Say what you want about Cowher

[Vader]

Cowher's playoff losses by year:

1992 #1 AFC Seed AT HOME Blown out 24-3
1993 lost in Wild card game AT HOME to KC in OT
1994 lost AFCC AT HOME vs a much less talented SD team.
1995 Lost Superbowl by 10 points
1996 Blown out in NE 28-3
1997 lost AT HOME vs Denver
2001 lost AT HOME vs NE
2002 Lost in OT at Tennessee (very good game)
2004 Blown out AT HOME 41-27 vs NE
2005 YAY Superbowl Win!!! (not a single home playoff game)

Until Cowher won a Superbowl he was terrible at home in the playoffs. Fortunately we didn't have a home game in 2005 We were humiliated in 92, 96, and 04. All games at home. Also lost a ton of close games at home when we were the team with the superior seed. Cowher was terrible at home in the playoffs.

I'm not giving Tomlin a pass, We should have won the JAX playoff game and the Tebow Den game, but we were outplayed and lost close. The ravens game last season was a humiliating loss, especially since they didn't even compete. Poor coaching decision not to go spread the entire game, forcing their 7th and 8th DBs to be on the field. I can forgive a luck play vs Tebow in OT, or a blown holding call on 4th down vs JAX to give them a win, but not competing at home in the playoffs is not acceptable.

You can spout out how franchise QBs are the reason for winning, but in the 70s - 2000 you could win with defense. We had the defense to win each of Cowher's playoff losses, and the D usually underperformed in those losses. It was frustrating to have to lose to an inferior team at home year after ******* year, and last year felt like that. Last year was the first game in the playoffs we had with Tomlin, when we didn't have a chance to win that game at the end. Cowher had 4 gut wrenching playoff exits where we weren't even in the game and another 4 playoff exits that hurt, but at least we competed in those games.

Be fair Tomlin haters. He has a way to go to catch up to Cowher's home playoff futility...

Still comes down to QB play. You think Tomlin beats any team without Ben? Also you have to get there to lose. How many home AFCC games has Tomlin been too the past few years? Cowher made the playoffs his first 6 years. He built teams up without the benefit of a franchise QB. Tomlin can't even win a playoff game or get there half the time with one. Speak of D how did the D do last year with Tomlin against the rats? 30 points given up. How'd that defense do against the Broncos? GB?

Cowher made mistakes no doubt. However when you go back and look at the QBs during that time that won the SB they were some of the best in the business.. Elway, Young, Favre, Aikman ETC... Nobody gave them a chance against Dallas and if not for 2 hurt WRs they probably win. Defense played well in that game.

 

[black and gold apex]

Tomlin showed his weaknesses in the game against Baltimore.

 

[diver]

In the rats playoff game Ben is playing. He isn't playing last week. So your best player on offense (Ben) is out last week. There is no excuse for losing a home playoff game with Ben healthy and all those weapons only scoring 15 points by the offense.

I don't really care if the fans liked the play call last week. Bell is your best offensive player right now because Vick had only practiced two days. He's a 35 year old backup who doesn't know the offense and has a history of not learning the plays. I'll be damned if I lose with the ball in his hands. Not when Bell is fresh and running for about 6 yards a clip.

I 100% agree Bell should have had the ball in his hands at the end of the game last Thurs. I think he is a special player. Because of that, I also think that it cannot be underestimated his loss in the playoff game. I don't know that it is a given they should have won. Think of what he did for them. You could always count on at least one chunk yardage play out of him. Now the Rats don't have to worry about that. I have always said that if the Steelers had Franco in '76 John Madden is never in the HOF. The Steelers still had Bradshaw, Swann and Stallworth and so on, but lost a special player.

The whole thing is hard to take. I hate the ******' Ravens. ******* might be the luckiest team in the NFL at times. Ben is in there they get blown out and they are 0-5.

 

[Stryker]

Still comes down to QB play. You think Tomlin beats any team without Ben? Also you have to get there to lose. How many home AFCC games has Tomlin been too the past few years? Cowher made the playoffs his first 6 years. He built teams up without the benefit of a franchise QB. Tomlin can't even win a playoff game or get there half the time with one. Speak of D how did the D do last year with Tomlin against the rats? 30 points given up. How'd that defense do against the Broncos? GB?

Cowher made mistakes no doubt. However when you go back and look at the QBs during that time that won the SB they were some of the best in the business.. Elway, Young, Favre, Aikman ETC... Nobody gave them a chance against Dallas and if not for 2 hurt WRs they probably win. Defense played well in that game.

I don't know if you comprehended my post, but I was pretty clear that last year's playoff loss was a Tomlin failure. The other two games we lost close 1 score games. I suppose that defense should have played better because they had Cowher's players, but hell, those same players would **** the bed for Cowher in the playoffs too, so why should I split hairs?

