay.

The decision to go with Saturday as their head coach has brought out a lot of criticism, and rightfully so – it might be the dumbest move in NFL history.

Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher weighed in on the move during the CBS pregame show on Sunday and he didn’t hold back at all as he passionately explained why he thinks it was a “disgrace to the coaching profession.”

Here’s the clip:

Hard to argue with Cowher there.

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Sean Payton expects his first media job will be as a TV studio analyst

Sean Payton expects his first media job will be as a TV studio analyst:

So this is interesting. Sean Payton is taking a turn to the media after stepping down as New Orleans Saints head coach earlier this year, and after initial speculation that he’d be taking an in-game commentator role he’s now clarifying that he expects to work in-studio, likely on a panel with other former coaches and players.

Payton shared the news after participating in the Zurich Classic celebrity shootout event this week, telling the Athletic’s Katherine Terrell of whether he’s landed a media job: “I think so, I just don’t want to be the one that puts my foot in my mouth before the company does. But it is. Soon. Probably a studio job.”

That makes sense; Payton’s first blush with working on the other side was on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown pregame show a couple years ago, working on a studio panel with his peers. He’s run a gauntlet of radio and podcast appearances over recent months to get more comfortable in media. He doesn’t have much experience calling games or sharing live commentary, so this could be his best path forwards.

And while there has been even more speculation about Payton’s coaching future (specifically when he’ll return to the NFL, and which team will trade the Saints a king’s ransom for his contract rights), it’s very possible he likes this job well enough to stick with it. That’s what happened with Bill Cowher. The legendary Pittsburgh Steelers coach stepped down after a 15-year run featuring a 161-99-1 record (including the playoffs), a Super Bowl XL ring, and before his fiftieth birthday. He’s remained a fixture at CBS ever since.

Compare that to Payton, who resigned after turning 58 with a 161-97 record and a Super Bowl XLIV title to his credit. Obviously these are two different people with different perspectives and goals, but they have each accomplished similar resumes. We’ll just have to wait and see which network brings Payton into the fold and whether they can keep him there.

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Ex-Steelers HC Bill Cowher shares take on Antonio Brown saga

While Terry Bradshaw and Michael Strahan over at FOX Sports were mocking brown, Bill Cowher treated the matter as it was — serious. 

The Antonio Brown saga was Sunday’s topic du jour. And while Terry Bradshaw and Michael Strahan over at FOX Sports were mocking brown, the analysts at CBS Sports treated the matter as it was — serious.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach and analyst at CBS Sports Bill Cowher commented on the situation during the postgame report.

“It’s a pattern of behavior,” Cowher said. “We’ve seen it everywhere he’s been. You could see it from the time he was in Pittsburgh, to the Raiders, to New England, and where he is right now. It’s sad. An intervention is really needed right now.”

Cowher speculated about what caused Brown’s epic meltdown and defended Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians’ actions.

“You talk about a player’s coach,” said Cowher of Arians. “He holds people accountable, yes. He may have pulled him out of the game because he didn’t like the way he was playing. That’s part of being a coach.”

Bill Cowher never had the pleasure of coaching Antonio Brown, but Arians was the Steelers offensive coordinator when Brown was just a pup.

Did Arians Make the Wrong Call?

Though some will argue — especially now — that Arians shouldn’t have, he can’t really be blamed for welcoming Brown back to the team. A coach always has the team’s best interest in mind, and with Chris Godwin sidelined for the season, the Bucs needed Brown. And, until the fake vaccination card drama, Brown had been a model citizen.

Per the New York Post, in a SiriusXM interview in the fall of 2020, Arians said, “He’s been a model citizen. If and when he’s not, we’ll move on. He knows that. Our team knows that. I don’t really think we’re going to have any problems. We haven’t had any so far, and I really would not anticipate any.”

Only, Arians didn’t move on — because he wants another Lombardi. And now the Bucs will have to deal with the backlash because this Antonio Brown saga will only be a distraction.

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3 great moments from Steelers HOF HC Bill Cowher’s enshrinement speech

Here are few highlights from Bill Cowher’s Hall of Fame enshrinement speech.

When former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher thanked those who shaped him, he included both the Cleveland Browns and Philadephia Eagles organizations — the two teams Cowher played for before coaching.

With all of the Steelers fans in Canton, it was no surprise that a smattering of boos came over the crowd at the mere mention of the Cleveland Browns. “Oh, no, no, don’t go there. I have two kids that were born in Cleveland,” Cowher said with his signature smirk.

Besides the Browns boos, here are three great moments from Cowher’s Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement speech.

