Only three men have held the title of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach since 1969.
One of those men is Bill Cowher and after being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year, decided after some reflection that it was time to be as personal and open as ever in a memoir called “Heart and Steel.”
Being part of such an exclusive group you’d think the previous coach and incoming one would have conversations on how to move the team forward, but while talking to The Fan Morning Show, Cowher says that wasn’t the case.
Cowher says he hasn’t had a lot of communication with Mike Tomlin after he took the job and since.
“No, we really haven’t, same kind of communication I had with Chuck (Noll), it wasn’t much at all,” said Cowher.
The Super Bowl winning coach says it’s because each person has to find things out for themselves.
“Because sometimes these buildings, they change,” said Cowher. “That building may not be the same as it was when I was still there. It’s still the Rooney’s are running it, I kind of understand how the dynamics work in there, but at the same time when you’re not inside those meeting rooms and they close that door, the conversations are different and I understand that. We all think we know what it is . . . but really unless you’re on the inside of those doors there’s so many other variables that we’re unaware of.”
Cowher says he thinks it’s unfair to only take the past three or four seasons of Tomlin’s tenure and criticize him harshly for it.
“I think number one, one of the best coaching jobs he did was two years ago when he didn’t have Ben (Roethlisberger) and that team was fighting for a playoff spot right down to the very end and he transformed his team from an offensive team to an offensive season.”
When it comes to what kind of job Cowher thinks Tomlin has done since taking over, he says it’s nothing but great.
“You’re sitting there for 14 years, you’ve never had a losing season, how can we sit there and assess what kind of job he’s done, he’s doing a fantastic job,” said Cowher.
When you are the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, if you don’t take your team to a Super Bowl, its considered a failure, but Cowher says people like him and Tomlin wouldn’t want it any other way.
“That’s the way it should be, I’d much rather have that, and I’m sure Mike will tell you that too, I’d much rather have higher expectations and then going to a team that ‘oh, can we make the playoffs?’ No, it’s more than just that,” said Cowher.
Simply put, fans should be grateful to have Tomlin as the man in charge.
“People can be complaining if they want but be careful about complaining because you’re not sure what you’re going to get on the other end.”