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How is it possible to have the best owner, best front office, best gm, best HC, good/great drafts every year and good FA acquisitions every year, but only have 3 playoff wins in 14 years? -
I'd say that the GM - coach dynamic has changed since Cowher left and Tomlin was hired.
Remember, Colbert was hired after Cowher won a power struggle with GM Tom Donahoe. At that time Cowher was more powerful than a GM and was involved in the hiring of Colbert. While GM typically ranks above coach on the power totem pole, make no mistake, Colbert answered to Cowher. If the two disagreed over a draft pick, it makes no sense that Colbert would think that he outranks Cowher.
Once Cowher left, Colbert assumed the normal GM role above the new coach, especially a coach who was a young first-timer. Colbert would surely rank above Tomlin when it comes to drafting.Comment
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no one is blaming Cowher for anything.
we are simply responding to those whose agenda is that Cowher would have won so much more if he only had a franchise QB while Tomlin has always had one.
that's not a valid claim because Cowher did not want to use a larger % of the cap to pay big $$$ to a franchise QB, he preferred winning with defense and a running game. Cowher has admitted that this was a flawed concept.Comment
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Pretty much how I remembered it, but here's a writeup that sheds some light on it.
Retrospective: The Cowher vs. Donahoe debate had a clear winner
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Bill Washinskiby Bill WashinskiFebruary 17, 2021
The Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1990s are a team that is often forgotten for how good they were because of the multiple AFC Championship Game losses at home and the failure to win Super Bowl XXX.
Two of the key components of that success were directly attributable to Director of Football Operations Tom Donahoe and Head Coach Bill Cowher. The combination of Donahoe’s low-key, stay-in-the-background style was the perfect complement to the Cowher’s visible, emotional approach.
By the end of the decade, the working relationship between the two had deteriorated. The inability to break through and win that elusive championship led to a fracture in the front office.
They disagreed over many things, especially who had the greater say–the coaches or the scouts–over player personnel. Cowher felt he didn’t have the necessary players to get over the hump; Donahoe felt the talent was there and it was the coaching that fell short. Cowher did not want Donahoe in the coaches’ meetings because he thought Donahoe was a spy. Donahoe thought Cowher was finished as an NFL Coach.
The situation was untenable and a choice had to be made, one of the two had to go. What was not obvious, at least at the time, was which one would it be?
After the Steelers lost the 1997 AFC Championship Game to the Denver Broncos, Donahoe turned down an offer by the Seattle Seahawks to be their General Manager with rumors to be as much as 5 times his $200,000 salary in Pittsburgh. League wide, and even locally (Ron Rook) Donahoe was generally considered the mastermind behind the team. And there was empirical evidence to back up this claim:
- Trading for Jerome Bettis
- Signing free agent Yancey Thigpen
- Signing Kevin Greene
Bill Cowher was taking the heat from fans, many of whom were calling for him to be fired. It wasn’t just that he failed, but he failed to beat teams in the playoffs at home when the Steelers were simply better. But there were other aspects to consider:
- The Steelers never found a quarterback that really could complete the team
- Donahoe let Rod Woodson walk after lowballing him in free agency
- Donahoe had a weak track record on 1st round picks, truly hitting on only Alan Faneca and Leon Searcy
- When it came time to make the decision, Dan Rooney stuck with Bill Cowher. In traditional Steelers fashion, Donahoe “resigned” by not having his contract renewed. After a year of working for ESPN, the Buffalo Bills hired Donahoe to be their General Manager, but the team would go only 31-48 during his 2001-2005 tenure.
The Steelers then promptly hired Kevin Colbert as his replacement as Director of Football Operations. Colbert did more than simply evaluate talent and select players in the NFL Draft. The Steelers were never known as a team that was active as far as making trades on draft day, but Colbert was willing to pull the trigger—and not just moving down in the draft, but being aggressive and moving up.
- 2001, the Steelers were able to fill two large needs at NT and LB by trading down in the first round to select Casey Hampton while moving up in the second to land DROY Kendrell Bell.
