Bill Cowher is one of the All-Star head coaches that was unemployed this season, joining a list of several jobless Super Bowl champs. That group includes Jon Gruden, Tony Dungy, and Mike Shanahan. Of that crowd, only Shanahan has a new gig while the others have either passed on job offers or job interviews, or both. Since Cowher will not be coaching next season, it will be three years off for The Chin, which is probably a longer break than anyone expected. Why is that the case? The Bus says The Chin is waiting on the Giants gig:
Jerome Bettis said the reason Cowher hasn’t returned to coach is because he’s “holding out” for the Giants job to open up. In fact, he told Chris “Mad Dog” Russo today on Sirius XM’s Mad Dog Radio that Cowher would have gotten the Giants’ job in 2008 if Tom Coughlin hadn’t taken the Giants on that magical, Super Bowl XLII run.
“That’s the team that he really coveted,” Bettis said. “This is where he always wanted to be. The Mara family, he’s been very close to them. … He’s known them very well and was on the inside track — before the Giants won the Super Bowl — for that job. And I think he’s holding out for that opportunity if it presents itself.”
Bettis has previously said that Cowher will make sure his new team has a franchise quarterback with whom he can work because Cowher endured the inconsistencies of a franchise without steady quarterback play (Kordell Stewart, Tommy Maddox). By holding out for the Giants job, Cowher also seems to be following the Gruden plan which is only return to coaching if your team includes a Manning brother. It sucks to think that Tom Coughlin will no longer be good enough for the job only two years after winning the Super Bowl but another season like this and he should be fired.
(also see The Last Angry Fan)
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Tom Coughlin is the NFL’s Conan O’Brien.
Coughlin was extremely lucky to go on that magical Super Bowl run. He is not a big favorite of his players, in spite of minor improvements on his part.
I expect him to have another mediocre season and be unemployed at this time next year.