Dolphins Pursuing Bill Cowher?

Added on Oct 26, 2011 by Scott in

NFL

Even though beleaguered head coach Tony Sparano’s job is said to be safe, Dolphins’ brass are still putting out feelers to locate a future replacement. One such name at the top of their wish-list is ex-Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, who left Pittsburgh after the 2006 season to become a CBS studio analyst. According to CBS Sports, Cowher has been approached to gauge his interest in moving to South Florida.

The Dolphins declined to comment on the report, but it’s a foregone conclusion that Sparano will be terminated prior to the 2012 season. Miami is 0-6. Players have repeatedly complained about poorly run practices and even admitted to being in the wrong defense on Tim Tebow’s game-tying two-point conversion run last Sunday.

Ironically, Sparano was awarded a two-year contract extension in January after rumors surfaced team owner Stephen Ross reached out to potential coaching candidates, including Cowher and then Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh. The decision to re-up Sparano was met with much skepticism after back-to-back 7-9 seasons in 2009 and 2010.

Cowher has been linked to several openings since leaving the Steelers. He has long claimed he will only return if the situation is right. What constitutes the “right situation” is a mystery, but presumably Cowher would rather not jump into a rebuilding scenario, which is probably why he didn’t fill the Carolina Panthers recent vacancy even though he owns a home in North Carolina.

Needless to say, the 2011 season has been a house of horrors for the ‘Phins. They lost starting quarterback Chad Henne to a season-ending shoulder injury and have seen a defense ranked sixth in total yards a year ago dip to 23rd. In addition, free agent running back Reggie Bush hasn’t lived up to expectations.

Miami is desperate for a win, but the upcoming schedule isn’t very accommodating. Road trips to the Giants and Chiefs will be followed by home games against Washington and Buffalo.

Source: CBSSports.com