PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers fired offensive
coordinator Kevin Gilbride on Wednesday because coach Bill Cowher
wasn't happy with the progress in the passing game.
|  | | Kevin Gilbride drew heat in Pittsburgh for not developing the Steelers' passing game. |
Gilbride, the former San Diego Chargers coach, was hired before
the 1999 season to help turn around slumping quarterback Kordell
Stewart.
Stewart, however, wound up being benched last season, then
struggled with his passing early this season before finally winning
back the starting job at midseason.
Gilbride and Stewart clearly did not have a close working
relationship, though Stewart never complained publicly about the
complicated passing system Gilbride installed last year.
"I just wasn't comfortable with the direction we were heading
in the passing game," Cowher said. "We were 29th in the league in
passing when he got here and we were 29th in the league this
season."
Cowher said there is no timetable for replacing Gilbride with
what will be the Steelers' fourth offensive coordinator in five
seasons. Chan Gailey left after the 1997 season and was replaced by
Ray Sherman, who lasted only the 1998 season.
Gilbride, who had success as the Houston Oilers offensive
coordinator, came to the Steelers a year after he was forced out in
San Diego after going 6-16 in less than two full seasons as the
Chargers coach.
Cowher, who coached the Steelers to a 9-7 season this year after
two successive losing seasons, did not rule out making any other
coaching staff changes, though he said he had not definitively made
up his mind.
Offensive line coach Kent Stephenson retired Monday after nine
seasons, leaving running backs coach Dick Hoak as the only original
remaining member of Cowher's first staff in 1992.
"Certainly there were a number of factors for this decision,"
Cowher said. "I wasn't comfortable with what we were doing in the
passing game. We've given it two years to see some progress and I
wasn't comfortable with where that was going.
"We ran the ball before Kevin got here. We ran it when Kevin
was here and we'll run it after Kevin leaves, but we need to
develop a passing game."
Cowher also wasn't happy with the lack of progress by the
Steelers last two first-round draft choices, wide receivers Plaxico
Burress and Troy Edwards.
Both were on the bench at season's end, and the two didn't
combine for a single touchdown catch this season.
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