Highly unlikely, but would you welcome Cowher back to the Steelers?

[Hineswardkickedurpanzyass]

I would love to have Cowher back if it meant we could get rid of Captain Dumbass. Tomlin sucks ***, if you can name one thing.....one ******* thing he has done right the past couple of years I will buy you a steak dinner. One thing, that is all. One.

 

[Idioteque]

I would love to have Cowher back if it meant we could get rid of Captain Dumbass. Tomlin sucks ***, if you can name one thing.....one ******* thing he has done right the past couple of years I will buy you a steak dinner. One thing, that is all. One.

Can't you read? He singlehandedly made Ike a star, accidentally made Harrison one, then led us to a 3-1 record without Ben.

(We'll just disregard the 18-17 record WITH Ben since then. THAT was the fluke, not those first four.)

 

[Wingman]

Yet you dont see the irony of this when it comes to Kordell lol.

Some of the people below might have had some input on the Kordell pick. Kordell was a second round pick Neil O'Dummell was already on the team and Kordell was listed as a wide receiver when drafted. Kordell was one of those guys that comes close but just doesn't quite make it to greatness, he did in college, he had lots of moments when you thought if he ever puts it all together he will be something.

Keep in mind the battle between Cowher and Donahoe was in the future and resulted in Donahoe leaving the organization. The battle was allegedly over draft picks Troy Edwards instead of Jevon Keerse. So it makes me think that folks other than Cowher were responsible for some of those picks. Anyway make of it what you will.

My thoughts on the matter Noll and Cowher were great coaches, MTHEAD not.
Director of Football Operations – Tom Donahoe
President – Daniel M. Rooney
Vice President – Arthur J. Rooney, Jr.
Secretary & Counsel – Arthur J. Rooney II
College Personnel Coordinator – Tom Modrak
Administration Advisor – Chuck Noll

Below here is a bit about Cowher with out cherry picking stats to create a strawman for the justification of MT HEAD.

He became the 15th head coach in Steelers history when he succeeded Chuck Noll on January 21, 1992 – but only the second head coach since the NFL merger in 1970. Under Cowher, the Steelers showed an immediate improvement from the disappointing 7–9 season the year before, going 11–5 and earning home field advantage in the AFC after the Steelers had missed the playoffs six times out of the previous seven years. In 1995, at age 38, he became the youngest coach to lead his team to a Super Bowl. Cowher is only the second coach in NFL history to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons as head coach, joining Pro Football Hall of Fame member Paul Brown.

In Cowher’s 15 seasons, the Steelers captured eight division titles, earned 10 postseason playoff berths, played in 21 playoff games, advanced to six AFC Championship games and made two Super Bowl appearances. He is one of only six coaches in NFL history to claim at least seven division titles. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, the Steelers had the best record of any team in the NFL since Cowher was hired as head coach.

On February 5, 2006, Cowher's Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL by defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21–10, giving Cowher his first Super Bowl ring. Through the Super Bowl, Cowher's team had compiled a record of 108–1–1 in games in which they built a lead of at least 11 points.[2]

 

[Idioteque]

Kordell won the starting job in 1997 over Mike Tomczak and Mike Quinn. He had a phenomenal first season, a shaky second season, and was replaced during his third. He beat out Can't Graham in 2001 and went on to a very good season. He was replaced the next year.

Failing to see Cowher's die-hard, unwavering support for Kordell.

 

[Ghost of Frenchy Fuqua]

Wasn't he the starter for five seasons, '97 through '01?

 

[Wingman]

What Happened to the Teams from the AFC Central?

The composition of the AFC Central remained unchanged for 24 seasons. Then, in 1995, the Jacksonville Jaguars entered the league as an expansion team and joined the AFC Central, giving the division five teams. The following year, the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore and changed their name to the Ravens, but they stayed within the division. Another move took place in the 1997 season, when the Houston Oilers relocated to Tennessee, and later changed their name to be the Titans. However, they too stayed in the AFC Central. In 1999, a new expansion team was created in Cleveland, resurrecting the Browns name. With the addition of the new Browns, the AFC Central had six teams. Finally, major division realignment took place in 2002. The AFC Central became the AFC North, with the Steelers, Browns, Bengals, and Ravens remaining in the division. The Titans and Jaguars were moved into the newly created AFC South.