Bill Cowher thanked late Chiefs HC Marty Schottenheimer in Hall of Fame enshrinement speech

Former #Chiefs DC Bill Cowher is now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and he thanked the late Marty Schottenheimer in his enshrinement speech.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOWkPcSS2I4

Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Bill Cowher is now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Cowher, who coached a dominant defense in Kansas City from 1989-1991, had his Hall of Fame enshrinement on Saturday night. He coached Chiefs greats like Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith, Kevin Ross, Albert Lewis, Deron Cherry and more. After his stint in Kansas City, Cowher went on to become the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He occupied that role for 15 years, winning two AFC titles and Super Bowl XL with the team.

Cowher claims he couldn’t have done any of it without the tutelage of late Chiefs HC Marty Schottenheimer. Cowher eulogized Schottenheimer during his speech. Cowher thanked Schottenheimer for everything that he taught him about being a coach and helping to shape him into the man he is today.

“Two individuals have shaped and molded me into the man I am today,” Cowher said. “First, Marty Schottenheimer, the only head coach I have ever worked for. He taught me how to play into coaching when I had never coached before. He gave me the opportunity to be a defensive coordinator when I had never done it before. As a head coach, he won over 200 games in over 20 seasons. He had 14 assistant coaches go on to become NFL head coaches, four of which who have won a Super Bowl. He was a master motivator, a stickler to detail and for him, it all started with preparation. This man has not only influenced the game, but he’s influenced anyone who has ever played for him, coached with him or coached against him. I speak on behalf of many: Thank you coach, you did so much for so many, for so long. One day you will be in the Hall of Fame.”

You can watch Cowher’s full speech at the top of the page or on the NFL’s official YouTube channel.

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Ben Roethlisberger wishes he had more time with Steelers HOF HC Bill Cowher

SiriusXM NFL Radio stopped in Pittsburgh and got a chance to talk to Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger about legendary HC Bill Cowher. 

SiriusXM’s Training Camp Tour recently stopped at Pittsburgh Steelers camp and got a chance to talk to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger about legendary head coach Bill Cowher.

“It’s so humbling to have played for a Hall of Fame coach,” said Roethlisberger on SiriusXM’s Movin’ the Chains. Cowher was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday as part of the Centennial Class of 2020.

Several years after he’d retired, Cowher told Roethlisberger that as a rookie, he had two options. “‘I could’ve treated you like you were God’s gift to the Steelers or I could’ve treated you like a crappy, young kid. And I chose the crappy young kid,'” Roethlisberger shared with a smile.

The latter worked because Ben Roethlisberger had a record of 13-0 his rookie season.

It wasn’t until Cowher and the Steelers selected Big Ben 11th overall in the 2004 NFL draft that the Steelers really started going places.

After 14 attempts, in the 2005 season, Cowher finally got his team to the big show and won it. The Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Super Bowl 40.

Roethlisberger said he and his teammates knew Cowher would be heading to the Hall, especially after the Super Bowl win.

“What he meant and means to the city of Pittsburgh… I’d say it’s unparallell but you have Coach Chuck and now Mike, but the tradition and what he means is truly something special.”

In just three seasons under head coach Bill Cowher, Roethlisberger threw for 8,521 yards and 52 touchdowns. When he retired following the 2006 season, the Steelers had a record of 29 and 11 and a Lombardi Trophy for their efforts.

“I love playing with Mike, I’m not taking anything away from Mike,” Roethlisberger said. “I wish I could’ve played with Coach Cowher later in my career, too.”

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Bill Cowher: Ben Roethlisberger ‘thriving’ on being underestimated

Now 15 seasons removed from being his head coach, Bill still knows Ben.

Before Bill Cowher retired from football and the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was Ben Roethlisberger’s first pro football coach. They were together for three successful seasons, and one improbable Super Bowl win.

These days, Cowher’s job is to analyze the Steelers and 31 other teams for “The NFL Today” on CBS.

When asked to analyze the 2021 Ben Roethlisberger, he pointed to characteristics the quarterback has always had.

“It was never too big for him. I think what you’ve seen him do through a period of time, and consistently, year in and year out, he’s a great competitor,” Cowher said on a recent Zoom call with Steelers media. “I’m sure he’s just thriving right now on that everybody thinks he’s done, thinks the Steelers are done,” Cowher said.

In the three years Big Ben was under Cowher’s wing, he threw for 8,521 yards and 52 touchdowns.

Roethlisberger had one of the best seasons of his career with 3,803 yards and 33 touchdowns just last year. Cowher said it would surprise him if he didn’t have another great season this year.

It’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that he can continue on that tear, especially if he thrives being underestimated by Steelers fans and prognosticators.

Cowher also made a surprising statement about his former quarterback’s Hall of Fame candidacy.

“He’s a Hall of Fame player — first ballot, no question about it — but yet he continues to play the game with a great passion, as a great competitor, and I think you’ll see that this year.”

Not only does Cowher see Roethlisberger as a Hall of Famer, but a first-ballot at that.

