Buzz: Cowher Denied Initial Meeting With Woody Leaked
A source close to Bill Cowher has revealed a little more about the unravelling of his failed candidacy with the Jets. It seems that Cowher was miffed that he wasn’t allowed to meet with Woody on the first go, and it didn’t sit well with The Chin. Check the quotes and my notes after the jump:
[Cowher] agreed Tuesday to speak with the Jets about their vacancy, but he withdrew his name from consideration several hours later because, in part, he wasn’t able to speak directly with owner Woody Johnson, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
“Bill Cowher easily could’ve been enticed to coach if Woody Johnson would’ve taken a sit-down meeting with him,” the person said. “Cowher’s camp was told that Woody was out of the country and couldn’t have a sit-down with him.”
Chances are, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome, according to a person close to Cowher, but the “Where’s Woody?” routine apparently was the last straw for the former Steelers coach.
Johnson is out of the country, a person familiar with the search confirmed, adding that Johnson speaks several times a day with GM Mike Tannenbaum. Cowher-to-the-Jets was a longshot from the outset … Tannenbaum is the point man in the coaching search, although Johnson was willing to make himself available to speak with Cowher, according to a person close to the team.
I think Cowher was being a little bit of a hypersensitive tween-aged girl about things, but he was clear about what he wanted … and what he wanted was to not be subordinate to Mike Tannenbaum in any way from the outset. The way that the Jets approached the situation with having to interview through Tanny, it was clear that they weren’t going to give him anything else and he saw through it from the start.
Imagine you were Bill Cowher though, looking at the situation from the outside, you’d see a GM that you’d have to report to, who is supposedly “friends” with the guy he just stabbed in the back to keep his own job … would any veteran head coach who has earned his stipes want to answer to him? I wouldn’t …
I was never the biggest Cowher to the Jets fan, but if they wanted the guy — and by all the stories leaked to the press from the front office it’s clear they did — at least act like it. Woody and Tannenbaum are kicking off their coaching search after firing their head coach on Monday and Woody is out of the country?
Seriously, where is Woody? Jetsetting to Santorini? Drinking cobra whiskey in Thailand? Scaling the Himalayas with his trusty sherpa Moktok? If the Jets were in the playoffs this weekend, would he be out of the country? I highly doubt it.
The mixed messages getting leaked out the initial stages of this coaching search are mind-blowing. This organization has no idea how it’s actions are being conveyed to their fanbase as I can tell by the comments here. Everything they do is being scrutinized, and they’ve yet to put two right moves together in succession as far as I can tell.
No offense but couldn’t it be possible Woody is away on business…. he does run a huge company after all. And Tanny has done a good job as far as I’m concerned, especially with drafts, and I wouldn’t want Cowher (or anyone) to have total control over personnel anyway
It seems like everyone on this blog complains about every little thing without thinking it through. Maybe Cowher was their original plan but would any of you really be that upset if we got Spags or Ryan?
This team is a total joke.
The silent, but deadlier Jerry Jones strikes again.
I would be very upset if we got Spags or Ryan because both are untested head coaches, and virtually bring us another 5 year re-building process.
If we sign Spags, we move back to a 4-3.
If we sign Ryan, we stay with the 3-4 and the defense still sucks.
Where’s Mangini?
Nope, I would rather have Ryan than Spags or Cowher. Cowher’s actions seemed like he was acting a bit childish. I do not think he was actually interested in coaching the Jets anyway, if he really was than the fact that Woody wasnt at the first meeting should not have been a big deal.
Breaking News…new JETS HC
Brian Schottenheimer !!! (ok, this will be something!!)
I do not see any other coach with these clowns at the FO.
Spagnuolo and Ryan if they have a choice will go to Denver and Detroit. Woody seems to suffer from some mental condition and I think the NFL should intervene.
i think tanny is a good gm…leon washington, nick mangold, dustin keller, d’brick, lowery….he’s done as well as cowher or shanahan most likely would have over the same stretch..i want cowher or shanny…but not with total control…..if thats the only way to get them…move on..im happy with spags OR ryan….BUT johnson should be here now…
I doubt the defense would suck with Ryan, he has proven himself the past 4 years and gets the most out of his players, and consistently ranked near the top of the league in total defense.