One other thing the Steelers had to do was play in a six team division in which the expansion teams were given a great deal of leverage in creating a competitive team. This was also during the tenure of the chin.

 

[antdrewjosh]

"The cupboard was not bare" is a bullshit description.

The 1991 Steelers had Barry Foster, an aging and ineffective Louis Lipps, and two very, very good players in Greg Lloyd and Rod Woodson.

The team's DL was a weakness. The secondary needed help. Lloyd was the only truly good LB'er.

The 1991 Steelers went 7-9. The team went 6-10, 8-7, 5-11, 9-7, 9-7 between 1987 and 1990. That totals a record of 44-51 in the six years before Cowher took over.

The team had been to the playoffs one time in the previous seven seasons before Cowher took over. Repeat, ONE TIME IN THE SEVEN PRIOR SEASONS.

So don't act like Cowher took over a powerhouse, coming off a Super Bowl win and a great championship run 2 seasons before he came on board, and with a QB who was turning 25, and a truly gifted QB, with multiple HOF players on the roster.

Meanwhile, here is who Cowher drafted his first season as HC:

Leon Searcy, Levon Kirkland, Joel Steed in the first 3 rounds and Darren Perry later. He rebuilt the Steelers defense in one draft. The next year, he drafted Chad Brown. Andre Hastings and Kevin Henry. His 1995 Super Bowl team had the following starters (Cowher selections, additions in bold):

DE Brentson Buckner
NT Joel Steed
DE Ray Seals
OLB Kevin Greene
ILB Levon Kirkland
ILB Chad Brown
OLB Greg Lloyd
CB Carnell Lake
CB Willie Williams
FS Darren Perry
SS Myron Bell

QB Neil O'Donnell
RB Eric Pegram/Bam Morris
FB John L. Williams
TE Mark Breuner
OT John Jackson
G Brendon Stai
C Dermonti Dawson
G Tom Newberry
OT Leon Searcy
WR Andre Hastings
WR Ernie MIlls

Meanwhile, Tomlin's 2008 Super Bowl Champions featured two of his players who did anything - Lawrence Timmons and Matt Spaeth.

Seriously, Timmons and Spaeth, and Tomlin is credited with winning with that team? As if he had anything to do with it.

Might want to check your list again. Some of those guys was on the team in 91. And where did i say they were a powerhouse. No where. There was talent there. No way you can deny that. The cupboard not being are is way more accurate then saying he built it from the ground up. The 1995 Super Bowl that he lost. Hell Tomlin gets flak for.almost losing. He did have something to do with it.he coached it. No matter how hard it is to admit it he coached it. Just like he is coaching it now. He wasnt responsible then but is responsible for every little thing now. Yet Cowher wasnt responsible for.who his QBs were for 12 years. If I said Tomlin has been held back by his drafts. You will say **** he drafted them and rightly so. So why the **** is Cowher not responsible for not finding a QB???? Spare me there was no one availble bullshit. Fact is Cowher didnt value the position. Defense and running game is what he felt he needed. All he wanted was a game manager.

I dont know JJ why we lose to those teams. I guess tye same way we lost to expansion team Jacksonville or expansion team Houston or the 2-14 Bengals. Who was the coach then?

 

[Hollywood Bags]

In a heartbeat.

 

[Steelr4evr]

I bet our drafts would look better. I'd take Cowher back in the blink of an eye.

 

[Steeltime]

Might want to check your list again. Some of those guys was on the team in 91

No, they weren't. The players in bold were all obtained by Cowher, via draft or free agency.

Might want to check your list again. Some of those guys was on the team in 91. And where did i say they were a powerhouse. No where.

The Steelers certainly were not a powerhouse when Cowher took over; in fact, they were a sub-.500 team. They had gone 44-51 in the prior six seasons. They had been to the playoffs once in the prior seven seasons.

