Texecutioner
Hall of Fame
CHARLOTTE -- The Bill Cowher rumors won't let up. And why not? They make perfect sense.
Except for the small fact that, you know, they make absolutely no sense at all.
Among the fans, Cowher is the preordained savior of the coaching search that hasn't begun for the Carolina Panthers. Those who read tea leaves think it's a fantastic idea and all but done, citing secondhand sources and irrefutable evidence such as the easy commute from Raleigh and his daughter's choices in higher education.
MBR
Learn the trick
Nevermind the pesky fact it's not happening, for about a dozen reasons.
Because he used to coach the Pittsburgh Steelers and stomps and yells and spits (The Passion of The Chin is a marketable commodity among fans), folks have long since assumed he's a natural fit in Charlotte. Many of those same folks five months ago extolled the virtue of the Panthers pursuing Michael Vick, ignoring that they weren't pursuing Vick and would not.
Facts and reality, among some, seem overrated.
For those who care to bother, here are a few:
Economics
Cowher will be pricey, pushing $10 million a year.
That wouldn't be a problem, except hiring him would cause Jerry Richard-son to eat $6.5 million for the final year of John Fox's contract. And the final years of the deals of the coaching staff that signed two-year extensions last spring, since Cowher almost certainly would clean house and bring in his own guys.
The next coach of the Panthers (if there is one soon) will be a guy who fits into what they want to do, so many current staffers could stay.
Granted, Richardson never has been bashful about writing big checks to solve big problems. But entering the last year of the current labor agreement, with the potential of no football revenue in 2011 (except for some sweetheart TV contracts), it's not the best time to actively pursue sunk costs.
Football
Cowher is the belle of the ball around Charlotte because he is perceived as aggressive and blitzes out of his 3-4 defense, and people like aggressiveness and blitzes almost as much as The Passion.
Nevermind the Panthers don't have the personnel to run a 3-4, and to switch would cause them to throw away a number of parts to what actually is a pretty good 4-3 right now.
There's no real place for Jon Beason or Thomas Davis in a 3-4. Inside linebackers in that style need to be stronger than fast, because they're entrusted with more of the run defense. You would think Everette Brown could play the rush outside linebacker spot, but scouts who watched him at Florida State doubted whether he was fluid enough to stand up and cover. Could Julius Peppers? Sure, why not? Peppers also could play power forward for the Bobcats right now, and they have as good a chance of convincing him to join them long-term.
http://www.heraldonline.com/247/story/1795580.html
Except for the small fact that, you know, they make absolutely no sense at all.
Among the fans, Cowher is the preordained savior of the coaching search that hasn't begun for the Carolina Panthers. Those who read tea leaves think it's a fantastic idea and all but done, citing secondhand sources and irrefutable evidence such as the easy commute from Raleigh and his daughter's choices in higher education.
MBR
Learn the trick
Nevermind the pesky fact it's not happening, for about a dozen reasons.
Because he used to coach the Pittsburgh Steelers and stomps and yells and spits (The Passion of The Chin is a marketable commodity among fans), folks have long since assumed he's a natural fit in Charlotte. Many of those same folks five months ago extolled the virtue of the Panthers pursuing Michael Vick, ignoring that they weren't pursuing Vick and would not.
Facts and reality, among some, seem overrated.
For those who care to bother, here are a few:
Economics
Cowher will be pricey, pushing $10 million a year.
That wouldn't be a problem, except hiring him would cause Jerry Richard-son to eat $6.5 million for the final year of John Fox's contract. And the final years of the deals of the coaching staff that signed two-year extensions last spring, since Cowher almost certainly would clean house and bring in his own guys.
The next coach of the Panthers (if there is one soon) will be a guy who fits into what they want to do, so many current staffers could stay.
Granted, Richardson never has been bashful about writing big checks to solve big problems. But entering the last year of the current labor agreement, with the potential of no football revenue in 2011 (except for some sweetheart TV contracts), it's not the best time to actively pursue sunk costs.
Football
Cowher is the belle of the ball around Charlotte because he is perceived as aggressive and blitzes out of his 3-4 defense, and people like aggressiveness and blitzes almost as much as The Passion.
Nevermind the Panthers don't have the personnel to run a 3-4, and to switch would cause them to throw away a number of parts to what actually is a pretty good 4-3 right now.
There's no real place for Jon Beason or Thomas Davis in a 3-4. Inside linebackers in that style need to be stronger than fast, because they're entrusted with more of the run defense. You would think Everette Brown could play the rush outside linebacker spot, but scouts who watched him at Florida State doubted whether he was fluid enough to stand up and cover. Could Julius Peppers? Sure, why not? Peppers also could play power forward for the Bobcats right now, and they have as good a chance of convincing him to join them long-term.
http://www.heraldonline.com/247/story/1795580.html
How is Mario not a "Pro Bowl caliber piece"? He's having a down year.....this year is not his norm. His norm is around 13 sacks a year and that certainly is "Pro Bowl caliber".
