Cowher

I'm probably the only idiot that thinks this (well, my buddy Laszlo happens to agree with me), but I really think that Cowher's going to stick around.

I keep thinking back to Sunday's game and I keep thinking of Willie Parker's fumble and Willie Colon's personal foul. Those, in my opinion, are the two reasons that Cowher is going to sign an extension and coach another 4 or 5 seasons.

Let's start with Willie Parker's fumble. At that point, it was either early in the 4th quarter or almost at the end of the third. It was 7-3. If Parker scores there, we go up 14-3, Cowher puts in Davenport for the rest of the game, Ben attempts only two more passes, we continue to frustrate Carson Palmer (which we only seem to be able to do in Cincinnati), and we come out with a 14-10 or a 14-6 victory. Very dry, very boring, but still the same end result: 8-8.

The season ends on a very ho-hum, average kind of note.

Instead, Parker fumbles, the Bungles score a quick touchdown, and the game becomes exciting again. Cowher puts Parker right back in the game and gives him the first carry of the next drive. He trusted his player and his player delivered a touchdown when it mattered.

Even though he didn't show it much this season, Cowher's an emotional guy. He's an optimistic guy. He can talk all he wants to about getting away from the emotion of the season and settling down and looking at things objectively, but when he does look back at this season, he's going to remember what it felt like on that sideline, watching Santonio Holmes streaking past him for the touchdown.

Look at his face right after the game. Not the press conferences that happened 30 minutes later, not the interviews that happened hours later, or even the interviews from the following day. He did not look like a man that was ready to stop coaching football when Holmes was going in for that touchdown.

And he didn't look like someone that was done coaching football when he chewed out Willie Colon.

He gave Willie "The Finger," the "Come here so that I can yell at you for two solid minutes, then slap you on the ass," Finger. Colon committed a personal foul, it was a dumb penalty, he's a rookie, and Cowher went, well... Cowher on him. He came out on the field, shouted Colon's first name several times, then proceeded to yell at Colon for two minutes, slap him on the ass, and send him out.

It looked like the Cowher from 1998 that almost tackled someone on Jacksonville's special teams. It looked like Cowher of 2005, before Ben rushed for that last first down we needed and Cowher was able to relax.

And Cowher relaxed in the off-season. He watched his girls play basketball. He watched, relaxed, as the Steelers went through a crazy set of mini-camps, their first round draft choice was arrested twice, and Big Ben almost died twice.

He watched, relaxed, as we went 0-4 in the pre-season. 2-6 to start the regular season. He watched the turnovers, the dumb penalties, the lack of discipline, the poor tackling, the lack of intensity. And he was fine with it.

But, yesterday, in the heat of the moment, he was definitely not relaxed. He was able to calm down by the time he met with the press, but what matters to me is what he showed on that sideline in the second half.

And, I don't know if it's possible, but the Rooneys need to put certain clauses in the contract that Cowher signs with them (assuming he's not just holding out for $8 million a year, which is also possible). The contract Cowher signs with them needs to stipulate the following:

1. If the NFL Films camera crew does not capture him saying, "Let's Go!" at least 35 times during the course of a game, the contract is voided.
2. He needs to wear a mask that has a saliva catching device in it. If it does not contain at least one ounce of saliva at the end of the game, the contract voids.
3. He needs to butt heads with at least one player that is wearing a helmet each game, or the contract voids.

If Cowher isn't going to be Cowher, I don't want him back. Seriously.

And, if he's just been posturing for more money this whole time, I definitely don't want him back.

One other thing: How quickly do you think the Browns would fire Romeo Crennel and hire Cowher once he became available? I say the over/under on that one is 38 minutes. And I'm taking the under.