Heading into his 18th season, it’s clear Roethlisberger still has what it takes to lead the Steelers, but can he lead them all the way to a Super Bowl?

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Bill Cowher: Ben Roethlisberger ‘thriving’ on being underestimated

Now 15 seasons removed from being his head coach, Bill still knows Ben.

Before Bill Cowher retired from football and the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was Ben Roethlisberger’s first pro football coach. They were together for three successful seasons, and one improbable Super Bowl win.

These days, Cowher’s job is to analyze the Steelers and 31 other teams for “The NFL Today” on CBS.

When asked to analyze the 2021 Ben Roethlisberger, he pointed to characteristics the quarterback has always had.

“It was never too big for him. I think what you’ve seen him do through a period of time, and consistently, year in and year out, he’s a great competitor,” Cowher said on a recent Zoom call with Steelers media. “I’m sure he’s just thriving right now on that everybody thinks he’s done, thinks the Steelers are done,” Cowher said.

In the three years Big Ben was under Cowher’s wing, he threw for 8,521 yards and 52 touchdowns.

Roethlisberger had one of the best seasons of his career with 3,803 yards and 33 touchdowns just last year. Cowher said it would surprise him if he didn’t have another great season this year.

It’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that he can continue on that tear, especially if he thrives being underestimated by Steelers fans and prognosticators.

Cowher also made a surprising statement about his former quarterback’s Hall of Fame candidacy.

“He’s a Hall of Fame player — first ballot, no question about it — but yet he continues to play the game with a great passion, as a great competitor, and I think you’ll see that this year.”

Not only does Cowher see Roethlisberger as a Hall of Famer, but a first-ballot at that.

Heading into his 18th season, it’s clear Roethlisberger still has what it takes to lead the Steelers, but can he lead them all the way to a Super Bowl?

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Following retirement, Bill Cowher left Mike Tomlin more than a Super Bowl caliber team

It wasn’t just a Super Bowl-caliber team that Bill Cowher bequeathed to Mike Tomlin.

There isn’t a handbook on how to coach the Pittsburgh Steelers. There wasn’t an opportunity to shadow or a training manual. A luxury some jobs offer, Bill Cowher wasn’t there to show Mike Tomlin the daily intricacies of his new position.

“I don’t think anyone can tell you specifically how to be a head coach,” Cowher wrote in his new book “Heart and Steel.” “Every dynamic is a little different. Everything is coming your way, and you have to catch it, quickly decide how to handle it, and keep moving.”

When Tomlin transitioned from defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings to head coach of the Steelers in 2007, it was any head coach’s dream gig. Stacked with talent, the team had just won a Super Bowl in 2006 and was on the brink of returning to greatness.

But it wasn’t just a Super Bowl-caliber team that Cowher bequeathed to Tomlin. He also left a can of Iron City beer in his office fridge. Apparently, the can remains unopened.

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Bill Cowher justifies Bill Belichick, Spygate with detailed arguement

“It’s only cheating if you get caught.”

Seth Wickersham resurfaced Spygate last week with an ESPN story saying that Donald Trump intervened with the investigation.

Bill Belichick was fined, the New England Patriots were fined and the team lost out on a first-round draft pick as a result from videotaping New York Jets coaches in 2007. The incident widely lingered over Belichick’s head and it put a magnifying glass on incidents like Deflategate.

Hall of Fame head coach Bill Cowher caught up with Ed Bouchette of The Athletic and discussed the 2007 situation.

“It’s only cheating if you get caught,” Cowher said. “Like any player, if you’re going to hold him, don’t get caught. If you get caught you’re wrong, if you don’t you’re right. I always thought we never lost the games to New England because of Spygate. If he got the calls because we didn’t do a very good job of making sure we signaled those in, that’s on us, it’s not on him. Because we’re always looking for competitive edges. I think as any coach whether it’s someone’s stance, someone’s split, someone’s formation (that tips off a play). You’re looking at someone’s eyes, how are they coming out of a huddle? You’re always looking for those little things that give you a competitive edge and that to me is what that was.”

Cowher coached the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1992-2006 and lost two AFC Championship games to the Patriots — he didn’t blame it on cheating though.

“We didn’t lose the game because of that,” Cowher said. “We lost the game because they executed better than we did.”

He discussed his relationship with Belichick and detailed the history between the two.

“We go back pretty far,” Cowher said. “I have a lot of respect for him. He loves the game. We shared a lot of time together and time off the field, teaching each other about linebacker play and defensive backfield play. It came down to us being finalists for the 1991 Cleveland Browns job and he got the job and I didn’t. We went from friends to adversaries the next year because I found myself the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. As we competed against each other it was just a great competition.”

There’s many different perspectives on Belichick and the cheating scandals — Cowher holds a unique one.

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