The Clock is Ticking - Updated

Yesterday was a quiet day on Cowher Watch 2006. Adam Gold had predicted that Cowher would remove his name from consideration during his weekly presser. Well, the presser came and went with zero mention of NC State. That is a good sign for the Wolfpack, in my opinion. It could mean that he is thinking things through, and going through a serious debate about his future. Cowher is 51 years old, and is currently the longest tenured coach in the NFL with 15 years in Pittsburgh. If he wants to be the head coach at NC State one day, then he does not absolutely have to make a move this year. The risk he takes is that a Paul Johnson comes in and turns the ship around. If that happens, and the new coach is here 10 years or more, Cowher's shot at coaching his alma mater will be gone for good.

A lot of people are saying that to even think this might happen is absurd. I can certainly understand why some people would think that. For anyone with knowledge of the situation to say that, however, is what is absurd. He has a Super Bowl. He is losing support in Pittsburgh, according to their local media. He said, during the Wolfpack's last coaching search, to not forget about him in the future. He just invested $2.5mil on a home in North Raleigh. His family is living full time in Raleigh. I will not speculate on his financial situation, but the $2mil/season package that he would get should pay the bills just fine. The one final piece of the puzzle that people do not put enough value on, he loves NC State with a passion.

I do not expect to hear anything today in regards to what Cowher is thinking. It is my opinion that the longer we go without hearing a solid no, the better State's chances are of landing him. I am also of the opinion that he will not drag this out, as he wants State to get the best coach available. If any news does come out today, I will do my best to update as early as possible.

UPDATE:
I just stumbled across this tidbit on Cowher at Wikipedia.com:

One notable moment in his playing career is a special teams play when he broke the leg, and subsequently ended the playing career, of Chicago Bears kick returner (and current head coach of the Tennessee Titans) Jeff Fisher