However, Tomlin took over a powerhouse. That is the point. He took over a team with a very, very good QB, an elite RB, a HOF wide receiver, a very, very good #2 WR, a superb TE, an excellent DL, a superior LB crew, a future HOF player at safety, and a good CB.

 

[antdrewjosh]

No, they weren't. The players in bold were all obtained by Cowher, via draft or free agency.



The Steelers certainly were not a powerhouse when Cowher took over; in fact, they were a sub-.500 team. They had gone 44-51 in the prior six seasons. They had been to the playoffs once in the prior seven seasons.

However, Tomlin took over a powerhouse. That is the point. He took over a team with a very, very good QB, an elite RB, a HOF wide receiver, a very, very good #2 WR, a superb TE, an excellent DL, a superior LB crew, a future HOF player at safety, and a good CB.

I provided a link you check it. Cross reference it with your bolded.

 

[antdrewjosh]

I provided a link you check it. Cross reference it with your bolded.

The Singeltary led 49ers hadnt won anything either but they had a pretty good foundation that Harbaugh inherited too. What do wins have to do with anything? We are talking talent. Cowher brought it out and won. Good. Doesnt mean he started from ground zero.

 

[Idioteque]

Might want to check your list again. Some of those guys was on the team in 91. And where did i say they were a powerhouse. No where. There was talent there. No way you can deny that. The cupboard not being are is way more accurate then saying he built it from the ground up.

The team was 32-34 in the four seasons leading to Cowher's arrival. Like every team in football, they had a couple of pieces in place. Unlike every team in football, they immediately made the playoffs six straight years as Cowher built the roster.

Then, for good measure, he built an even better roster a few years later, drafting numerous HOFers - including a franchise QB - along the way.

The 1995 Super Bowl that he lost. Hell Tomlin gets flak for.almost losing. He did have something to do with it.he coached it. No matter how hard it is to admit it he coached it.

That's because some of us look past the W-L mark and actually analyze performance. Instead of saying, "Hey, we won today, so EVERYBODY did a fine job!" some of us still look for improvement going forward. And nobody is immune. You know good and well this board has never been afraid to rip Ben, Troy, Hines, Hampton, Farrior, LeBeau, the Rooneys, etc. Contrary to what you think, Tomlin is not a martyr and not the only figure who gets criticized for our crappiness.

The only guy I don't think I've ever seen criticized on here is Aaron Smith. And that's because he was objectively flawless and wonderful in every way. I for one won't stand for that ****.

By your logic, Max Starks was an elite OT because of all the success we had with him in the lineup - even though we all know he was a very average player. I'll give you that comparison. Tomlin is the Max Starks of coaching.

Just like he is coaching it now. He wasnt responsible then but is responsible for every little thing now.

Yes, but according to you, our current problems aren't on Tomlin. You've made it very clear our problems are with execution, not coaching. You and I have discussed this more than once. Tomlin gives brilliant coaching all week, then 45 guys simultaneously forget it all on Sunday morning. D'oh.

Yet Cowher wasnt responsible for.who his QBs were for 12 years. If I said Tomlin has been held back by his drafts. You will say **** he drafted them and rightly so. So why the **** is Cowher not responsible for not finding a QB???? Spare me there was no one availble bullshit. Fact is Cowher didnt value the position. Defense and running game is what he felt he needed. All he wanted was a game manager.

Cowher never tried to find a franchise QB over that span. You act as though he kept drafting franchise QBs and failing (the way Tomlin has at pretty much every position). Cowher rolled with what he had at QB - and contended for the Super Bowl pretty much every year in doing so. Let that soak in: with O'Donnell, Kordell, and Maddox leading the charge, Cowher's teams were usually contenders.

Now let this soak in: with Ben in the prime of his career (and the #1 defense in football for awhile), Tomlin's Steelers have slid from the top to the middle and beyond.

I dont know JJ why we lose to those teams. I guess tye same way we lost to expansion team Jacksonville or expansion team Houston or the 2-14 Bengals. Who was the coach then?

Oh, you found three examples of losses to awful teams. Sounds like a typical season for Tomlin.

So I'm clear: your claim is that we lost to shitfuck teams just as often now as we did back then?

