Scout.com: Cleveland Browns Organization Profile
Rumor: Cowher Won't Wind up in Carolina
by Barry McBride of theOBR.com, December 9, 2009 at 8:41am ET
Cleveland Browns Organization Profile
It’s about that time of year, isn’t it?
As the off-season nears, Browns and other fans are often regaled by tales of how this quarterback or that coach has bought/sold a house in town, which therefore logically means that he’s headed into/leaving town. Which, of course, will save the moribund Cleveland Browns franchise.
One guy who has been mentioned in those real estate rumors in the past is ex-Browns and ex-Steelers coach Bill Cowher. "The Chin" appeared on radar last year as word spread that he had put in a bid for a house in Strongsville, Ohio. Cowher is currently a football analyst with CBS Sports.
Speculation is the the large bags of gold hand-delivered to Cowher’s home daily by CBS executives might be replaced by even larger bags of NFL team gold this off-season when the Steelers coach returns to the sidelines.
Here's where real estate comes in: A lot of the speculation has Cowher landing in Carolina to coach the Panthers because it's somewhat close to where Cowher lives now. His daughter also goes to school in Carolina.
For a lot of folks, that’s enough. Cowher lives in Carolina, he’s going to coach the Panthers. Game, set, match.
Since I don’t think a single real estate-based rumor has proven out in the ten years we've been writing Browns news items for the OBR, you’ll pardon our skepticism about this line of analysis.
Joining us in throwing cold water on the notion that Cowher is pre-destined to wind up in Carolina is Darin Gantt of the Herald-Enquirer, who points out that Panthers owner Bill Richardson isn’t married to the notion of hiring a big-name coach. Gantt’s analysis is that
Cowher is wrong for the Panthers’ economics, current roster and management structure.
For me, the kicker is that Panthers owner Bill Richardson still remembers the George Seifert experiment, when the Panthers attempted to build around an expensive, control-oriented head coach.
Come on. Is that all? But it’s an easy commute from where he currently lives!
We’ve been saying Cowher is in play for the Browns, and remains in play, regardless of where his daughter goes to college. Don't write this one off yet.