I guess you heard Bill Cowher said publicly today that he was not a candidate for the N.C. State football job. He said, “You can take me off the list.”
You can bet a lot of State fans were hoping that Cowher -- the former Wolfpack linebacker -- would answer their prayers and be the dream come true, and this is even before Chuck Amato was fired. I can’t tell you how many times I heard from fans that State would get rid of Amato because they’ve got Bill Cowher comng.
But Cowher put all that talk to rest today and probably broke a few hearts. He certainly would have been a home run, if there is such a thing.
“I’m very flattered and I’ve heard some of the things that have been coming out, but I’m not a candidate," Cowher said. ”It’s a super program, and I’m sure they’ll get a very qualified coach that’s going to walk into a good situation.”
But that coach will not be Bill Cowher, and that’s according to him.
Of course, all the speculation about Cowher and the hope for many State fans rested on the fact that he and his wife have purchased a house in Raleigh and that he has not agreed to a contract extension with the Steelers, where he has coached the last 15 years. He is under contract with the Steelers through next season, but has not agreed to a new contract. This also added flames to the fire.
Basically, what we heard from some people who know Cowher is that the timing just isn’t right. First, it’s hard to get out of an NFL contract, and then there’s the fact he’d just like to take some time off. They said those 15 years as a head coach in the NFL have been grueling, and that if he ever does leave the Steelers, he’d like to take some time off for a bit and then maybe see what’s out there as a coach.
So, Bill Cowher is not coming to N.C. State. Then who is?
One name mentioned is that of Norm Chow. He was Chuck Amato’s first offensive coordinator and got Philip Rivers started on his career. Chow is now the offensive coordinator of the NFL’S Tennessee Titans, and before that coordinated high-powered offenses at USC.
Another is David Cutcliffe, the offensive coordinator at Tennessee and the former head coach at Mississippi. He’s also famous as the man who tutored both Peyton and Eli Manning.
Both said today that they have not been contacted by N.C. State. Of course, you know how all that works. Intermediaries do the work so that both sides can cover themselves. State can say, “We haven’t contacted them,” and they can say, “Yeah, nobody from there has talked with me.” Kind of "Wink, wink," but both sides are somewhat being truthful.
Cutcliffe, who was 44-29 as the head coach at Mississippi, has been a longtime assistant to Philip Fulmer at Tennessee. He expressed interest in the State coaching job this week, and it appears that maybe he’s floating his own name. Coaches have been known to do that.
It’s been well known that Chow, considered an offensive genius by many but a career assistant, would love to become a head coach. But he’s got some age on him and time could be running out on him. He’s also believed to be a candidate at Arizona State, and most of his connections are on the West Coast.
Navy coach Paul Johnson is still thought to be a leading contender, and if they want to go the assistant route, then Jimbo Fisher of LSU is a hot name. Personally, I think they need to find a proven head coach, but that’s just me. But right now, it’s Day 3 of the search, and it’s quite the gossip column