How can Woody fire Mangini and then go out of the country???
Now I was dead set against bring Favre here and letting Chad go, and we know Favre was Woody’s move. Then Woody fires Mangini because the Favre move didn’t work out and that he wanted Favre back at all costs. I think firing Mangini was a big mistalke as well.
These PSL’s are screwing Jet fans not only in the wallet but also in Team decisions!
Looks like Woody is a bad owner! And we thought Leon Hess was bad. At least Hess flew in to hire Kotite! Woody wouldn’t even fly back to interview Cower! WOW! That is bad!
Jets fans are SCREWED for life or at least my remaining life!
Joe
Yeah swizzle I agree from what I’ve read he wasn’t that interested in the Jets job anyway and then Woody not being here was the last straw.
Jim I agree 100%- I wanted Cowher or Shanny as long as they wouldn’t have personnel control, and if they wanted that then I too am happy with Spags or Ryan. I don’t think we’ll be rebuilding- did the Fins or Falcons or Ravens rebuild this year with first year head coaches?
WESTHOFF for HC!!!!!
Spags and Ryan are not coming to the Jets, get this through your heads.
Everybody in the NFL knows what actually went down with the Jets front office this year. The GM took a washed up player over an up and coming head coach.
The Jets are going to have to settle with Callahan or Schotty (Not Marty.)
Rex Ryan is who I want for HC!
I don’t want Spagnuolo! Spagnuolo would be a big mistake! WHy fire Mangini and hire Spagnuolo???
You would have been better off keeping Mangini if Spagnuolo is who they wanted.
Joe
As bad as Woody and company have looked through this HC search – and they’ve looked plenty bad – the mixed message from the Cowher camp doesn’t exactly cast the clearest light on him.
In the same story the “person close to Cowher,” says, “Cowher easily could’ve been enticed to coach if Woody Johnson would’ve taken a sit-down meeting with him,” then…it wouldn’t have changed the outcome, according to a person close to Cowher.
So, he was offended Woody wouldn’t try to entice him in person so he could reject him directly?
I think it is a matter of Bill Cowher trying to get a feel for what kind of person Woody Johnson is. Apparently, Cowher got his answer and made his decision.
Why wouldn’t Ryan come to the Jets, with the pieces of 3-4 defense already in place? An an offense with the right QB, not Favre, that can control the ball and run it down the throats of an opponent.
I took this as Cowher trying to think he is someone bigger and more important than he actually is.
Rex Ryan’s interview is at 1PM tomorrow on CBS.
EXACTLY SUBWAY, COWHER wasn’t coming here anyways and the comment that he was offended that WOODY wouldn’t sit down with him and that COWHER probable wasn’t going to come here anyways sound like the information came from someone who is BI-POLAR I dont even think this information has any credibility to it at all…
They are airing the interview?
I hope Woody gets CBS where ever he is. Ryan is the one guy that I think would be excited about coming to coach the Jets. He could borrow his dad’s Jets SB ring and wear it to the first day of practice.
Will people please remember these few simple facts about the Dolphins, Ravens and Falcons.
Dolphins went 11-5 with an injury prone QB anda pylethora of trick plays. They beat us and the Pats as their quality wins. They are filled with placeholders and Parcells may leave.
The Ravens were 13-3 in 2006. They had a bad year got a new QB and had a good year. They weren’t a bad team.
Falcons havent been great since 2004 (they have been near 8-8 tho), but had many pieces to be successful. They got a new stud QB and RB, an offseason without Peta at the gates and a HC who didn’t run for the hills.
Remember Mangini was 10-6 his first year who would have thought we needed to rebuild? If we get Spags our defense needs to get torn apart and rebuilt if he intends to run a 4-3. That is rebuilding. Every franchise is different, but we can only avoid rebuilding if we maintain the 3-4.
