Cowher thrilled with new role

By Scott Brown
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, September 7, 2007


Last year, Jerome Bettis predicted the 2006 season would be Bill Cowher's final one as head coach of the Steelers. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Wednesday that he thinks Cowher will "probably" return to coaching after this season.

"Jerome was right," Cowher said Thursday. "I can tell you right now that Ben will be wrong."

Cowher makes his TV debut Sunday when he works as a studio analyst for "The NFL on CBS." During a conference call with reporters, Cowher reiterated that he has no desire to coach again and won't consider a return to the sidelines until after his youngest daughter Lindsay, who is a junior in high school, graduates.

Given the kind of money that teams searching for a head coach are likely to dangle in front of him and the history of TV serving as a layover for field bosses in between coaching stops -- Bill Parcells, for example -- speculation is rampant that Cowher will be back on an NFL sideline next season.

"I don't have any plans (to coach again)," the Crafton native said. "The only reason why I've (never) said never is I don't want to become a hypocrite because I can never foretell the future."
Cowher will spend at least this season giving opinions, not orders. He said he will not have a problem criticizing players and coaches in his new role as an analyst for CBS because he said both have to be willing to accept criticism as he said he did during his 15 years as coach of the Steelers.

For that reason, Cowher said, he did not have an issue with what Bettis wrote in his book, "The Bus: My Life in and out of a Helmet."

Bettis was critical of Cowher in some parts of the book, including his handling of former Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart.

"I think some of the excerpts that were out that were discussed -- yeah, they can be interpreted as him taking a shot at me -- but I think if anybody reads the book you'll see he has tremendous respect for me and I still have tremendous respect for him," Cowher said. "I have no problem with anything that was said because that was his opinion."

Cowher assumed he'll be asked his opinion on Bettis' book. He'll be asked about what the future holds for him even more.

"I have strong feelings that he'll be back one of these next few years," Roethlisberger said.

But Cowher said he is happy to be away from the day-to-day grind of the NFL

"This is something I'm really looking forward to, working with CBS, still being a part of the National Football League," Cowher said. "I have no plans to coach, but I'm not going to totally shut the door and say that."

When Cowher resigned last January after leading the Steelers to a world championship and six AFC title games in 15 seasons, he cited the desire to spend more time with his family as his reason for stepping down.

Popular perception had him leaving the Steelers because the Rooneys were unwilling to pay Cowher the kind of money that top coaches command. That, Cowher said, was not the case.

"My respect for the Rooney family, that will never change," Cowher said. "They gave me 15 great years. I'm going to be objective talking about (the Steelers), but I'd be less than honest to say I'm not pulling for them."

Cowher has predicted that the Steelers won't win the AFC North this season.

"Will I be objective?" he said when it comes to the Steelers. "Yeah, I will."

Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or 412-481-5432.