February 2, 2016
Peter Solari Follow @4PeteSakeNY
Bill Cowher has been linked to the New York Giants coaching job since leaving the same post with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the 2006 season. His former player, Jerome Bettis, teased Giants fans everywhere in 2010, when he called the Giants, "The team that he (Cowher) really coveted. This is where he always wanted to be...and I think he's holding out for that opportunity."
Cowher never got that opportunity. The Giants' job wouldn't become available for almost a decade after he last coached. However, when it finally did open up after last season, Cowher's name was barely mentioned.
The general consensus surrounding Cowher was that his coaching career was over. Having been away for so long, and excelling at his job as a studio analyst at CBS, most thought Cowher had no interest in returning to the sidelines. But according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, that's not exactly true.
Appearing at a press conference for CBS' coverage of Super Bowl 50, Cowher said, "I've never shut a door. I don't think you need to shut a door you don't need to. I'm very happy at CBS. I love what I'm doing. I still feel involved in the game."
Cowher also said that the Giants' front office never reached out to him regarding their head coaching vacancy.
None of this matters now, as Ben McAdoo has been hired by the Giants to take the reins, but it seems strange that the team wouldn't even reach out to Cowher to gauge his interest. He is far more qualified than any of the candidates they interviewed, and even if the Giants were seeking a long-term solution, Cowher is only 58. Tom Coughlin was 69 when he walked away last month, so it's entirely possible that the Giants could have hired Cowher, and still would've had their coach for the next decade. Certainly there would have been no harm in making a phone call, and at least talking to him.
Again, none of this matters now. The Giants have hired a coach and they're moving on. This development is worth mentioning, however, because it's another example of the Giants' front office coming up short, a scenario that's being played out far too often these days.