 

[antdrewjosh]

Your right Tomlin took ovet a powerhouse. So your point. Didnt he do his job with it? He won. Whats the issue? I can see if he didnt win. Thats something to ***** about. ******* guy took over a powerhouse and didnt win.

 

[Wingman]

Your right Tomlin took ovet a powerhouse. So your point. Didnt he do his job with it? He won. Whats the issue? I can see if he didnt win. Thats something to ***** about. ******* guy took over a powerhouse and didnt win.

The issue is you continually credit him for the win and nobody else. What about his job was what made them win? It looks to me like he would have had a very hard time not winning. Granted starting at the top is tough. It means you have a tough act to follow. Look at what the team consists of now.

 

[antdrewjosh]

The team was 32-34 in the four seasons leading to Cowher's arrival. Like every team in football, they had a couple of pieces in place. Unlike every team in football, they immediately made the playoffs six straight years as Cowher built the roster.

Then, for good measure, he built an even better roster a few years later, drafting numerous HOFers - including a franchise QB - along the way.



That's because some of us look past the W-L mark and actually analyze performance. Instead of saying, "Hey, we won today, so EVERYBODY did a fine job!" some of us still look for improvement going forward. And nobody is immune. You know good and well this board has never been afraid to rip Ben, Troy, Hines, Hampton, Farrior, LeBeau, the Rooneys, etc. Contrary to what you think, Tomlin is not a martyr and not the only figure who gets criticized for our crappiness.

The only guy I don't think I've ever seen criticized on here is Aaron Smith. And that's because he was objectively flawless and wonderful in every way. I for one won't stand for that ****.

By your logic, Max Starks was an elite OT because of all the success we had with him in the lineup - even though we all know he was a very average player. I'll give you that comparison. Tomlin is the Max Starks of coaching.



Yes, but according to you, our current problems aren't on Tomlin. You've made it very clear our problems are with execution, not coaching. You and I have discussed this more than once. Tomlin gives brilliant coaching all week, then 45 guys simultaneously forget it all on Sunday morning. D'oh.



Cowher never tried to find a franchise QB over that span. You act as though he kept drafting franchise QBs and failing (the way Tomlin has at pretty much every position). Cowher rolled with what he had at QB - and contended for the Super Bowl pretty much every year in doing so. Let that soak in: with O'Donnell, Kordell, and Maddox leading the charge, Cowher's teams were usually contenders.

Now let this soak in: with Ben in the prime of his career (and the #1 defense in football for awhile), Tomlin's Steelers have slid from the top to the middle and beyond.



Oh, you found three examples of losses to awful teams. Sounds like a typical season for Tomlin.

So I'm clear: your claim is that we lost to shitfuck teams just as often now as we did back then?

They had a couple. Thats it?

His starting QB on the team. His starting center on the team. His starting RB on the team. His starting LT on the team. His starting CB. His starting SS and FS on the team. His starting OLBs on the team. All those players helped him have success. He then was able to take advantage of the previous teams 7-9 record and draft very well his first year adding Searcy Kirkland and Steed. But the cupboard wasnt bare. All those players hepled him make 6 straight playoffs. You look past W-L when its suits you seems to me. Cause here you are touting 32-34 as indication there was no talent on the team.

Nope sorry i dont put player mistakes on coaches. Didnt do it when Cowher was coaching why would i now. Dick lebeau is a hall of famer Defensive Co. His defense has worked for years. Now he is clueless. His schemes dont work? No the players arent executing them. Some because they suck(thats on tomlin and others who chose them) or they dont have the experience needed to execute said schemes. Or they are too old to execute it. So poor drafts and inexperience has us here. Average.

So now for Cowher its ok to not fix or even try to fix the hole in your team thats holding you back. He gets a pass. Dont worry Bill its ok you didnt have a franchise QB. Its cool. Just roll with what you have we understand.

Thats exactly what im saying. People wondered how the **** we kept losing to expansion teams back then. So you saying there were no bad losses under Cowher besides those three. If thats the case i guess every team we loss to in 98 99 2000 were powerhouses right?

