August 23, 2006, 1:09 pm

Never shy about much, Pittsburgh Steelers fans at Tuesday's training camp practice at St. Vincent College let coach Bill Cowher know how they feel about reports he might leave.

As Cowher wrapped up an impromptu post-practice press briefing below, fans jammed a shaded portion of the hillside surrounding the team's practice fields and pleaded for autographs.

"Mr. Cowher, pleeease," one young fan in a Polamalu jersey shouted. "Pleeease Bill."

After signing for several minutes, Cowher jogged up the hill leading to the team's dorms and encountered another group of fans who chanted, "10 more years! 10 more years!"

Cowher, the NFL's longest tenured coach with one team, is under contract through the 2007 season, but reports he might be considering retirement, or moving to another team, have been persistent since he and his wife purchased a luxury home in North Carolina last spring.

-- John Dudley