Remembering Cowher's Preseason Debut

With Mike Tomlin's head coaching debut now just hours away it's worth looking back to see how Bill Cowher fared in his first preseason game. The final result wasn't positive, with the Steelers losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 35-33 at Three Rivers Stadium. If I remember correctly, the game came down to the final play (a missed field goal, perhaps) and ended in controversy. As the players left the field Rod Woodson began arguing with the referee; then Cowher intervened and continued what would become the first of many post-game "discussions" with the officials.

Interestingly, Cowher's second preseason game came against tonight's opponent, the New Orleans Saints—the result a 26-0 loss. But his club rebounded to win its last two preseason games—against the Chicago Bears and New York Giants—and finished the preseason 2-2.