Bill Cowher A Football Life

[tube517]

NFL Network
A Football Life: Bill Cowher
Friday at 8 pm


Get your spit shields and chin guards out.

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[86WARD]

Been looking forward to this one.

[AtlantaDan]

Would recommend the Cowher A Football Life episode if anyone has a chance to watch it. Episode focuses a lot on his family life (interviews with his three daughters and his current wife along with clips of old NFL Films interviews when his daughters were growing up) as well as the obligatory soundbites from Bettis, Ben, Porter and Hines.

I tend to forget Cowher was a good enough football player to be most valuable player on his NC State team his senior year and hang as a special teams player with the Browns and the Eagles for 4 seasons before he said he took a 2/3 pay cut from his $125K salary with the Eagles to coach special teams for Marty Scottenheimer with the Browns.

Made it clear he was burned out on both the stress of NFL coaching and the fishbowl existence of being the HC in Pittsburgh when he gave it up at age 49 - once he finally won a Lombardi he was ready to get out.

Enjoys the anonymity of life in New York City and is happy to cash the checks from CBS while being a grandfather(!). He would not rule out ever coming back to coaching but after watching this I am more convinced than ever he does not want to return to that life even if some owner wanted to do a Gruden type hire of someone who has been out of coaching for a dozen years.

[teegre]

Wear a spit shield...

[EzraTank]

I just watched this on NFL network.

This guy was a fantastic coach and even better human being. If Tomlin coached like he did we'd have a few more rings. It was so refreshing to see the clip of Cowher riding Big Ben as a rookie and Bettis saying he didn't treat anyone differently. Man I miss those days.

[vasteeler]

I just watched this on NFL network.

This guy was a fantastic coach and even better human being. If Tomlin coached like he did we'd have a few more rings. It was so refreshing to see the clip of Cowher riding Big Ben as a rookie and Bettis saying he didn't treat anyone differently. Man I miss those days.

I keep trying to catch this one and I always miss it:frusty:

[Edman]

Cowher's achilles' heel was that he never respected the Quarterback position for a long time. He thought Korkie was a Quarterback. He was mentored under Marty Schottenheimer, and it shows.

The fact that he's been to so many postseasons and (Home) AFC Title games with the meh he fielded at QB all these years is something we took for granted. Cowher did more with less.

Tomlin has had a franchise QB and elite talent throughout the 2010's and did next to nothing with it.

[EzraTank]

Yeah, Edman that was my point. I think if you gave Cowher Big Ben earlier in his career he wins 3-4 Superbowls. Tomlin has squandered so many great teams.

But getting back to Cowher I totally forgot he lost his wife in 2010. I got choked up at the end of his FBL episode. It's great to see him and his family so content and happy again.

[EzraTank]

Now I just watched the Swann/Stallworth FBL. Another great episode.

If only AB had 1/4 the dignity these two had.

[teegre]

I just watched this on NFL network.

This guy was a fantastic coach and even better human being. If Tomlin coached like he did we'd have a few more rings. It was so refreshing to see the clip of Cowher riding Big Ben as a rookie and Bettis saying he didn't treat anyone differently. Man I miss those days.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=080JFuKz-BU&app=desktop

[AtlantaDan]

I just watched this on NFL network.

This guy was a fantastic coach and even better human being. If Tomlin coached like he did we'd have a few more rings. It was so refreshing to see the clip of Cowher riding Big Ben as a rookie and Bettis saying he didn't treat anyone differently. Man I miss those days.

I enjoyed the A Football Life episode and am glad for Cowher that he was able to get out after burning out while still maintaining ties to football through his CBS gig

But as far as Cowher's coaching style being sorely missed, even leaving aside the two Super Bowl appearances that were missed due to losing at home as big favorite to the Chargers and 2001 Patriots, according to Bettis the reason for nobody being treated differently under Cowher was that nobody was disciplined

"Coach Cowher allowed us a lot of flexibility. He never fined us for anything. You came late, you never got fined. You never got reprimanded for anything.”

