This isn’t the first post on this blog to mention Bill Cowher, and it won’t be the last. First, let me say this, just like I probably will before every post dealing with Bill Cowher.
Bill Cowher is not going to be the coach of the Houston Texans. He’s going to end up in Carolina, and I don’t think that’s changed since he retired. I don’t for one second believe that his reported “interest” in Houston is real, and if it is, it’s based solely on how it could potentially drive his price up.
But, since it’s such a hot topic in the comments here and on every other Texans’ website/blog/message board, etc., I think it merits a response.
First, when you read this entry, there are two truths which must be kept in mind.
TRUTH #1:
If you pay Bill Cowher to be your coach, you MUST let him do what he does.
You can’t say “oh, well we should keep our offense in tact and Bill will be the head coach and oversee the defense.” If you bring in SUPER BOWL CHAMPION Bill Cowher, you MUST let him do EVERYTHING HE WANTS to do. You can’t change his systems on either side of the ball. You can’t change his philosophies, you can’t change ANY of it if you want the Texans to replicate under Cowher what he was able to accomplish in Pittsburgh.
TRUTH #2:
Bill Cowher will NOT provide the one-year turnaround that everybody wants.
This is tied into truth #1. If you bring in Cowher, you MUST let him do what he wants to do, and for the sweeping changes he would have to implement, you’re not looking at a one-offseason, one-year turnaround. Cowher means an entirely new offensive system, and an entirely new defensive system. If you’re sick of 8-8, that’s exactly the type of season you’re going to get in that first year.
Offensive line changes
Bill Cowher is about power running and ball control. The offensive line would have to be completely and totally re-vamped. Duane Brown and Eric Winston will be good players in any system, but the entire interior offensive line would have to be blown up (which it should be whether or not Kubiak returns), and an entirely new system would be installed. Quickness and athleticism is always useful for offensive linemen, but Cowher’s going to want maulers. Not something that is going to turn around and be great in one offseason.
The entire offense would not be blown up – but significantly re-worked
This is simply not Bill Cowher’s offense, and he shouldn’t be expected to run it. Do you really want to take this offense – which is SO close to being a dominant offense – and completely reinstall a new system? It’s not like Gary Kubiak or Kyle Shanahan is going to stay on as offensive coordinator. So you’ll have a new system which won’t likely click and be a well-oiled machine right away. This offense has way too many weapons and too much success (though not a dominant offense) to hit the reset button. This doesn’t even touch the question of Matt Schaub. Will Schaub be a Cowher guy? Steve Slaton? Jacoby Jones?
Cowher’s defense is the 3-4, not the current 4-3
We’ve been through this before – but the Texans aren’t built for being a 3-4 defense. With Cowher in town, the team would have to scrap their FINALLY-improving defense, and they just don’t have the personnel to run an effective 3-4 with only one offseason of change. New additions Antonio Smith and most likely Brian Cushing would probably be just fine – but who knows how Mario Williams would respond, and it’s been speculated before that Mario’s talents would be wasted in a 3-4.
A big part of Cowher’s success would not be coming with him
That would be Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. If he wanted to be a head coach, he’d be a head coach. If he wanted to be somewhere other than Pittsburgh, he’d be somewhere other than Pittsburgh. I’m going to say it right now – Dick LeBeau is AS RESPONSIBLE for Bill Cowher’s success as a head coach – as Bill Cowher is. If you don’t have both of those guys coming to town, YOU ARE NOT GETTING THE BILL COWHER YOU THINK YOU ARE GETTING.
In conclusion…
If you put a gun to my head right now, I think we should keep Kubiak one more season. Is he a great head coach? No, I don’t think he is. But we quickly forget what a COMPLETE DISASTER this team was when he was hired. Yes, the team needs to take that next step, but as poor as the coaching has been this year, the complete and total disaster of a running game is what’s most responsible for this season’s failure. Last year’s running game with this year’s quarterback play would make things a lot different.
It’s also not to be overlooked that this defense is improving, and has had an attitude transfusion. Get the running game fixed by dealing with the interior offensive line and running back situation, and keep improving on defense – and I really think this team can bounce back next year.
I don’t want to start over. This team is not a disaster, it’s just a disappointment.
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Dec 8, 2009 at 12:22:53
Agreed. Complete overhaul is not in order. And like you said, people want to win now but this isnt the answer. Improve the Talent on the Lines.
Dec 8, 2009 at 12:53:23
I’m sorry, but can you help me out with the following two sentences in this post. I don’t understand: If you put a gun to my head right now, I think we should keep Kubiak one more season. Is he a great head coach? No, I don’t think he is.”
So, he’s a horrible coach, but we should keep him? I think the whole “fear of the unknown” is getting a little out of control. Just as much as the “fire kubiak” mania is somewhat out of control.
Let’s give him a 30 year contract and call it a day.
Dec 8, 2009 at 12:53:24
I don’t necessarily think that there is NO chance to get Cowher, but I agree that he isn’t going to be the change that people think he’d be.
I like that we both went for the future HC topic today.
