2007 NFL offseason thread

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 3:28 pm

Now that some people's teams are done for the year and the offseason is here feel free to talk about any and all offseason firings, signings, and hirings here.

We all know that Saban left Miami and Denny Green and Jim Mora got the boot.

Do you have anything to say about these moves?

Any thoughts on the Cowher situation?

Any free agents you want your team to go after?

Let's hear about it.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:42 pm

Saban left? HOLY SH*T!

RandyM · Post by **RandyM** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 3:29 pm

What do you guys think the odds are that Cowher would go to Miami, and would Miami be willing to compensate Pittsburgh with draft picks?

There's an editorial from Miami suggesting that they go first after New England's personnel guy and put HIM in charge of hiring a coach.

Randy

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 3:32 pm

I ask this of Pittsburgh-area guys or of big-time Steelers' fans: Why has Cowher's time come up in Steel City?

Sure, the Steelers had an off year this season. But it's very, very tough to maintain excellence in the parity-driven world of the NFL. Cowher has proven in the past that he's an excellent coach who can rebuild the team and get the most out of it.

I just don't think the Steelers can get anyone better than Cowher, who seems such a good fit for that organization and that town.

What am I missing here? Does he want to leave?

Take care,
PK

EZSnappin · Post by **EZSnappin** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 3:53 pm

pk500 wrote:I ask this of Pittsburgh-area guys or of big-time Steelers' fans: Why has Cowher's time come up in Steel City?

Sure, the Steelers had an off year this season. But it's very, very tough to maintain excellence in the parity-driven world of the NFL. Cowher has proven in the past that he's an excellent coach who can rebuild the team and get the most out of it.

I just don't think the Steelers can get anyone better than Cowher, who seems such a good fit for that organization and that town.

What am I missing here? Does he want to leave?

Take care,
PK

Not from the Keystone State but here it is as I understand:

Cowher's family moved in the off-season to North Carolina. He is extremely close to and involved in his daughter's lives, and as they grow and follow up on their interests (I believe basketball) he wants to be more involved. I believe there has been talk for several years that Cowher might be done if he ever "won the big one." Having reached the pinnacle last year, he has given all he ever could to the franchise.

There was no contract extension talk, which is a first for Cowher and the Steelers. He has one more year, but has always ironed out things with two years left - whether it was Cowher who didn't want to talk or the Rooneys I do not know.

There are two possible successors in house : Grimm and Wisenhunt (I know that is probably spelled wrong). One or both of them could be offered positions elsewhere, and that would mean Cowher and the Steelers would have to begin grooming a replacement from scratch. With the Steelers being such a close knit and loyal organization, the time will probably never be better for Cowher to leave then with a good talent base and coaching candidates in place.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 4:10 pm

pk500 wrote:What am I missing here? Does he want to leave?

Take care,
PK

Yes, for reasons EZ pointed out. He's been one of the few NFL coaches to hold onto his job for a long time without getting canned. He's just done. I see him stepping away for a few years, recharging his batteries, and coming back. Being an NFL coach is obviously a fantasy job for most guys, but it's probably one of the most demanding in terms of time and stress.

Grimm seems like a good candidate -- he was on the Bears' shortlist when they hired Lovie.

With the Saban departure, I think he did the right thing. His heart seemed to be with the college game, and he departed immediately after the season. Given the prestige of the Dolphins and that they've got some building blocks in place, they should be able to get a lot of decent candidates.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 4:13 pm

Or a more cynical viewpoint is, as with everything in professional sports, it's all about the money.

Obviously the Rooneys are wonderful owners, but Cowher could easily make double what they're paying him. So out of respect for the Rooneys, he's not just bolting for more money right now, he's giving them that old "I want to spend more time with my family" song and dance, then he'll come back in a year or two for the big payday that he knows he'll never get in Pittsburgh.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 5:46 pm

Regarding Cowher: I think it's all of the above. He won the big one with the Steelers and that filled the huge void in his career. I think he expected the Rooney's to offer big money for an extension and possibly felt slighted when he didn't get it. But he didn't feel slighted enough to not return and take a shot at a repeat since that would greatly improve his place in history. The whole thing is complicated by the fact that he DOES want to spend time more time with his family. They are extremely close and the "baby" of the family is in high school. This is his last chance to enjoy them while they are in college and high school.

