Home Steelers 2022 Season Allen Incident Brings Out the Cowher ‘Revisionist Historians’

Allen Incident Brings Out the Cowher ‘Revisionist Historians’

by Steeldad
steelcityblitz.com

I think we can all agree that what Marcus Allen did on Sunday was stupid. For me, it ranked right up there with one of the dumber things I’ve seen a football player do and I’ve seen a lot of football. And a lot of dumb plays. I suggested that Pittsburgh Steelers’ Head Coach Mike Tomlin should have cut Allen before he got on the plane for the return trip and I stand by that. What I should have seen coming however was the plethora of Steelers’ fans who immediately suggested that “Bill Cowher would have handled it better.”

Before we get to these ‘Revisionist Historians,’ let’s recap what Allen did. The Steelers had forced the Panthers into a fourth down and forever. As the two teams ushered in their respective punt teams, Allen thought it would be a good idea to taunt a Panthers’ player and the entire Carolina huddle. Rightfully so, Allen was hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty and a first down for the Panthers came with it. The complete loss of common sense by Allen ultimately cost the Steelers three points.

I’ve been told by several people that Allen handled himself professionally in the postgame interviews and didn’t make excuses for his actions. That’s all fine and good but where was that professionalism when it actually mattered? You know? On the field!

The Revisionist Part

Most, not all, but most of Mike Tomlin’s detractors are bigger fans of former Coach Bill Cowher. They often mention that “Cowher would have never tolerated this or tolerated that.” They believe he wasn’t a “player’s coach’ like Tomlin is and therefore he ran a much tighter and more disciplined ship. Here’s a sampling of items that Bill Cowher’s ‘iron fist’ approach had to deal with.

  • Linebacker Joey Porter was involved in pregame fight in Cleveland and was ejected before it even started.
  • Hines Ward had a number of off-field issues including a DUI. He also had a number of personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties which included taunting.
  • Plaxico Burress (twice) was cited for public intoxication and having an open intoxicant in Cleveland.
  • Santonio Holmes had two instances less than a month apart in 2006. A disorderly conduct and domestic violence charge.
  • Ben Roethlisberger was speeding on his motorcycle without a helmet which resulted in a crash and major surgery to his face.

Those are but a few of the many instances under the Bill Cowher regime. Many fans who think Cowher was this ‘disciple of discipline’ are often fooled into that because of how Cowher carried himself on the field. He was very much the opposite of Tomlin and I’m not suggesting either approach is right or wrong. What I am suggesting is that just because Cowher stuck out his jaw, yelled, screamed, stared and fired spit in all directions doesn’t mean his players wouldn’t have done what Marcus Allen did.

Cowher was notorious for challenging players on the sideline or in the locker room but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have players make poor choices and do dumb stuff. Fans need to stop trying to create stories where there aren’t any. Why can’t Cowher and Tomlin both be good coaches? Why can’t they both be coaches who have had players be knuckleheads?

I’m not going to ignore the elephant in the room either. There is a segment of the fan base that likes Cowher over Tomlin simply because of skin color. Anyone denying this hasn’t paid attention or has completely blocked it out because they don’t want to admit it. Whoever these fans are that seem to think Cowher ran a perfect vessel need to get off their revisionist high horse and accept reality.

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