Thursday, December 18, 2008
The former Steelers coach tops the list to replace Romeo Crennel.
BEREA (AP) — Launched over cocktails by two fed-up Browns fans, a Web site calling for Bill Cowher’s return to Cleveland has bloomed into a full-blown movement by thousands.
“We knew we had to do something,” said Ryan Martz, co-founder of Cowher09.com, designed to “unleash the power of Cowher” and make the iconic chin the Browns next coach. “After years and years of losing and seeing the same bad product, we deserve a winner in Cleveland. Fans have had enough.”
Since its debut in September, Cowher09.com has grown into a home base of support for Cowher, who is believed to be at the top of Cleveland’s wish list to replace Romeo Crennel.
Browns owner Randy Lerner is waiting until after the season before deciding on Crennel’s future, but it’s safe to assume he’ll replace the former defensive coordinator who is just 24-38 in four seasons, three of which have ended with double-digit losses and none that have included a playoff appearance.
The Browns have lost at least 10 games seven times since 1999.
Cowher has not indicated whether he’s interested in a return to coaching in the NFL. He’s reportedly content in his job as a pregame studio analyst for CBS, a career he began after leaving the Steelers two years ago.
Attempts to reach Cowher through the network for an interview have been unsuccessful.
He’s no doubt keeping a low profile out of his respect for Crennel and other coaches in possible trouble. But Cowher may be keeping his options open since there will be several teams looking for new coaches once the season ends. Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, San Francisco, Oakland, St. Louis, Washington, San Diego and maybe even Dallas or the New York Jets could all be in the coaching market depending on how the next few weeks shake out.
Cleveland’s situation is complicated by general manager Phil Savage’s uncertain status. Savage, who joined the Browns in 2005, one month before Crennel was hired, has come under scrutiny for several mishandled issues this season ranging from his feud with Kellen Winslow over the tight end’s hospitalization for a staph infection to Savage sending a profane e-mail to a fan.
Savage’s future could hinge on Cleveland’s coaching hire or his willingness to accept a lesser role in the organization if Lerner decides to bring in another experienced front-office executive.
Martz has marked his man: Cowher.
“He a tough guy,” said Martz, a banking loan officer from Columbus who co-created Cowher09.com with partner Sam Lambert of Elyria. “He’s a coach who knows how to handle players and he could tell Braylon Edwards what to do and keep him in line. And, he knows the AFC North.”
While with Pittsburgh, Cowher went 161-99-1, won a Super Bowl and dominated Cleveland’s division. The Steelers went 21-5 against the Browns during Cowher’s tenure.
Adding to Cowher’s allure is his Cleveland connections. He played for the Browns (1980-82) and served as an assistant coach under Marty Schottenheimer (1985-88), another retreaded coach who could be on Lerner’s radar to come back in some capacity.
Such is the sad state of the Browns that Martz and other Cleveland fans are ignoring Cowher’s Pittsburgh past.
“Hey, at this point, you just swallow your pride,” Martz said. “We just want a coach who knows how to win. I’m only 25 and the Browns have been terrible for most of my life. There are people who have been watching this team for 40 or 50 years. I can only imagine how they feel. After all this time, what kind of product are we buying?”
Martz’s goal was to get 73,000 signatures — the number of seats at Cleveland Browns Stadium — on a petition to present to Lerner as further proof of fans’ desire to get Cowher. He now has more than 11,000 names, and he’ll be in the infamous Municipal Lot this Sunday before the Browns play Cincinnati looking for more people to sign while hawking Cowher T-shirts.
Martz understands there is a chance Cowher could end up somewhere other than Cleveland. But as a Browns fan, he has learned how to accept failure. That doesn’t mean he can’t dream big.
“We’re going to do everything possible,” he said.