nostyle126

My post was in response to a number of threads/posts on the board that are saying we have overrated Cowher. I don't think we have. He's not only the best candidate out there but he's the best candidate out there in years.

And let me guess, that means they're cursed. It's some evil demon making Cincinnati receivers drop passes. ...from what I saw they got outplayed at home by a team with a rookie QB at the helm. I'm not impressed.

Bill Cowher's legacy in Pittsburgh: 1992 - 11-5 1993 - 9-7 1994 - 12-4 1995 - 11-5 (AFC Champions) 1996 - 10-6 1997 - 11-5 1998 - 7-9 1999 - 6-10 2000 - 9-7 2001 - 13-3 2002 - 10-5-1 2003 - 6-10 2004 - 15-1 2005 - 11-5 (Superbowl Champions) 2006 - 8-8 You guys wouldn't take this? And keep in mind he NEVER had a franchise QB to carry the team. He had to deal with Neal O'Donnell, Cordell Stewart, and then Ben Roethlisberger as a rookie (when they won the Superbowl). I'm sorry, but I don't think we're overrating Cowher. His teams are disciplined, hard-nosed, prepared, and hard to beat. Even in an off year, nobody wanted to face Pittsburgh with Cowher at the helm. You knew you'd be in for a war, even if you snuck out with a win. ...and... He has shown a TERRIFIC record for picking coordinators. He hired Dick Lebeau, Ken Wisenhunt, and Mike Tomlin.

Curses have nothing to do with it. Poor management and a cheap owner do.

It holds true of Levy too, but Marchibroda basically gave Kelly the helm, sat back, and enjoyed the show.

If anything we've had some coaches that were far too pass happy. Fairchild wanted Trent to run an offense like Brady runs. Gilbride would pass on 3rd and an inch.

I don't think any playoff coach is at risk. Even Wade...unless they really poop their pants against Philly.

Sounds like a Cottrell reincarnate. There's a simple rule of thumb in my mind when it comes to coaches. I call it the Ted Marchibroda rule. Look at the talent a coach has to work with. Is the talent making them look good? Seriously, is Leslie Frazier about to become a head coach riding on the coat tails of Jared Allen, Kevin and Pat Williams, E.J. Henderson, and Antoine Winfield? Or is he really making them good? IMO the talent on his team is making him look good.

The thing is these aren't all "hindsight is 20/20" picks. A lot of us felt Orakpo was the guy to take over Maybin. A lot of us wanted McKinney over Mike Williams. A lot of us questioned the McGahee pick in general. A lot of us felt Whitner was a reach (although we almost all probably wanted Huff, who was taken a pick earlier). A lot of us wondered why we took a tremendously undersized Parrish as early as we did. I can keep going. A lot of us wondered why we took McKelvin over Rogers-Cromartie. A lot of us wondered why we actually traded up into the first round to draft McCargo. And...so...on.

Remember that meaningless win against Indy when McClain gets taken a pick or two ahead of us, at a spot that we woulda had if we hadn't won that meaningless game.

As others have said, the defense isn't running a scheme that matches its strengths. A Tampa-2 requires a dominant front four. Ours isn't even average. We cannot generate pressure with a four-man rush. So what's the answer? IMO the answer is an aggressive forty-six hybrid defense (something Gregg Williams and Dick Lebeau can draw up in their sleep) that gives the front four help with constant blitzes and zone dogs, while challenging the secondary by putting DBs on islands with receivers and little help over the top. This defense would force opposing offenses to challenge our strengths. It would mask our weaknesses by bringing pressure more often. And, maybe best of all, it would limit the amount of time the D is on the field, because the forty-six is a 'high risk, high reward' defense. You might get burned sometimes, but more often than not you wreak havoc on your opponent, often creating turnovers...it's not a bend-but-don't-break philosophy that results in 10-minute drives against your tired D. Perfect fit for our talent IMO.

Mike Lodish - finally got his superbowl - super dependable backup Billy Brooks - f/a receiver who you probably forgot we had briefly Mickey Washington - solid DB who came from out of nowhere to have a career day against Marino, and then started for a while. Greg Bell - solid RB before the Thurman era Rob Riddick - GREAT RB before the Thurman era Kurt Shulz - hard hitter Gabe Northern - thought this guy was the next Biscuit Darick Holmes - hard runner in the post-Thurman era - still remember him getting lit up at the goal line against the 49ers though. Corbin Lacina - thought this guy was the next Will Wilford. Matt Darby - Another hard hitting safety, but a step slow in coverage - only really worth remembering because 'Darby' is a cool name. Marcus Spriggs - another lineman with lots of potential - I thought he'd have a better career than he had. Robert Hicks - a project tackle that showed promise - the Bills gave up on him and he vanished Sam Cowart - dude was a STUD until injuries took their toll. For about a year I would've said he was the 3rd best ILB/MLB in the league, only behind Seau and Ray Ray. EDIT: Some more... John Kidd - great punter...it took until Moorman to truly replace him (we tried guys like Tuten and Mohr, but they didn't have the leg Kidd had) Marvcus Patton...his mother played linebacker in a women's league Shane Collins - like, the prequel to Shane Conlan...weird. Josh Roth - courtesy f/a signing for a UB kid. Craig Guest - another UB kid...came into the league undersized but quick...disappeared for a while...came back looking like a bodybuilder but he lost his agility...never heard from again. Butch 'shake, rattle, and' Rolle - all he did was catch touchdowns Mark Pike - 2nd best special teamer in Bills history Al Edwards - versatile receiver who was our KO returnman during the early '90s Oh, and... Martin Mayhew