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Ed Bouchette's Daily Question
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Question: Since coaches only have to wait one year after they retire to be eligible for the Hall of Fame, if Bill Cowher does step aside after this year, do you expect him to garner serious consideration or will voters shy away based on their belief he will probably resurface a year or two from now?
Jerry Colatrella, Freehold, NJ
BOUCHETTE: He would have a hard time because he's only 49 and voters absolutely would feel he would return to coaching. I'm one of the selectors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and I believe the rules should be the same for coaches as they are players -- they should have to wait five years after their retirement before they can be considered. You can feel better about a coach not returning if he hasn't coached in five years -- although Dick Vermeil waited longer. It's why Bill Parcells wasn't elected after he "retired" from the New York Jets. He made it to the finals, and some people tried to convince us that Parcells would never return to coaching. The reason we don't want to vote a coach in the Hall of Fame if we believe he'll return is he might stink up the joint in his next venture. Say we voted Parcells into the Hall of Fame, then he came back to coach the Cowboys and they went 3-45 in three seasons. If Cowher were to retire after this season, he would be eligible for the 2008 Hall of Fame class.
First Published December 17, 2006 12:00 am
