No Experience Necessary

Commuters throughout the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area have been treated to a unique outdoor advertising campaign. The billboards, however, weren't aimed at them as consumers but towards Bills owner, Ralph Wilson, who probably doesn't even drive his own vehicle to work.

"Buffalo Fans Want Bill Cowher -- Paid For By Bills Fans" read the giant signs. The bigger sign was that of the Buffalo Bills fans, who have apparently grown tired of watching sub-par professional football.

It's understandable for fans in Buffalo to feel this way. The home team hasn't made the playoffs since 1999. That's 10 years and it ties the Bills for the longest drought in the league with, you guessed it, the Detroit Lions.

But simply hiring Bill Cowher to coach the Bills doesn't guarantee anything for Buffalo. In fact, upon looking further into the numbers, it makes as much logic as using a wooden barrel to safely travel to bottom of those giant falls to which their city neighbors.

[At this point we could calculate the years (15) it took for Bill Cowher to win a (1) Super Bowl as the head coach in Pittsburgh and then compare how many different people (7) have held that position in Buffalo during that tenure. Or, reference the number of Super Bowls the Steelers had won (4) before hiring Cowher. And maybe even offer up how many years it took the Steelers to win another (2) after he retired. But, being from Pittsburgh, I don't wish to turn this into a Bill-bashing column and ruin any specials I still get on sauerkraut pierogies when I visit home.]

In 2009, 3 NFL teams were led by head coaches who had won a Super Bowl. 2 of them missed the playoffs (New York Giants with Tom Coughlin and Pittsburgh Steelers with Mike Tomlin) and the other (New England Patriots with Bill Belichick) was crushed in the opening round.

12 teams made the NFL playoffs this season. 9 of them were led by first-time head coaches. 2 of the 4 teams playing in the conference finals have rookie NFL head coaches (Rex Ryan and Jim Caldwell). The other 2 (Sean Peyton and Brad Childress) who are leading teams into this weekend had no previous head coaching experience before hired by their current owners.

Not all that different than the 2008 version of the NFL's Final Four. Last year, three of the teams playing in the conference finals were led by first-timers who had a combined 5 years of NFL experience (Baltimore Ravens with John Harbaugh, Arizona Cardinals with Ken Whisenhunt and Pittsburgh Steelers with Mike Tomlin).

Despite the success of these former assistants, the same famous names are dropped for each potential NFL opening. Now that Mike Shanahan has gone to Washington and Mike Holmgren is running things in Cleveland, it's Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden who carry this false prophecy automatic success in pro football. Currently, Cowher is still a studio on 'The NFL Today' and Gruden is under contract with ESPN's 'Monday Night Football' where he reminded us weekly "That's the kind of guy I'd like to coach!" following the name of every player mentioned.

Admittedly, there is a lot I don't understand when it comes to the NFL and head coaching (like, for instance, the fact that Rich Kotite once was one) but when owners chase a legend from yesteryear instead of pursuing a talented, hungry newbie, it shows I must no little when it comes to finance as well. With a salary cap free season seemingly imminent in 2010, it would seem fiscally sound to not overspend for experience when so many are having coaching success while on their rookie contracts.

Or, maybe that's exactly what's happening in the National Football League. Before the 2009 season, there were 11 coaching changes and 9 were hired with no previous experience. But so far, going into 2010, that is not the case. The Washington Redskins (Mike Shanahan), Seattle Seahawks (Pete Carroll) and Buffalo Bills (Chan Gailey) have all made recycled choices for their head coaching hires.