It has to be tough leaving a job he could probably keep for life at a handsome salary, but he knows that he can take a couple seasons off and then return to the highest bidder. He also knows that a coach with his track record will always be able to find a job somewhere at a high salary.

I'll miss him and I'm worried about the future of the Steelers without him, but as long as he never coaches Browns or Ravens I can respect it.

vader29 · Post by **vader29** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 10:07 pm

Well it is going to be official tomorrow, Steelers have called a news conference at 1pm to announce Cowher's retirement. Frontrunners for the job are going to be Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm, I just hope that Wandstat doesn't get called in for any kind of interview seeing as he was the number 2 choice when Cowher was hired.

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/07004/751251-100.stm

HipE · Post by **HipE** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 1:23 am

It's definitely a very sad night for me now that it looks like Cowher's retirement is inevitable. Bill Cowher is pretty much the only coach I have known as a Steelers fan as I really only started following them during his first year on the job. My all time favorite memory is from 1995 against the Vikings, where the Steelers had been flagged for 12 men on the field when they really only had 11. At halftime, Cowher chased down the official, tried to shove a picture proving they only had 11 on the field down his front pocket only to miss, and then shoved it right back down again and ran off the field with his classic scowl and jaw jutting out. The MNF loss to the Jaguars is a great one too, where the Steelers had a kick blocked and returned for a td, and Cowher took a couple of steps towards the field and cocked his arm back to throw a punch as the Jags player ran by him. I do think this is the right move for him to retire for a year or two though to be with his family, his debt to the Rooneys was paid in full with the SB win last year, and he can come back in the future to the tune of 8-10 million a year. I feel bad for whoever has to follow in Cowher's footsteps though, after having only two coaches in the past few decades, Steelers fans will have pretty unrealistic expectations for his successor.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 10:31 am

Art Shell is available. Why not get someone who is already disappointing and just get it over with?

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 10:59 am

Brando70 wrote:Art Shell is available. Why not get someone who is already disappointing and just get it over with?

I didnt know you hated the Steelers?...Why not give em Martz? or Wanny?

Steelers fans I feel for you. Losing a coach you have come to love and who has brought you a championship isnt easy....Even though Vermeil was with the Rams a very short time I wasnt very happy when he left the Rams and that was before I figured out Martz was an insane egomaniac.

Cowher has done an amazing job keeping the Steelers competitive year in and year out in the new NFL.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 11:12 am

Odds that Cowher won't make it 25 seconds into his retirement announcement without losing it: 8/5.

Odds that NFL officials will stand at least a foot closer to the next Steelers coach on the sidelines in the 2007 season due to the lack of spit flying in their direction: Even.

Now that Michael Schumacher and Bill Cowher have retired within four months of each other, who has the most prominent jaw in worldwide sports?

Seriously, Cowher is a fine, fine coach. He'll be back in the NFL in a year or two, but it will be VERY strange to see him in colors other than black and yellow.

Take care,
PK

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 12:33 pm

cowher will coach the Browns next season.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 3:27 pm

Yeah, I don't understand what the Steelers fans are going through. Even when Ditka got canned, I didn't feel bad about it -- he was not a good coach, even if he did win a Super Bowl.

