As the NFL’s world turns, Cowher remains constant

Bill Cowher knows he’s lucky. He knows his situation is rare and makes him the envy of almost every other NFL coach.

Cowher, 48, is in his 14th season as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the longest tenure with the same team of any active NFL coach.

There are others with similar job security — Tennessee’s Jeff Fisher and Denver’s Mike Shanahan are in their 12th and 11th seasons with their respective teams — but for the most part, NFL coaching jobs are a revolving door.

Since Cowher took over the Steelers in 1992, the Washington Redskins have had six coaches, and that’s not including two stints by Joe Gibbs. The Dallas Cowboys have had five.

“I know that I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to have the stability that we’ve had up here,” Cowher said. “Certainly, I feel very blessed to be working for this organization.”

Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman would love to have that kind of job security. After making it to the playoffs for the last four years, Sherman has come under fire after the Packers’ 1-6 start this season.

Cowher said plenty of owners and general managers overreact to one bad season, but said many of those teams make mistakes by being so quick with the ax. Pittsburgh was patient with Cowher during a three-year stretch from 1998 to 2000.

“We’ve had some tough years. If you have 1998 and 1999, two losing seasons, and you add 2000, we went three years without making the playoffs,” Cowher said. “In today’s NFL, a lot of times people are looking to make changes. I’ve been very fortunate to have support through those times.”

Cowher has had that kind of support from owner Dan Rooney because, for the better part of his tenure in Pittsburgh, the Steelers have been a consistent winner. Pittsburgh has made the playoffs nine times under Cowher and is headed toward a 10th berth.

“Continuity on one team is not the norm. It’s a lost art,” Steelers running back Jerome Bettis said. “Here in Pittsburgh, we’ve been able to keep somewhat of a nucleus because of the continuity with the head coach. When you have a head coach who has been here a number of years, he’s going to keep people around him who he’s comfortable with and knows a lot about.”
Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, an assistant under Cowher from 1992 to 1995, said having such stability gives the Steelers a huge advantage.

“It’s amazing that he’s been there so long and has had such continued success,” Lewis said. “With other franchises, you worry about how long the coach will be there, and that’s definitely not the case in Pittsburgh.”

Sherman acknowledges what Cowher has in Pittsburgh is relatively rare.

“It’s a great organization, a great owner and he’s a great coach,” Sherman said. “I think the owner recognizes that, and I think they have a tremendous appreciation for each other. Mr. Rooney is one of the cornerstones of this league and just a very classy man. He usually does, as far as I can tell, make all the right moves, and Bill Cowher being one of them.”
Dylan B. Tomlinson writes for The Post-Crescent of Appleton.
source : http://www.packersnews.com/