- 2003, the Steelers moved up for in the first round for the first time in the history of the franchise, selecting Troy Polamalu.
- 2006, the Steelers move up in the first round to select Santonio Holmes. The Steelers do not win Super Bowls XL or XLIII without those moves.
- 2009 and 2010, trades led to the Steelers drafting WRs Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown, helping them reach Super Bowl XLV.
- 2019, Colbert traded up for Devin Bush and Minkah Fitzpatrick which upgraded the defense to an elite level.
He has been significantly more successful with his first round picks than his predecessor and it’s a contributing factor in that he is the first Steelers General Manager in team history.
Cowher went on to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Donahoe had a very forgettable stint with the Buffalo Bills, though he did win a ring as an advisor to the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles.
Nonetheless, the decision of whom to keep at the time was a highly contested one, but in hindsight it’s like the decision to draft Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf.Comment
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Cowher just wanted a capable game manager that could make some plays, and that's exactly what Ben was, and that's exactly how he used him. The only flaw before Ben arrived, was that he thought O'Donnell and Stewart could be the same, but they both failed him. Sure, you can knock him for believing they would be enough, but QBs let coaches down all the time, so it's nothing new. I'm sure he has some regrets with giving those two more chances than they deserved, but it happens, and I'm sure he learned from it. And there's nothing wrong with remembering that Cowher would have made it to 2 more SBs had Ben arrived earlier, or anyone capable in the role he needed from that position. I won't even include the loss to SD in '95, but no doubts for me in '98 and '02.
Some here take issue with acknowledging that for some reason. It's like some want to deny it no matter what truth there is to it, or you just were never there during that era to watch it first hand, so you maybe don't know. There's film for those who want to see O'Donnell throw a SB win away to Dallas, and Stewart throw and fumble away, the two Conference games to Denver and NE. The evidence is on film, and etched forever in the memories of those that saw it happen during that time.Last edited by crushedspirit; 03-11-2021, 04:08 PM.Comment
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no, you can’t give a coach SB’s if a player arrived earlier. That’s not how it works.
Remember, Cowher didn’t plan on playing Ben his rookie year. Injury is the only reason Ben saw the field in 2004.
I think thats the biggest issue some have with the revisionist history with Cowher. He won 1 SB with Ben in 3 years yet somehow he would’ve won a bunch more if he had Ben for more years? Yeah.. okay.
Does JH ever see the field with Cowher? He barely player and was primarily a special teamer until Tomlin started him.Steelers 27
Rats 16Comment
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That’s a weird tale on this debate.
No one blames only Cowher for his draft choices.. and no one should blame Tomlin solely for draft choices.
We draft as a collective. All deserve praise and blame for draft choices.
But regarding Ben we have evidence Cowher wanted Andrews and had to be convinced to pick Ben.
So when fans say “Cowher never had a franchise QB” like he was a victim of circumstance there is evidence he didn’t value the QB as much as the running game and strong defense.Steelers 27
Rats 16Comment
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How is it possible to have the best owner, best front office, best gm, best HC, good/great drafts every year and good FA acquisitions every year, but only have 3 playoff wins in 14 years?Comment
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I supplied the games lost as reference, and I said Ben, or anyone capable. It's easy to see anything more than garbage QB performances take them to the SB in '98 and '02. I'm not talking Divisional or WC losses, it's all in the one game that gets you to the SB. Special teams was bad as well in '02, but Stewart's turnovers were brutal, and cost them when they had several chances to overcome it. Denver, that was all Kordell. SB, that was all O'Donnell. Game is at 7-13, when Neil throws the first one that sets up Dallas from the 18. Game is at 17-20, and he throws another to set up Dallas at the 6.
See, there's a difference when fans say, man we would have had a better season with a better QB. I'm pointing out the one game that gets you to the SB. These are Conference games, and the SB itself. Not that difficult to acknowledge the major reason why they lost those 3 games.Comment
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