P.S. Never let Shannahan buy the groceries
Hiring a coach (Spags) because of what he did to the Pats with different players in a different system a year ago would be short sighted at best. With Parcells running the show in Miami, they are the division opponent on the rise. If Ryan is as successful containing Chad and blowing up the Wildcat as he was in their first meeting, it should make the case for his hiring.
I want Rex Ryan for HC of the Jets!
But make no mistake… Chad and the Dolphins will win on Sunday!
Chad has that special magic which he will work perfection on Sunday. When healthy with the Jets behind a decent offensive line he displayed that magic for many years with the Jets. It seems many Jet fans were oblivious to that Magic!
Remember one thing…. the Ravens have a rookie QB in Falco. The feel good stories for rookie QB’s always end in the playoffs! This is a FACT in the NFL! Miami’s defense will end Falco’s feel good story on Sunday!
Look what they did last week to Favre as a recent example!
Joe
I believe Ryan developed more players under his guidance than Spags. Spags was handed a number of very good players. Ryan got more out of his players a devised a scheme that suited them well, not saying that Spags didnt, but Ryan has a proven track record.
Some of you guys want Cowher or Shanny……….But not with total control. WHY?
What they’ve done has worked, wouldn’t some of you feel comfortable giving someone like that total control? And what is the alternative?
A bunch of clueless fans around here….
Shanahans drafts have sucked and led to him getting fired. They fired their GM last year as their scapegoat for Mike’s lousy personnel decisions. Why give him complete control? Has he won anything the Jets haven’t since he lost Elway?
Mel31602, yes, maybe we are reading into it, but what do you expect Cowher to do? If you ever interview with a company, all you have is the image they put forth. I’ve been through similar situations like Cowher faced at places I’ve interviewed, and to an outsider it’s a put off.
if woody was out of the country on business, then why didn’t they just say so? If he was visiting family or whatever, then just say that … that makes the excuse much more reasonable … to not say that and leave it as “he’s out of the country” which it sounds like they did implied that he wasn’t going to be made available to meet with Cowher face to face, nor would they in the short-term.
the thing I like about Rex Ryan is that he’ll certainly bring in his brother rob with him. That would be a scary good coaching staff
The reason people don’t want Cowher or Shanny to have full control is because it hasn’t worked in a while. The only coach with that control left in the sport is Bellicheck. Shanny has won 1 playoff game since Elway left 10 years ago and he’s been running the drafts and coaching. Cowher you forget was known as a coach who couldn’t get the big win after blowing 3 championship games at home before he got the QB who got him his super bowl.
I’m not saying it can’t work, but these guys have failed just as much as they have succeeded when it comes to having full control and when they didn’t have the big time QB, they failed miserably.
Sammy G,
If Shanahan was so successful as GM and coach answer how the following is true?
They had a collapse just as bad, maybe even worse than the Jets. Denver has not made the playoffs in 4 years. Shanny has not done anything since Elway retired. He has not drafted one decent defensive player. Shall I go on. And do not get me started with Cowher who has about the same game management skills as Herm. The Steelers have a system, Cowher was just a piece of the puzzle. Traditionally coaches who share the dual role, do not succeed in the long run, who is clueless now?
If we want to credit Tannenbaum for all his good picks (Harris, Leon, Keller, Tony R., the cap friendly contracts to Pace, Woody and Favre)…
we also have to credit him with some other, more questionable moves (the big contract to BLT which is not cap friendly, Law, Barlow, tying up Coles when he did not have to do so, keeping Shott and Sutton).
We also have to credit him with the biggest mistake in years, trading a #3 pick for Favre, tying up a 12-13 mil in salary, and letting our QB go to our most hated division rival for nothing and watching him beat us after a 1-15 record the year before.
