Cowher in the Washington Post

Ryan of Heels, Sox, and Steelers fame calls our attention to the Washington Post's attention to Bill Cowher this week.

In other news, the Redskins mood meter is currently at 2, on a scale of 1 to 10.

I've always dated Cowher's growing infatuation with the very-stupid "wide-open" gadgetry offense to the 1994 Championship game and the 1995 Super Bowl. Both those teams featured overwhelming defense, power running, sure receiving and a caretaker quarterback. And in both those big games, the Steelers dominated their opponents for most of the game and lost to a few "big plays." And Cowher could be seen ranting, throughout the rest of roaring nineties, that "we need more big plays." My wife took to doing a Coach Cowher impression, in fact, which featured snarling, the big jaw, and "we need more BIG PLAYS." She barely tolerates the existence of football. She may not understand the difference between a little and a big play. And even she could tell that Cowher's eyes would get a little buggy when this subject arose.

That's how I'd begin my sketch of Cowher's descent into offensive idiocy, which gradually accelerated over the course of a decade: lose big games to big plays, blame it on an offense that lacks big-play ability, defend and nuture Michael Vick Kordell Stewart, watch the Rams rise, mistake Tommy Maddox for Kurt Warner, get shredded by pass-happy Raiders and Patriots in high-profile games, hire a series of morons to install increasingly inappropriate offenses, etc. and so on.

I call it idiocy because the Steelers don't play in a dome. How Coach Cowher - and the responsibility ultimately falls on his shoulders - would think a dome offense could work for a team that plays its more important games in 32 degree winter weather, is beyond me. Despite his temporary Captain Ahab-like obsession with getting more "big plays," Cowher has always had a number of other serious strengths as a coach. Though I disagreed with Ray Sherman and all things Mike Mularkey, I never felt compelled to wish for a coaching change.

Anyway it sure is great to get back to Steeler football. Run the ball, run the ball, run the ball. It's not Steeler football unless (a) they know you are going to run, (b) you run anyway, and (c) you average four yards per carry. God I love it when that happens.

And all hail Dick LeBeau. It's good to have him back.