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/ron-cook/2016/08/09/Ron-Cook-It-s-Tomlin-over-Cowher-as-better-disciplinarian/stories/201608090015

[Mojouw]

I enjoyed the A Football Life episode and am glad for Cowher that he was able to get out after burning out while still maintaining ties to football through his CBS gig

But as far as Cowher's coaching style being sorely missed, even leaving aside the two Super Bowl appearances that were missed due to losing at home as big favorite to the Chargers and 2001 Patriots, according to Bettis the reason for nobody being treated differently under Cowher was that nobody was disciplined

"Coach Cowher allowed us a lot of flexibility. He never fined us for anything. You came late, you never got fined. You never got reprimanded for anything.”

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/ron-cook/2016/08/09/Ron-Cook-It-s-Tomlin-over-Cowher-as-better-disciplinarian/stories/201608090015

Can't wait to see where this goes...

...everyone knows Cowher ruled with an iron fist and was old school to his core!

[86WARD]

Was there more respect for Cowher then there is for Tomlin it is it just a different era of players and “their brands”?

[Mojouw]

Was there more respect for Cowher then there is for Tomlin it is it just a different era of players and “their brands”?

Not sure about that. And it is a really good question.

I wonder if nothing has actually changed between players and coaches, except that now the players have multiple platforms to get their version and perceptions out into the world. Basically the game stayed the same, but social media just brought the fans behind the curtain? No idea really...

[86WARD]

Not sure about that. And it is a really good question.

I wonder if nothing has actually changed between players and coaches, except that now the players have multiple platforms to get their version and perceptions out into the world. Basically the game stayed the same, but social media just brought the fans behind the curtain? No idea really...

I feel like it’s a little of both. The youth of today is more entitled and the social media, in more than most cases doesn’t help...

[Mojouw]

I feel like it’s a little of both. The youth of today is more entitled and the social media, in more than most cases doesn’t help...

The more I think on it, the more I believe social media just democratized access to the point that everyone can see what used to be hidden.

For the entitlement point, no generation has ever thought people younger than them were less entitled. I’m sure guys from the leather helmets days thought dudes in the 60s and 70s were prima dona whiny little wimps.

[86WARD]

The more I think on it, the more I believe social media just democratized access to the point that everyone can see what used to be hidden.

For the entitlement point, no generation has ever thought people younger than them were less entitled. I’m sure guys from the leather helmets days thought dudes in the 60s and 70s were prima dona whiny little wimps.

Being in the business worked for the last 25 years or so and speaking with people that own businesses on a daily basis, the pool of employees currently compared to a similar pool of employees years ago is vastly different and the work ethic isn’t near what it used to be. People don’t want to work anymore but they want all the benefits of working and I think some of that millennial attitude transfers over to those younger athletes as well.

[Mojouw]

Being in the business worked for the last 25 years or so and speaking with people that own businesses on a daily basis, the pool of employees currently compared to a similar pool of employees years ago is vastly different and the work ethic isn’t near what it used to be. People don’t want to work anymore but they want all the benefits of working and I think some of that millennial attitude transfers over to those younger athletes as well.

Most likely. But 25 years ago, someone said that about your generation. 50 years someone said that about your parents and on and on.

I think the biggest difference is the total breakdown of the public/private barrier. We are seeing young people hit adulthood having had their entire lives documented and shared. They think nothing of it and it comes out in ways that are odd to others.

[pczach]

Most likely. But 25 years ago, someone said that about your generation. 50 years someone said that about your parents and on and on.

I think the biggest difference is the total breakdown of the public/private barrier. We are seeing young people hit adulthood having had their entire lives documented and shared. They think nothing of it and it comes out in ways that are odd to others.



The saddest part about the breakdown of the public/private barrier you mention is that it is self-inflicted. It is a double-edged sword in that it allows people to interact and be social from the security of their bedrooms at home, but it also brings the entire world into your world, and all the scrutiny and horror that can come along with that.

There are a lot of young people making bad decisions as to what should or should not be posted on social media. It's like posting in permanent marker....once it's out there, there is no taking it back. Living with the consequences of that can be emotionally destructive to some people.

Anything that is posted can be viewed by anyone......and will be. It's hard to be on social media and have anonymity. The two don't go together well.