 

[antdrewjosh]

The issue is you continually credit him for the win and nobody else. What about his job was what made them win? It looks to me like he would have had a very hard time not winning. Granted starting at the top is tough. It means you have a tough act to follow. Look at what the team consists of now.

Really is that what im doing or am I just saying he wasnt along for the ride like some portray. That any ******* could and would have won. Its ok to say that but if i say he deserves some credit im wrong.

 

[Idioteque]

His starting QB on the team. His starting center on the team. His starting RB on the team.

LOL, which one? Cowher had a top-notch running game with numerous backs. Some were castoffs like Bus and Pegram. Some were mid-to-late picks like Bam. One was undrafted. He always fielded a great run game, by stocking it repeatedly with his own guys. But it's cute that you point to Foster, who was a one-year wonder then gave way to a massive stable of good backs.

His starting LT on the team. His starting CB. His starting SS and FS on the team. His starting OLBs on the team. All those players helped him have success. He then was able to take advantage of the previous teams 7-9 record and draft very well his first year adding Searcy Kirkland and Steed. But the cupboard wasnt bare. All those players hepled him make 6 straight playoffs.

Look at his first few years. Cowher adds Kevin Greene, Searcy, Kirkland, Steed, Darren Perry, Chad Brown, Kevin Henry, Gildon, Bam, Bruener, Kordell, and Roye. Yeah, he just rode on Noll's coattails there. Didn't bring much to the table.

And none of this takes into account the second core Cowher built. It was maybe the best in the league for awhile, featured numerous future HOFers and (again) contended for the SB every year. In fact, it won two of them.

How has Tomlin's hand-picked core worked out? Compare what we've seen of it to either of Cowher's. What are the results?

I don't think anyone said the cupboard was bare. No NFL team has a bare cupboard. Even today's Jaguars have some promising young pieces in place. What was said was that it was a below-average team, had been for almost a decade, and turned around IMMEDIATELY upon Cowher's arrival. And the few pieces they had in place were augmented by several GREAT drafts.

You look past W-L when its suits you seems to me.

No, I look past W-L when I'm evaluating ONE piece of the puzzle, like a HC or QB or OT. When I evaluate an entire team's performance over a decade, W-L record and playoff marks do the trick. You on the other hand shower Tomlin with credit for every win (and dodge the blame for him for every loss).

Cause here you are touting 32-34 as indication there was no talent on the team.

It was a bad team for a decade before he came long, as 32-34 indicates.

Nope sorry i dont put player mistakes on coaches. Didnt do it when Cowher was coaching why would i now.

What about the same constant mistakes for years? Isn't the job of, I dunno, the coaches to iron out FREQUENT mistakes? Or find new players that won't make them?

Dick lebeau is a hall of famer Defensive Co. His defense has worked for years. Now he is clueless. His schemes dont work? No the players arent executing them. Some because they suck(thats on tomlin and others who chose them)

And that doesn't seem like a big deal to you. Oh well, we can't acquire talent for **** anymore, so what? The catchphrases are killing it.

So now for Cowher its ok to not fix or even try to fix the hole in your team thats holding you back. He gets a pass. Dont worry Bill its ok you didnt have a franchise QB. Its cool. Just roll with what you have we understand.

It wasn't OK, and it did hold the Steelers back, but they remained contenders EVEN WITHOUT that. Tomlin has it, had the league's best defense, and STILL slid into mediocrity (at best).

Besides.. seriously.. are we going to put ONE position that Cowher didn't fill (because he never tried) up against EVERY position that Tomlin has failed to fill? OK, I'll spot you that Cowher should have secured a great QB sooner. What about Tomlin's o-line? His d-line? LBs? Pass rushers? DBs? Special teams?

That's what's so sad about this "comparison" here. Cowher punted the QB position and opted to fill every other position - and usually succeeded. Tomlin has tried desperately to fill those positions without having to pursue a QB and failed. Even sadder is that the QB he DID pursue was Landry goddamned Jones.

Thats exactly what im saying. People wondered how the **** we kept losing to expansion teams back then. So you saying there were no bad losses under Cowher besides those three. If thats the case i guess every team we loss to in 98 99 2000 were powerhouses right?

