Cowher expected to retire today
By: Wire Services - | ∞
The Pittsburgh Steelers will hold a news conference today, at which coach Bill Cowher is expected to announce his retirement, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on its Web site.
Cowher, the Steelers' coach for 15 seasons and one of the NFL's best-known figures, met with team owner Dan Rooney and president Art Rooney II on Tuesday and asked for a few days to weigh his future plans.
Cowher called Dan Rooney from his new home in Raleigh, N.C., on Thursday afternoon to say he had made up his mind. The two sides did not discuss any contract terms, a sign Cowher will resign with one season left on his contract. Cowher has talked of wanting to spend more time with his family, especially now that they are living out of state. Cowher's two oldest daughters are at Princeton and the youngest has only 2 1/2 years of high school remaining, time Cowher doesn't want to spend away from her.
Two strong candidates to replace Cowher ---- offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and offensive line coach Russ Grimm ---- already are in place and are interviewing with other teams. The team would interview at least one minority candidate, possibly more, and talk with several candidates outside the organization.
The Steelers are coming off a disappointing 8-8 season after winning the Super Bowl a year ago.
Cowher is the NFL's longest-tenured coach with his current team; Tennessee's Jeff Fisher, with 13 seasons, is second. Cowher is third among active coaches in regular-season victories with a 149-90-1 record and fourth overall with a 161-99-1 record counting postseason games.
Shell out?
Art Shell's second stint as coach of the Raiders will end after just one season, the franchise's worst in more than four decades, ESPN reported.
Shell met with owner Al Davis to discuss the future of the team following a 2-14 season that was the worst for Oakland since 1962.
Shell planned to tell his coaching staff at a meeting today that he would no longer be coach, ESPN reported on its Web site. The report said it was unclear whether Shell was fired or resigned.
The Raiders declined to confirm the story and attempts to reach Shell were unsuccessful. Yahoo.com, citing two sources it did not name, said the meeting with Davis was believed to be about negotiating a settlement for the final year of the coach's contract.
Et cetera
Browns: Terry Robiskie, the wide receivers coach who served as Cleveland's interim head coach for the final five games in 2004, will not be retained next season, a person with knowledge of the decision said. Robiskie's expected departure is the first of what is likely to be an extensive overhaul on coach Romeo Crennel's offensive staff.
COLTS: Tony Dungy insists he is not taking another coaching job. For the third time in three days, Dungy denied interest in any coaching position other than the one he currently holds with the Indianapolis Colts. A report out of Minneapolis linked Dungy with the job at the University of Minnesota, where he was a star quarterback in the 1970s. There have also been rumors regarding Dungy's interest in the Atlanta Falcons' opening, where general manager Rich McKay is conducting the search. McKay and Dungy worked together at Tampa Bay. "That's not credible, since I have a contract here," Dungy said. "This will be the last place I'll be coaching."
LEAGUE: For the fourth consecutive year, the NFL set a regular-season attendance record in 2006, averaging more than 67,000 fans per game.
JETS: QB Chad Pennington overcame a second torn rotator cuff in as many years ---- and incredible odds ---- to win The Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.
CHIEFS: QB Trent Green went through a full practice and said he would be ready for Saturday's playoff game at Indianapolis. ... DE Jared Allen will spend 48 hours in jail after a municipal judge revoked an earlier agreement and found Allen guilty of driving under the influence. Allen, who was charged with a DUI in May, was initially given a deal to have the charge dismissed if he completed a program. But on Sept. 26, he was charged with a second offense in nearby Leawood. Prosecutors moved to negate the agreement, and on Wednesday the judge agreed, finding Allen guilty and sentencing him to jail time. He must report to the Johnson County Jail on Feb. 16, Court Administrator Robin Barnard said.
COLTS: Former Pro Bowl S Bob Sanders was held out of practice as a precaution, but coach Tony Dungy still expects him to play Saturday against Kansas City.
SEAHAWKS: Coach Mike Holmgren classified the majority of his injured players as game-time decisions for the Cowboys game, including WRs Darrell Jackson, Nate Burleson and D.J. Hackett, and OL Chris Gray and Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack.
CARDINALS: Mike Sherman, the former Green Bay coach, interviewed for the Arizona head coaching job. He was the second candidate to be interviewed. Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera was interviewed Wednesday in Chicago. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt is scheduled to be in Tempe today. On Saturday, Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will be interviewed in San Diego, followed by a meeting with Colts quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell in Indianapolis on Sunday. The final two interviews are scheduled in Tempe next week ---- with Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow on Monday and Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm on Tuesday.
LIONS: G Ross Verba has been arrested on a felony warrant for writing bad checks in Nevada. A state trooper made the arrest Tuesday after pulling over a vehicle on Interstate 94 near Foster for speeding. The trooper discovered that Verba had a felony arrest warrant from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the bad check unit of the Clark County, Nev., district attorney's office.
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