It especially sucks because Cowher is so passionate. I would love having him coach the Bears, even though I'm very happy with Lovie Smith.

btmmayor · Post by **btmmayor** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 4:50 pm

HipE wrote:It's definitely a very sad night for me now that it looks like Cowher's retirement is inevitable. Bill Cowher is pretty much the only coach I have known as a Steelers fan as I really only started following them during his first year on the job. My all time favorite memory is from 1995 against the Vikings, where the Steelers had been flagged for 12 men on the field when they really only had 11. At halftime, Cowher chased down the official, tried to shove a picture proving they only had 11 on the field down his front pocket only to miss, and then shoved it right back down again and ran off the field with his classic scowl and jaw jutting out. The MNF loss to the Jaguars is a great one too, where the Steelers had a kick blocked and returned for a td, and Cowher took a couple of steps towards the field and cocked his arm back to throw a punch as the Jags player ran by him. I do think this is the right move for him to retire for a year or two though to be with his family, his debt to the Rooneys was paid in full with the SB win last year, and he can come back in the future to the tune of 8-10 million a year. I feel bad for whoever has to follow in Cowher's footsteps though, after having only two coaches in the past few decades, Steelers fans will have pretty unrealistic expectations for his successor.

My two favorite moments as well. I have the highlight clip of that Cowher moment during the Jaguars MNF game permanently stored on my DVR. The thing I loved about the Bill Cowher era is that, no matter what, the Steelers always had a shot. It didn't matter if the team just came off of a bad season. It didn't matter how many players they lost by free agency. At the beginning of every single season the Steelers had a shot at making a big run simply because of the philosophy that Cowher instilled into the team.

Thanks to Cowher, win or lose, its been a blast being a Steelers fan over the last 15 years.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 7:43 pm

Ricky Williams. Remember him? He was a bust in the CFL with the Argonauts and now applies for the NFL reinstatement. Does he return to Miami now?

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 8:10 pm

Thing about Cowher though is that if he didn't win it all last year, he'd go down as another Marty Shottenheimer, a successful coach who couldn't win the big one.

His legacy would have been all those AFC championships lost at home.

But yeah, he'll be in demand when he's ready to go to the bank. Would be surprising though if he gets what Parcells is getting.

One thing though, how much was he involved in player personnel? I'm sure he had input but was he the last word on whom they drafted?

Of course regardless of who made the final decisions on the draft, he has a great record of turning out great players, especially on the lines and the LBs. Great player development record and a thing for physical play.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:31 pm

Good thing the refs fixed the Superbowl for him, then.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 3:15 pm

Oh crap...now the Dolphins are interviewing Mike Martz...the horror. Somewhere, 34 is laughing hysterically.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 3:59 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:Oh crap...now the Dolphins are interviewing Mike Martz...the horror. Somewhere, 34 is laughing hysterically.

Remember, DB: Wayne is committed to winning.

Take care,
PK

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 4:02 pm

Well he definitely is...he just can't find any coaches that show the same commitment since Shula retired. I guess they could hire his son...maybe he'll bring some respectability back to the franchise at least with the name, lol.

I really don't know who I'd want as the next coach. I definitely don't want another college coach (sorry Pete Carroll)...maybe Wisenhunt, but he's probably first in line for the Steeler job. Chan Gailey maybe? I was disappointed when he left the Fins to go to Georgia Tech...so maybe he'll come back for a head coaching position and not a coordinator job. But again, he's a college guy. I don't know.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:56 pm

After being critiziced by the likes of T. Barber & J. Shockey during the regular season, and losing seven of their last nine games, Tom Coughlin remains a Giant. I thought he would be a goner , but I guess his argument last weekend that when you are first down and 30 yards to go and make into a TD, that shows character.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 2:56 pm

I guess Strahan will be playing for awhile longer, unless he gets a lucrative TV gig:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... d=tab4pos1

Ouch!

And Kidd, isn't that the same wife he was accused of beating when he was at Phoenix? Now she's beating him?

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 4:41 am

Well I wouldn't be disappointed with the Dolphins hiring any of the guys left except for Mike Shula. The guy couldn't coach at Alabama, what makes the Dolphins think he'll do better in the NFL, besides his last name?

Chan Gailey (nice)
Jim Mora (nicer)
Cam Cameron (my personal preference)

Not sure who will be the best fit...but I really would like to see an offensive minded guy in there since that hasn't exactly been the Dolphins strong suit since Marino left.