Mad World
Steelers Set Standard For Hiring Coaches
By Mark Madden

The Pirates recently extended Lloyd McClendon's contract as manager. This despite a mediocre record and precious little managerial experience.

The Penguins recently hired Ed Olczyk as head coach. This despite zero coaching experience.

Both of these moves met with a mixture of outrage and shock (mostly shock) from the great unwashed. As usual, the yinzers chose to ignore a few obvious facts, especially the one that experienced, accomplished candidates who would work cheap weren't exactly standing in line for either job.

Both situations remind me of when the Steelers hired Bill Cowher.

And both situations make me hope the Pirates and Penguins start doing things the Steelers' way when it comes to addressing managerial/coaching situations.

The Steelers hired Cowher in 1992 and haven't looked back. There has never been a time when Cowher was close to leaving. Cowher succeeded Chuck Noll, who coached the Steelers for 23 years. The Steelers have had two head coaches in 34 years.

That's not only amazing, it's ideal.

Athletes have taken over pro sports for many reasons, but one reason is definitely that coaches/managers come and go from teams with alarming frequency. Athletes usurp a lot of authority because they often make more than their bosses. The fact that said bosses are seemingly on the verge of being fired as soon as they get hired completes the equation.

But with the Steelers, there has never been a doubt about who's in charge, (A) Mr. Bill makes a ton of money, and (B) he was here before you came, and he'll be here after you're gone.

When those cards are on the table, the coach can go to the whip, players listen, and things get done.

The Steelers hired Cowher based on his amenability to their team philosophies. They judged him to be a perfect fit in the long run, and so didn't flinch when he had trouble in the short run (i.e., 1998-2000). When you choose your coach carefully and with conviction, you don't make knee-jerk reactions.

As a result, the Steelers under Cowher are a cohesive unit (that feud with the departed Tom Donahoe aside). The Steelers are almost always competitive. With some teams, the coach is a bridge between management and the players. With the Steelers, Cowher is management, period. He will be the head coach of the team until he no longer wants to be, and that's a good thing.

The Pirates and Penguins should take long, hard looks at McClendon and Olczyk. If they're convinced that their respective bench bosses are compatible with their team philosophies, they should plan to have them around for at least a decade or so.

This, of course, assumes (cough) careful thought and planning went into the hiring of each. I'm not sure what kind of process took place when Kevin McClatchy hired McClendon, but I do know Craig Patrick thought about hiring Olczyk for at least a couple of hours before actually doing so.

This also assumes each team has a philosophy. If the Pirates don't, I would like to suggest "Lose with Dignity." If the Pens don't, I would put forth "Give me a Salary Cap, or give me Death." Patrick should have this slogan tattooed on his ample forehead before the 2004 labor negotiations start.

Turning serious, yo, I have to, I get paid for this, y'know!, I would have no problem with the Bucs putting their long-term eggs in the McClendon basket. Same with the Pens and Edzo.

McClendon is a bit too cookie-cutter (play lefty-righty with the set-up men, go to the closer in the ninth, make a few two-for-one switches, repeat as necessary), but experience will make him better. What I like about McClendon is his unswerving belief that the Pirates will eventually win (even though they won't). For the Pirates to overachieve, they need a manager who won't take no for an answer.

As for Olczyk, his career spanned every role a hockey player can have, from star to healthy scratch. His playing experience might mean more than coaching experience. He's a charismatic leader and speaker. Assistant coach Lorne Molleken, who has bench experience, will fill in the blanks until Edzo gets his feet wet. Like McClendon, Olczyk wants badly to win. He won't take no for an answer.

McClendon will not turn out to be the long-term Pirates manager, however. If he doesn't get them to .500 in 2004 (Good Luck!), he'll be done.

As for Olczyk, I don't know. I'm sure Patrick and owner Mario Lemieux would like to actually see Edzo coach a game before committing long-term, and hey, who can blame 'em?

The point is this, when it comes to coaches, the Steelers' way works. If the Pirates and Penguins don't want to imitate the Steelers, well, they certainly should.

Mark Madden hosts a sports talk show 3-7 p.m. weekdays on ESPN Radio 1250.