Just research Tomlin's record against bad teams. Do it without a raging Tomlin hard-on. I've done the research myself and it's well below that of the league's top coaches. And someone on this board did a more recent study of it a few weeks back. Spoiler alert: it's even worse.

 

[Idioteque]

Really is that what im doing or am I just saying he wasnt along for the ride like some portray. That any ******* could and would have won. Its ok to say that but if i say he deserves some credit im wrong.

That's because you're not doing anything analytic to show Tomlin's worth. You're just pointing to W-L records and making claims like "Tomlin made Ike a star!!" and not giving any actual support for it.

 

[Steeltime]

Your right Tomlin took ovet a powerhouse. So your point. Didnt he do his job with it? He won. Whats the issue? I can see if he didnt win. Thats something to ***** about. ******* guy took over a powerhouse and didnt win.

The issue is this: Don't cite Tomlin's 2008 Super Bowl victory as evidence he is a good coach, nor his very good first 4 seasons. As you acknowledge, he inherited a powerhouse, with probably the best defense in the NFL, a very good QB, some superb receivers, and a solid running back.

The first few seasons, he did a pretty decent job at getting production from his team. I don't dispute that. Some of the embarrassing 2009 losses - to Oakland, KC, etc. - were a warning sign, however.

Now that the team is his, it is lousy. Seriously, the team is awful under his stewardship, despite having a very good QB. That is on him.

 

[Bigappleyinzer]

The issue is this: Don't cite Tomlin's 2008 Super Bowl victory as evidence he is a good coach, nor his very good first 4 seasons. As you acknowledge, he inherited a powerhouse, with probably the best defense in the NFL, a very good QB, some superb receivers, and a solid running back.

The first few seasons, he did a pretty decent job at getting production from his team. I don't dispute that. Some of the embarrassing 2009 losses - to Oakland, KC, etc. - were a warning sign, however.

Now that the team is his, it is lousy. Seriously, the team is awful under his stewardship, despite having a very good QB. That is on him.

This is just idiotic.

How many teams with superb talent fail to win the SB? The 2007 Pats (16-0) were heads and shoulders the best team in the NFL with 10 ALL Pros on the roster, and one of the greatest offenses ever assembled. Yet they were outmatched by a 10-6 Giants squad. So for you just to dismiss a Superbowl victory as if it was expected- is downright laughable. Then for you to dismiss that fact that we went to another SB 2 years after- with our QB1 out for 25% of the season? I swear some of you are bandwagon fans that just starting watching sometime during 2006...

Look- Tomlin was given a solid group of players, but that doesn't mean ****. Look at the 49ers with Singletary. Great roster, bad coaching

The problem with our team is that we kept on trying to squeeze one more ring out of a group of aging vets. Thus hurting our salary cap and hindering our future. How many bring 'back XYZ' threads have we seen on this board alone? Hell- Troy and Heath are probably the most popular players in the Steeler Nation and the least productive thus far. Heath probably wouldnt even start for any other team besides ours...

The Ravens GM was able to pick up Steve Smith and the offseason. The Steelers got Cam "Fridge with wheels" Thomas. This is the problem- and its comical that you cannot see this.

 

[blitzburghv5]

The issue is this: Don't cite Tomlin's 2008 Super Bowl victory as evidence he is a good coach, nor his very good first 4 seasons. As you acknowledge, he inherited a powerhouse, with probably the best defense in the NFL, a very good QB, some superb receivers, and a solid running back.

The first few seasons, he did a pretty decent job at getting production from his team. I don't dispute that. Some of the embarrassing 2009 losses - to Oakland, KC, etc. - were a warning sign, however.

Now that the team is his, it is lousy. Seriously, the team is awful under his stewardship, despite having a very good QB. That is on him.

What, in your opinion makes Ben very good (especially right now) ? Rodgers, Peyton, Luck....those guys are very good. Rivers even..... Hell, right now, you must admit Flacco is kickin Bens *** in efficiency and productivity and its even debatable if Ben is playing better than Austin Davis...Austin Davis has a better passer rating than Ben and more TDs. AUSTIN ****** DAVIS ???!!!

