Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden: Who Would You Want Coaching Your NFL Team?

Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden?

You're an NFL owner, and you've become, let's say, disenchanted with your current head coach.

There are two names out there being bantered about on a weekly basis, two coaches with Super Bowl victories on their resumes.

Both have name recognition, but after that there's a world of difference between these two men.

First let's consider Cowher.

He walked away from the Pittsburgh Steelers to spend time with his family. He had one heck of a run in his 15 seasons in Pittsburgh including eight, yes EIGHT division titles and 10, yes 10 trips to the playoffs. His record was a healthy 149-90-1.

Cowher was a standout linebacker at N.C. State and played in the NFL for Cleveland.

He's known as a players' coach. He's fiery and has great sideline presence. He got his championship ring in Super Bowl XL.

Defense is Cowher's trademark, which has been Pittsburgh's mantra for a long time.

It would be hard to find a more accomplished, more respected coach than Cowher.

Now let's consider Gruden.

He went 40-28 as Oakland's head coach and got on the bad side of Al Davis, who ended up "trading" him to Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers gave up their first-round picks in 2002 and 2003 and their second-round picks in 2002 and 2004 along with $8 million in cash.

That's the price the Glazers paid to win Super Bowl XXXVII, which was Gruden's defining moment in Tampa.

Gruden's great break in that Super Bowl was the fact that Oakland did not change its offensive playbook. They used Gruden's offense, and the Tampa defense knew exactly what was coming; former Buc safety John Lynch said exactly that after his team's win.

During his tenure in Tampa, Gruden feuded with many of the veteran players, including a major rift with wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson. Before long, the whispers among the veterans was that Gruden simply could not tell the truth to his players.

Things eventually got ugly in Tampa, and Gruden was fired by the Glazers. He was 57-55 with the Bucs, hardly anything to brag about, although Tampa Bay won three NFC South titles. Gruden's overall record with the Bucs and Raiders was 95-81 and nowhere near Cowher's mark.

The problem with Gruden in Tampa was that he and "hand selected" GM Bruce Allen did an awful job with the draft and free agency. Gruden was also less than spectacular at developing young talent.

Which now brings us back to the choices:

Cowher or Gruden?

If your team has a decent offense and you're a good defense away from playoff noise, then Cowher's your man, no doubt about it.

If your team has a decent defense and you're some offensive plays away from the playoffs, then Gruden might get some consideration.

But know this: Gruden would need to coach a team with an established quarterback, which was another problem in Tampa.  Former Buccaneer quarterback Jeff Garcia once said, "Jon Gruden likes to date quarterbacks but he won't marry one."

Indeed, Gruden once carried four quarterbacks on the Tampa Bay roster.

So there you have them—The Chin or Chucky.

You make the call.