Dec 8, 2009 at 13:24:36
Mike Shanahan is a better choice, and I’ll explain why later in a post I hope Chris lets me post on this site.
Dec 8, 2009 at 13:26:14
@footballfan412
I typed a response, but I’m going to save it for the weekly mailbag.
Dec 8, 2009 at 13:27:31
@Kyle
Of course. Just email it whenever.
Dec 8, 2009 at 13:46:54
I lived in Pit for some of Cowers tenure, and he made some bad decisions and stuck with them…like Cordell Stewart as QB and Neil O’donnell and others for that matter. I agree he had a great supporting cast of coaches, like Dom Capers that made him look good, but he has the fire that most people think is missing from Kubiak. Cower does have the talent of putting good people around him, and thats what a good coach does. But…I just wish Matthews or someone would provide the intensity that seems to be missing, cause I do like Gary. Now, Chuck Noll was a head coach imho.
Dec 8, 2009 at 16:40:48
“If you pay Bill Cowher to be your coach, you MUST let him do what he does”
Truth does not see any problem with truth #1. He is a proven head coach and knows how to get his guys.
“Bill Cowher will NOT provide the one-year turnaround that everybody wants.”
Another thing I disagree with. We will not know until we try. I think with Cowher we will be a playoff team because he will hold players accountable for not executing in the 4th quarter. I think if we would have had cowher this season we would be in the playoffs.
“Offensive line changes”
I have thought about how it would be to move brown or Winston to guard how it would be and our line would be immediately better. Both are athletic enough being that both were former tightends and had fast 40 times to be able to pull. I would move winston to guard because I do not like his pass blocking and it would provide our line with alot more strength.
“The entire offense would not be blown up but significantly re-worked”
The Texans have a hard decision to make this off season on whether Shaub is a franchise quarterback or not with his bonus do. This dilemma is very fragile and needs to be handled with caution.The last time we were in this situation we made the wrong choice. I am not going to start the vince young debate, but what I will say is that WE DID PASS ON DREW BREES for david carr. That is right guys. What I am getting at is the timing for whoever the new coach is the best right now because of the decision on Shaub’s bonus. The worst case scenario is to give kubiak one more year, pay shaub’s bonus, and then fire kubiak next season. If he is not a franchise QB, then it is best to cut our losses now then later when it will cost us more.
“Cowher’s defense is the 3-4, not the current 4-3″
I have done an in depth look at the pros and cons of these defenses. I am not going to repeat what I said. I am a proponent of the 3-4 defense. I explained in a post not too long ago why I was. I think if you look at our roster it is not as hard as people make it out to be to change. If you do not believe me then look at green bay and Denver defense, two defenses that were worse than us,changed in one off season and both are pretty respectable now.
“A big part of Cowher’s success would not be coming with him”
This is probably true. I do not see dick leaving pittsburgh. Alot of bill cowher’s success was because of capers and Dick.I used the example of green bay and Denver as evidence for my point that it is doable to change to a 3-4 defense. However there are examples like the browns who still stink on defense. That is why it is important to hire somebody that really knows the 3-4 defense. As I said before, I do not think Dick will come here, but I think we can get somebody who is not a bad consolation to Dick and that is Wade Philips. I really think Wade Phillips will not be back next season for the cowboys and his 3-4 defenses have been as solid as some of the other great 3-4 defenses. I know that is speculation, but I think there is a good chance we could get him.
My conclusion
If you were to put a gun to my head you gotta hire Cowher. Now I do agree that he is most likely to go to carolina but I will be doing back flips if he were to come here.Our problem is discipline and Cowher will not tolerate the mental lapses that have cursed us this season. Cowher will run into some of the same problems in carolina as with our team. We are both 4-3 teams with a dominant defensive end that is 6-6. I think Cowher will know how to use Mario or Peppers should he choose Carolina. Sorry Chris that I had a lengthy post but I just disagree with your stance.
Dec 8, 2009 at 16:41:46
Chis, thanks. Look forward to reading your thoughts.
I told someone before the season started that I was concerned because there would be a lot of expectations this season and this team doesn’t respond well to pressure (despite all of the “Kubiak’s teams respnod well when their backs are against the wall” nonsense. I’ve never seen it).
If they think they’re under pressure now, can you imagine the pressure they’ll be under next year if Kubiak returns?
Wow.
Dec 9, 2009 at 04:41:48
“If you pay Bill Cowher to be your coach, you MUST let him do what he does”
Truth does not see any problem with truth #1. He is a proven head coach and knows how to get his guys.
“Bill Cowher will NOT provide the one-year turnaround that everybody wants.”
Another thing I disagree with. We will not know until we try. I think with Cowher we will be a playoff team because he will hold players accountable for not executing in the 4th quarter. I think if we would have had cowher this season we would be in the playoffs.
Dec 9, 2009 at 04:42:18
“Offensive line changes”
I have thought about how it would be to move brown or Winston to guard how it would be and our line would be immediately better. Both are athletic enough being that both were former tightends and had fast 40 times to be able to pull. I would move winston to guard because I do not like his pass blocking and it would provide our line with alot more strength.