Your 'Tomlin can only win with Ben' argument is a false analogy. All great coaches in NFL history required a HOF QB to attain greatness. It's like saying Walsh wasn't a good coach without Montana, or Bellicheck is a bum without Brady. It's the way the league works. QB success and great coaching go hand in hand. Only one Coach since the superbowl era had 2 HOF starters and a 3rd that should be a HOFer (and will ultimately get in). All other coaches only had 1 HOF starter. So what does HOF QB performance have to say about their coaches? They're usually regarded as the best coaches in the league if they have one.

 

[DBS1970]

Still comes down to QB play. You think Tomlin beats any team without Ben? Also you have to get there to lose. How many home AFCC games has Tomlin been too the past few years?

That is what is most telling. Coach Cowher had the ability to get us to the highest level where it is most difficult to win, consistently.

 

[Stryker]

That is what is most telling. Coach Cowher had the ability to get us to the highest level where it is most difficult to win, consistently.

If only he made more Superbowls. He could have been the next Marv Levy. Instead he was more like his mentor Marty Schottenheimer.

 

[Steelersrule]

How many losing seasons Cowher vs Tomlin. Don't bother looking it up, Tomlin has none./

 

[Elfiero]

If only he made more Superbowls. He could have been the next Marv Levy. Instead he was more like his mentor Marty Schottenheimer.

With Ben and with cowher's ability to evaluate and bring in great D personnel this team would be consistently dominant and would have multiple Lombardi's at this point.

Don't even need to mention the dominant O-line play under Bill.

To think he would go on to lose playoffs/SB's Just because he had done so in the past with average/subpar QB play is ludicrous.

 

[Sarge]

Cowher was a decent coach. Certainly not great, but decent. He gets accolades, I think, because he made the Steelers relevant again after the dark ages of the 80's. I think both Tomlin and Cowher have their strengths and weaknesses,

Tomlin can evaluate offensive guys as evidenced by the load of talent we have on offense. He cannot evaluate defensive talent, as our defense has been on a downward trend throughout his tenure.

Cowher was the opposite. He was a defense guy. His evaluations of QB's was atrocious. I still cringe at the thought the we almost ended up with Rivers.

 

[steelcan58]

Ahh.. original stuff here.

Cowher's playoff losses by year:

1992 #1 AFC Seed AT HOME Blown out 24-3
1993 lost in Wild card game AT HOME to KC in OT
1994 lost AFCC AT HOME vs a much less talented SD team.
1995 Lost Superbowl by 10 points
1996 Blown out in NE 28-3
1997 lost AT HOME vs Denver
2001 lost AT HOME vs NE
2002 Lost in OT at Tennessee (very good game)
2004 Blown out AT HOME 41-27 vs NE
2005 YAY Superbowl Win!!! (not a single home playoff game)

Until Cowher won a Superbowl he was terrible at home in the playoffs. Fortunately we didn't have a home game in 2005 We were humiliated in 92, 96, and 04. All games at home. Also lost a ton of close games at home when we were the team with the superior seed. Cowher was terrible at home in the playoffs.

I'm not giving Tomlin a pass, We should have won the JAX playoff game and the Tebow Den game, but we were outplayed and lost close. The ravens game last season was a humiliating loss, especially since they didn't even compete. Poor coaching decision not to go spread the entire game, forcing their 7th and 8th DBs to be on the field. I can forgive a luck play vs Tebow in OT, or a blown holding call on 4th down vs JAX to give them a win, but not competing at home in the playoffs is not acceptable.

You can spout out how franchise QBs are the reason for winning, but in the 70s - 2000 you could win with defense. We had the defense to win each of Cowher's playoff losses, and the D usually underperformed in those losses. It was frustrating to have to lose to an inferior team at home year after ******* year, and last year felt like that. Last year was the first game in the playoffs we had with Tomlin, when we didn't have a chance to win that game at the end. Cowher had 4 gut wrenching playoff exits where we weren't even in the game and another 4 playoff exits that hurt, but at least we competed in those games.

Be fair Tomlin haters. He has a way to go to catch up to Cowher's home playoff futility...

We lost to KC at Arrowhead. Joe Montana's last hurrah. Besides that game and San Diego we lost to quality teams that won multiple Super Bowls or made multiple Super Bowl appearances. I don't think you can say that about the Tomlin playoff losses. Teams like Jax and Denver with Tebow.

 

[mdk2]

We lost to KC at Arrowhead. Joe Montana's last hurrah. Besides that game and San Diego we lost to quality teams that won multiple Super Bowls or made multiple Super Bowl appearances. I don't think you can say that about the Tomlin playoff losses. Teams like Jax and Denver with Tebow.

Are you happy we won tonight?

 

[Steelerfan81]

Cowher wouldve kicked the FG

 

[madinsomniac]

Cowher coached almost right up to the point the NFL finally finished neutering defense... I always suspected the rules that made defense and the run game second class citizens was more instrumental to keeping cowher out of coaching than the money or opportunity

 

[steelcan58]

Ahh.. original stuff here.

Are you happy we won tonight?

Just as happy as I'd have been with a win last week.