This makes me wonder....
ASSUMING you have at least a halfway decent coach and give him 10 years, will you experience some sustained success? Hell, Marvin Lewis took the Bengals to multiple playoffs, but never won.
IMO Cowher was just OK. He was good, but not some sort of all-time great. Lindy Ruff was the same thing in hockey. Great motivator, fan favorite, but mediocre head coach. But the Sabres did have some success under him.
Tomlin is a better coach, especially for today's players. Coaches used to get multiple losing seasons before they got fired. Now it's win in 2-3 years or you're gone.
There is a LOT to be said for having a system, drafting players for that system, and having some consistency in approach, methods, messaging.
I'd like to see McDermott be here for 10+ years. He's proven to be a great strategic coach, he can motivate players, and beyond that it comes down to talent IMO.