Cowher Signs an Extension

Pittsburgh Steeler Coach Bill Cowher signed a two-year contract extension on Monday that runs through 2007 -- the second time since 2001 he has agreed to a new deal after his team missed the playoffs the preceding season.

Cowher agreed to his current contract, which runs through the 2005 season, after the Steelers rebounded from consecutive losing seasons by going 9-7 in 2000 but still missed the playoffs.

Cowher, 47, has a 115-76-1 record in 12 seasons, with only three losing seasons, and his seven division titles are the fifth-highest in NFL coaching history. His teams have reached the playoffs eight times in 12 years despite missing them four of the last six seasons.

“I can’t think of a better job,” said Cowher, a Pittsburgh native. “To me, it’s not about the market or the money, to me it’s about winning.... I never could have imagined coaching another team.”

The Steelers have played in the Super Bowl once and appeared in four AFC title games under Cowher, but the franchise has not won an NFL title since the fourth and last of their Super Bowl wins under former coach Chuck Noll during the 1979 season.

“He’s at the point where he’s made enough money, he’s raising his family, he’s been successful, and there’s only one thing left to do and we feel he can do it here, and that’s win a championship,” team President Art Rooney II said. “That’s what it comes down to: Do you believe your coach can win a championship for you?”

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Defensive tackle Darrell Russell, released two weeks ago by Tampa Bay, has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL after testing positive for drugs.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the troubled former all-pro, the second overall pick in the 1997 draft, can apply for reinstatement after eight games if he is signed by a team.

Tampa Bay signed Russell in March, hoping to give him a chance to repeat the success he had before off-field problems derailed his career. He played at Oakland under Buccaneer Coach Jon Gruden and defensive line coach Rod Marinelli.

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Receiver Antonio Bryant is keeping his job with the Dallas Cowboys, despite having thrown a sweaty jersey at Coach Bill Parcells.

Bryant met with Parcells and team owner Jerry Jones to clear the air between them before the start of training camp this weekend in Oxnard.

Jones did not say what was discussed at the meeting. He added that no punishment had been decided.

Bryant is the team’s third receiver, working behind Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn.

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Dallas Cowboy safety Darren Woodson will have surgery on his injured back today. He will sit out all of training camp and probably the start of the regular season.

Woodson, 35, visited a doctor Monday, and the decision was made to perform surgery to remove a herniated disk. He will be sidelined six to eight weeks, a period that extends past the Cowboys’ regular season opener Sept. 12 at Minnesota.

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Houston Texan safety Marcus Coleman was convicted of a misdemeanor drunk-driving charge. After deliberating nearly seven hours over two days, a jury concluded that Coleman was driving while intoxicated when he crashed his car in May. The jury will begin considering his punishment today. Coleman faces up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine.

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The Baltimore Ravens reached an agreement on a five-year contract with defensive end Dwan Edwards, assuring that their first pick of the draft will be in uniform for the first practice of training camp. Edwards, selected in the second round from Oregon State with the 51st overall pick, is expected to report to camp Thursday and begin practice with the rest of the team Friday. The Ravens also signed third-round pick Devard Darling, a wide receiver, to a three-year deal.

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The Buffalo Bills reached agreement with third-round draft choice Tim Anderson, a defensive tackle from Ohio State.

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The San Francisco 49ers’ contract talks with all-pro linebacker Julian Peterson are in a stalemate, and he is expected to hold out when training camp opens Friday.