Cannon Firing Line
Has This Been Bill Cowher's Best Coaching Job?
By Ellis and Henry Cannon
PSR Publishers and ESPN Radio 1250 Sports Talk Show Hosts

As PSR goes to print, the Pittsburgh Steelers remain playoff-eligible, albeit with the need for help from others. Regardless if all falls right for Pittsburgh and it lands in the playoffs for the first time since 1997, the question of gauging the 2000 coaching job of Bill Cowher will be a burning one well into the off-season.

From our standpoint, there is merit to the discussion. While coaches in professional sports are most often considered successful depending on their win-loss record, that does not represent the only barometer in determining how a particular year stacks up. Remember, the question essentially requires a comparison not to others around the league, but to Bill Cowher. This is not a Coach of the Year analysis.

We are struck by the range of responses this question inspires. Some of you believe that only division, conference and league championships count and considering that's where the first half of Cowher's coaching career was spent, this discussion is a waste of time. Certainly, taking a team to the playoffs the first six years of a coaching career speaks volumes. But is it the only gauge?

When does responding to adversity with overachievement when your job may be on the line enter the picture?

There are others who go haywire the other way and want another national election ASAP so they can vote Cowher for king. Of course, much of this constituency is made of voters who drive large pins through homemade Cowher dolls they pull out of their drawers when the Steelers lose.

Perhaps this discussion was inevitable considering the Steelers' poor record the past two seasons. Late-season swoons only made things worse and virtually guaranteed poor off-season preparation.

The Steeler Nation entered the season closely monitoring whether Bill Cowher would survive his bloody showdown with former personnel chief Tom Donahoe. Perhaps even more important to the Nation was whether Cowher would "lose" his team if it got off to a bad start, particularly considering the disarray that marked the end of 1999 and an ugly off-season locker room scene straight out of a movie.

Those watching certainly didn't feel more comfortable after the first three games. For that matter, the consensus then was that the question was moot. How could Cowher "lose" a team that was never going to be found in the first place?

Cowher proved otherwise.

That Pittsburgh dug itself out of the 0-3 start was impressive enough, but to win five in a row and give the season new life was another. Granted, Pittsburgh was blessed with good fortune in October. They played Jacksonville without its offensive line and the Jets without a quarterback. But, these problems weren't the Steelers' fault. Pittsburgh had its own share of woes by that point and nobody was having sympathy on them. That they showed resilience when others didn't is a credit to them, not something they should apologize for.

There's no use acting like the Jags and Jets weren't without key players, because they were. Cincy and Cleveland were in that mix, too. But if you're looking at the details, you're missing the bigger picture. You're missing 'The Story', which was whether a group of unproven players would underperform in a swing year for a head coach who was perceived by some as expendable.

Most pundits and fans couldn't even envision a .500 mark or better out of this club in August. Nobody mentioned playoffs and Christmas in the same sentence. As it turned out, despite the last two seasons, Cowher had enough left with his players to have their respect. They took direction from him when it didn't look to those on the outside like it was possible.

That's why you have to consider this among Cowher's best seasons. Except for a massive defensive breakdown at home against Jacksonville, possibly a hangover from Philly , the team was able keep its focus and use the energy of frustration positively when logic seemed to dictate otherwise. That's tough to do.

As the season winds down, you get the feeling the Steelers wish they could continue to play, and not just because of the playoffs. They seem to enjoy the experience of playing together. They play hard. And they appear to have the right people in the locker room, with outstanding team chemistry that spilled over in the moments following the final home game against Washington.

When was the last time you were able to say that?

Despite overachieving, don't mistake the Steelers as being much more than what they are. They are a team once again playing in the mold of Cowher, which is to say tough defensively and with an offensive obsession less interested in the spectacular than in guarding against the mistake. But it is a .500 club, or thereabouts, and has work to do. They very much remain a work in progress and one that can slip backwards without too much going wrong.

Whether that will happen remains to be seen, of course, but the Steelers actually will enter the off-season without the fear of being raided of its stars via free agency. Indeed, this off-season represents the least ominous they've faced for some time. The bulk of their free agents are restricted, which means they will be back if brass desires. The unrestricted class is small, with its star-power limited to Jerome Bettis, the team's MVP and the one player Pittsburgh can't lose if it wishes to build on the 2000 season.

Indeed, the offense plays off of Bettis at this stage of its development. That may change if Kordell Stewart continues to fulfill his promise and the team's investments at wide receiver the past two years pan out. But, right now, the key is Bettis, so be warned and get ready for the sticker shock. There are no comparable free agent running backs worth pursuing in free agency, a trade won't happen and don't even think of a rookie replacing him. That leaves The Bus in the driver's seat, which is where he belongs considering his production, consistency of effort and toughness.

So things could be looking up for the Steelers in 2001, although it is difficult to transfer chemistry, focus and solid play from one season to another. Just ask the St. Louis Rams. Should that happen, however, and the Steelers take off next season, 2000 will be looked back on as the key. 2000 will be considered the catalyst that set up future success.

First, however, give Bill Cowher his due. Consider where this season began, where it was seemingly headed and where it could have imploded along the way. At the very least, consider that there's finally an off-season to build on.

For that alone, give Cowher credit. Spend the off-season arguing how much, but know this: He got the job done this season.