This is likely Tannenbaum’s last chance to show something. For all our sakes, I hope he makes the right choice on a coach and that the new coach replaces our OC and DC. If not, SOJ for the next millenium.
harlan
All this turmoil points back to the biggest What If question of the entire history of the New York Jets. What if BB had gone ahead and taken the job of HC of the NYJ in 2000? How different the last 9 seasons would have been? No Al Groh means no Herm Edwards and Terry Bradway which means no Eric Mangini and probably no Brett Favre. Tannenbaum would probably still be here since he was a Parcells guy but probably in a different capacity. It is the question that will always be there.
BRING BACK LEON HESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Remember, Hess gave us Rich Kotite. The nadir of the Jets existence. Nothing compares to it.
kd bart…. At least Hess flew back to meet with Kotite!
Woody out of the country for the Cower interview!
Ouch!
Mel31602 – Your dead on!!
If Woody Johnson was unable to sit with Bill Cowher it must have been business related to his Johnson & Johnson pharmaceuticals corporation. Given that Woody is the heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune, during the business week I’m sure he has other responsibilities and meetings that require his attention.
I’m sure if he did not have something pre-scheduled he would have met with Bill Cowher. Also as much as I would have loved to see Bill Cowher sign with the Jets, I must say he is being a bit of a “Diva” by not trying to be considerate to an owners responsibilities. If he did not want to speak with Mike T all he needed to do was rescheduled the meeting for when Woody could be available. What a bitch Cowher has become!
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On a side note: I do not want Shanahan here!! Its been far too long since he made the Broncos relevant or had a strong season.
Yeah he is good for the offensive side of the ball, but our offense was fine this year. Our defense struggled in a big way, so we need a coach who can help our defense improve and become more aggressive!!
Spagnuolo or Ryan should help improve defense, with Ryan being a better fit!! (No re-design to the 3/4 = no rebuilding year).
Defense wins games!!!
See the Giants, and the jerks in New England!
Also, how long was Woody scheduled t be out of the country? I think it was only a couple of days since the Jets didn’t schedule any interviews until yesterday. Couldn’t Cowher wait?
Wait? I thought it was all Favre’s fault…
Lol
I had the same reaction as Basset when I read the article about Woody being unavailable. It sounds like Cowher legitiamtely was not planning to coach til next year unless he found the “perfect” situation. I was really upset that Woody did not make himself available to at least make an initial connection with Cowher, even if he was not going to change his vacation plans. It is the GMs job to figure out how to play a given situation – instead of a diva player, this is a diva coach. Either way, we misplayed our cards for which I fault the front office. That being said, I’m not sure we would have gotten him anyway but I would have more confidence in our FO and we would be projecting a more attractive situation to potential coaches/players.
bring Mike & Mkie In
Mike Ditka & Mike Vick
I’ve been a fan since namath days, if jets mess this up again, stick a fork in me I’m done as a jets fan
Ed,
I love the 85 Bears, however Ditka has a heart issue so I do not think he would come back as a coach. Besides he tried that a few years ago and the magic was gone.
As for Vick, even if he came back for any team to play he has a 1 year suspension upon his return and by then he would probably be only good as a 2nd stringer.
Please. Not Ditka.
Woody DOES NOT RUN A LARGE BUSINESS. Just because his name is Johnson doesnt mean he runs J&J. Bill Weldon does. He gives away money as a full time occupation.
That can be halted if something needs to be done….or someone needs to be met.
I would give Cowher control if he wanted to bring in his own people. I still think Woody should call Cowher and sit down with him by himself and convince him to be our next HC. Tanny drafts well but he pays to much for free agents. If the Cowher situation does not work, Ryan is the next logical choice!
Just to clarify things here….I never said Woody runs J&J.
The funniest thing on this thread was Kyle thinking Rex Ryan was actually being interviewed by the Jets on National TV.
If we don’t get Cowher because Woody was off in Europe, or wherever, trying too sell baby powder too the kraut’s, I WILL WANT BLOOD!!!! There is no debate, in my opinion, that Cowher is the “BEST” man for the job!!!!
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