SuperSteelers Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 Bill Cowher may not be at Heinz Field on Sunday when the Steelers host the Browns in the regular-season finale for each team. But the specter of Cowher will be present at the 1 p.m. game, and it will loom over the Browns' sideline and embattled coach Romeo Crennel. Speculation is rampant that Cowher, who coached the Steelers from 1992-2006 and won a Super Bowl, will replace Crennel. A simple connecting of the dots shows why such a scenario is plausible. Cowher has ties to the Browns as a player and a coach, and Cleveland may be desperate enough to dangle the kind of money and control it would take to coax him back to the sidelines. The franchise has had two only winning seasons and one playoff appearance since the Browns returned to Cleveland in 1999. The Browns (4-11) have lost 10 consecutive games to the Steelers and have regressed badly after going 10-6 in 2007. Crennel, who is nearing the end of his fourth and possibly final season in Cleveland, is 24-39 with the Browns. "They said they would evaluate the situation in January," Crennel said. "(And) they have been true to their word since I have been here." When asked if he expects to keep his job beyond the 2008 season, Crennel said: "You never really know in this business." NFL teams are generally not known for their patience, and there are countless examples of the broadcast booth serving as a layover for ex-coaches. Cowher, 51, is in his second season as a studio analyst for CBS. He played for the Browns from 1980-82 and spent four seasons in Cleveland as an assistant coach. But his Pittsburgh roots may be the one thing that would make Cowher think twice about going to Cleveland. Cowher has a street in his native Crafton named after him. He also holds a place in Steelers lore, given what he did in 15 seasons as the team's coach. "Where he goes is up to him," Steelers linebacker James Harrison said. "That's something he'll have to decide when the time comes." The topic of Cowher coaching the Browns was broached in the Steelers' locker room earlier this week, although wide receiver Hines Ward dismissed such talk. "We're not thinking about Cowher," Ward said. "We're worried about Cleveland and going to the playoffs." The Browns were expected to make a push for the playoffs this season, especially after the way they finished 2007 and the additions they made in the offseason. But the Browns have been decimated by injuries, and they will start their fourth quarterback this season if Bruce Gradkowski, a Seton-La Salle graduate, opens under center Sunday as expected. Crennel has to hope those circumstances, as well as Cleveland's 35-14 win over the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants earlier this season, are enough to save his job. "I think we can look at that Giants game," Crennel said, "and say if we prepare like we did for that game and play like we did in that game, that is what the future can be." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If he accepts the hc job in Cleveland I will burn my autographed photo of him.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 You really need to credit the source when you copy and paste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSteelers Posted December 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 I made it up http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburgh...s/s_604548.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mz. Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 Another Joe Starkey propaganda piece? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 I came up with a Scott Brown after a quick search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 So, if Romeo is 99.9% gone, what do you think the odds of Savage leaving might be. I have for a long time felt the two were tied closer at the hip than many. Just curious. ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted December 28, 2008 Report Share Posted December 28, 2008 That is my thinking. I don't think it is as high as Romeo...Savage may still pull it out, but it is going to be a tough sell. I think he has gone to bat for Romeo once too often, and I think Lerner remembers the deal with Collins...how all that transpired.... and isn't going to be very sympathetic to Savages pleas. I think Phil is a classic case of a guy who started to paint the floor and didn't pay attention to where the door was located. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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