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He's a risk taker and very innovative. That's what all the great coaches now-a-days do. Look at Bill Belichick*sp?*. He creates such exotic plays on the defensive side and he takes risks, such as going for it on 4th and 2 early in the game. You have to break the mold as a coach, and Cowher trusts the players he puts on the field to do what he asks.

FWIW (probably not much), since JoePa was also brought up...

I remember calling for his head many times in past several years, even back in 1999 when PSU lost three sraight at the end of the season; Minnesota by last second FG, scUM @ home, then to Mich. State. With the talent they had, Arrington, Brown, etc, there was absolutely no way that defense should ever have let that happen. They ended up destroying A&M then in their bowl game: big woop.

I've read a zillion things trying to explain the past four years. Here's my theory.

I honestly think that JoePa was trying to groom JayPa for the HC job, something he absoutely was not suited for. Jay was given charge of recruiting, which resulted in some serious deficiencies at skill positions, and he was given greater control over the offense, to the dismay of Fran Gantner, who was the architect of arguably one of the greatest Big Ten offensive machines in history, the PSU 94 squad. It came to such a boiling point with Franny that he was caught live on camera by EPSN yelling into his headset "Not that f'ing play again!!", in reference to a QB draw called by Jay. Franny resigns as Assistant Head Coach to take a job in the football administration (also in part due to the unexpected death of his wife).

JoePa became further detached after the death of his brother George (he even admitted this in an interview). JoePa then brought in Galen Hall to right the ship, but still used a very crazy play calling scheme where basically Jay trumped all.

Yet another horrible season, yet during this Joe has revamped the recruiting strategy to take more of a roll, and finally recognizes the utility of Larry Johnson Sr. and his connections in MD. Jay is given responsibilities for recruiting in Ohio (for which to this day he has completely blown.)

The Administration (Spanier, the AD) go to Joe's house at the end of the 2004 season and ask him to resign. JoePa says "F off" (or might as well have) suggesting that if he "keeps his staff together" all will be fine.

2005, Galen Hall is given full charge of the offense. Jay is in the booth with Galen, but it's quite clear who runs the ship. I honestly believe Galen Hall is primarily responsible for the offense, along with LJ Sr, who probably said to Joe something like: "If we go after his kids in MD (Williams, etc) we gotta play them as freshmen."

11-1, BCS win, Top 10 recruiting class, and a likely stadium expansion that takes the Beav to 120,000.

Say what you will about the Old Man. Perhaps he didn't "adapt" soon enough. Better late than never I guess.

Fire away Moldy ;-)

Cowher will make the hall for sure. And now the man controlls his own destiny he can coach the steelers till he dies kinda like joe pa if he wants to I dont think he will ever get fired no matter how bad of a job he does or how bad a team he has, he is the most powerful man in pittsburgh now

dont be suprised if the steelers dont win a couple more, with cowher and roethlisberger together they both know how to win together they are a deadly combo