“The entire offense would not be blown up but significantly re-worked”
The Texans have a hard decision to make this off season on whether Shaub is a franchise quarterback or not with his bonus do. This dilemma is very fragile and needs to be handled with caution.The last time we were in this situation we made the wrong choice. I am not going to start the vince young debate, but what I will say is that WE DID PASS ON DREW BREES for david carr. That is right guys. What I am getting at is the timing for whoever the new coach is the best right now because of the decision on Shaub’s bonus. The worst case scenario is to give kubiak one more year, pay shaub’s bonus, and then fire kubiak next season. If he is not a franchise QB, then it is best to cut our losses now then later when it will cost us more.
Dec 9, 2009 at 04:43:37
“Cowher’s defense is the 3-4, not the current 4-3″
I have done an in depth look at the pros and cons of these defenses. I am not going to repeat what I said. I am a proponent of the 3-4 defense. I explained in a post not too long ago why I was. I think if you look at our roster it is not as hard as people make it out to be to change. If you do not believe me then look at green bay and Denver defense, two defenses that were worse than us,changed in one off season and both are pretty respectable now.
Dec 9, 2009 at 09:38:09
where would Mario Williams play in a 3-4? At five technique, you waste his pass rushing talent, and at rush linebacker, well, I refuse to believe that a 290-pound end, even one as gifted as Mario, belongs as a linebacker
Dec 9, 2009 at 11:25:02
THIS IS WHAT I WANT, tell me what yall think
keep schaub
new d coordinator to switch to 3-4. Kubiak stays
Mario and smith at the ends. Sign hampton in free agency
Cushing plays inside, demeco out ( or in ). Barwin out, and we would need another inside backer as I doubt we have one
adibi and diles are pretty much expendable I guess
draft eric berry even if they have to trade up a bit
in the following rounds get some interior o line talent PLEASE
get a couple 3-4 backers, and also a RB
the next draft you could then get your NT of the future or a STUD RB. And possibly even a qb for the future
this isn’t THAT far fetched
Dec 9, 2009 at 11:29:16
Slaton done for the year…fantastic. Could we see what Chris Henry can do pleae?
Dec 9, 2009 at 12:15:14
Well said Chris. You could apply the majority of this logic to any new coach. I’m willing to give Kubiak another year, because if we bring in a new coach, we’re officially rebuilding again. I seriously will not be excited about any of currently available coaches out there, including Cowher. Remember, even Jimmy Johnson couldn’t turn Miami around. The Kubiak offense is working. Mistakes, bad play calls, turnovers, etc, have killed this season. I’m willing to give this coaching staff and players one more year to show, they are learning from their mistakes. Otherwise, we’re back to square one imo.
Dec 10, 2009 at 02:05:18
I am sorry I posted 2 times. the first time I hit submit comment it did not show. I would probably put mario at d end also like richard seymour was. The problem with that is you do not pay that much money for Marios position in the 3-4. I would keep diles inside and move cushing outside. I love the prospect of cushing rushing the QB. Barwin many were projecting to be a 3-4 outside backer before the draft last year.
Dec 10, 2009 at 16:01:41
I agree with truth that Mario would be an expensive 3-4 end
I also like the idea of diles in the middle
barwin would benefit the most out of a 3-4
Dec 12, 2009 at 08:14:32
Yup,
might as well keep the coaches we have right now and give them a couple more years. That’s the thing with special systems, some semblance of job security, which is why I’m not much of a fan of special players fitting into special systems.
On the other hand, what exactly do you tell grown men, to get them to not fumble, run crisper routes, get open, pick up the blitzer, block better, stop the run with 4 minutes left, sack the quarterback, and not throw brain fart interceptions?
It’s not like the old days when say a Don Shula, or John Madden could just cut the failures and keep the non screw ups and then bring in another 80 to 100 guys next camp because the owner has so much money already tied into the top 3 picks.
It’s not like Kubiak can literally spank the players for playing bad, and a lot of guys are playing hurt and there’s a lot of players that just are on injured reserve.
The team basically needs the following, a shut down corner, (sorry Dunta), a ball hawking free safety, a human Rock of Gibraltar defensive tackle, a better weak side linebacker, 2 guards, a center, a Cedric Benson, or somebody like Earl Campbell or that guy in Minnesota, and a partridge in a pear tree.
I don’t care who they draft or how they spin it. I’m not believing it until I see it, and I’ll believe 1/2 of what I see.
Dec 13, 2009 at 19:52:08
Whatever, “truth”. Anybody who thinks there is some debate on whether Schaub is a franchise QB or not doesn’t get any more of my time reading his other thoughts. I mean, seriously? Where the hell do you think you are going to get a better QB than Schaub? The franchise QB fairy? Maybe we should burn a first round draft pick on a gamble. Or maybe we should get one of those “just wins” no-stat type QBs, like Kerry Collins or a Trent Dilfer (I wonder if he comes with the defense that really wins all those games to make up for poor QB play). Or maybe we should realize that we have one of the top 15 QBs in the league and there is pretty much no way we could get a better one.