Based on numbers hes averaging and now its become more apparent that his limitations are covered when hes got a stellar defense to rely on. Ben is still amongst the classification level of "game manager". His completion pctg is among the highest but that about all hes got to his credit among the elite. How about puttin it in the endzone on occasion before we annoint him "very good".

 

[antdrewjosh]

http://pit.scout.com/story/1470510-...lers+Struggles&utm_campaign=Content+Marketing

 

[keslerclan]

Unfortunately, a lot of us Steeler fans look back to Bill Cowher's indifference to the QB position and THINK it wasn't important to him and he gets labeled with that.

It simply wasn't true. There simply weren't any QBs worth picking when we did. Cowher was determined to get a decent playcaller but couldn't get them through the draft as the top picks (and most of them didn't end up being any good) were gone. Here is a snippet from an article written prior to the 2003 draft:

Steelers may be inclined to select a quarterback
Posted Apr 22, 2003

Mike Bires, Times Sports Staff

PITTSBURGH - Throughout their 70-year history, the Pittsburgh Steelers have all but ignored quarterbacks in the first round of the NFL Draft. That may change Saturday.

Although coach Bill Cowher and director of football operations Kevin Colbert remain tight-lipped about who the Steelers will pluck with the 27th overall pick of the draft, it could be a quarterback.

"You don't want to pass up the opportunity to get a good quarterback," Cowher said Monday afternoon as he and Colbert met the media to discuss the upcoming draft of college talent.

The two "good quarterbacks" the Steelers will consider are Florida's Rex Grossman - who visited with Cowher, Colbert and their staffs at Steeler headquarters two weeks ago - and Chris Simms, the left-hander from Texas.

Grossman and Simms are slotted to go late in the first round or early in the second round.

The three top-rated QBs in the draft - Southern Cal's Carson Palmer, Marshall's Byron Leftwich and Cal's Kyle Boller - should be long gone by the time the Steelers decide on their first-round pick.

"Nothing can deflate your team quicker than not having (a quarterback) who can run your team," Cowher said. "That is one thing you want to make sure you have.

Although he never went higher than Kordell Stewart with a #2 pick @ #60 prior to Ben, he did acquire another #2 with Charlie Batch (also picked at #60) as well as a former #1 with Tommy Maddox.

Cowher was obviously better at drafting/acquiring players who not only fit the system BUT reflected his intensity, IMO. He was constantly "raided" for coaches who were given promotions with other teams as well as players who the team couldn't afford during his tenure.

He made some nice acquisitions in free agency like Jerome Bettis, Kevin Greene, James Farrior, Kimo von Ohlhoffen, Ryan Clark and Jeff Hartings as well, mostly under a 'low-budget' philosophy prior to the new stadium.

Some might question his coaching...but he was certainly strong in the areas our present HC is weak, IMO.

 

[antdrewjosh]

See thats just it im not knocking Cowher for not getting a QB. Im not. I cant. Fact is l liked Kordell Stewart. So how can I knock Cowher for playing him. I've stated over and over that I loved Bill Cowher. He was the coach who turned the Steelers back into winners. I was too young for the seventies. I was 5 in 79. So I endured the 80s. Cowher turning the team around was great. But if Tomlin is responsible for his drafts why isnt Cowher responsible for not fielding a complete team.

My point and why I argue for Tomlin is the double standards I see and maybe its only me. Tomlin gets heat for everything and no credit in my opinion. The sucess he had he doesnt even get credit for. I think that is wrong. He hasnt drafted well i acknowledged that. But to say anyone can and would of won is bullshit to me. You say there was no QBs. Fine. I could sit here and say there were no CBs no 3-4 ends and NT availble for Tomlin to pick. And you know what would be said. **** I dont even have to say just watch what is said. I said it in this thread people are still upset we took Archer and not a CB. This is what Im talking about. This is the double standard Im trying to point out. Its crazy im labled a Tomlin lover and he hasnt even come close to replacing Cowher as my favorite coach. 2005 super bowl is my favorite cause I waited so long for it as a fan. And I was happy for Cowher cause he waited so long as a coach. Doesnt mean I cant and wont point out bullshit when I see it.