We can add Bill Cowher's name to the litany of folks who have weighed in on the Jim Zorn situation in Washington. After the 'Skins lost to the then-winless Chiefs last Sunday, Zorn's tenure in DC was pretty much done -- except that Assistant to the Traveling Secretary Vinny Cerrato went on the radio to proclaim that Zorn's job would be safe through the end of the season.
His job description would change, however. Sure, owner Dan Snyder brought in Zorn specifically because of his ability to develop quarterbacks and put together an offensive game plan, but now, 21 games into his first head-coaching gig, Zorn would have to give up play-calling duties to Bingo Grand Master Sherm Lewis.
During Sunday's CBS pregame show, former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher was not impressed. Via Newsday's Neil Best:
To think, when the Steelers announced that Mike Tomlin -- not Russ Grimm -- would replace Bill Cowher, the biggest concern was that the former Vikings defensive coordinator who had learned the intricacies of the Cover-2 while serving as Tony Dungy's secondary coach in Tampa Bay would get rid of zone-blitz architect Dick LeBeau and scrap the 3-4 defense.
This should count for something, right? Hall of Famer and Browns legend Jim Brown likes Eric Mangini. Pretty much everybody was in agreement that Romeo Crennel had to go after a four-win season (even if it was on the heels of a 10-6 effort in 2007).
The most popular choice for the gig? Bill Cowher, naturally. He was an assistant coach in Cleveland under Marty Schottenheimer back in the 1980s, and even though he was a head coach for 15 years in Pittsburgh, he won. And for the hapless Browns, winning trumps rivalry. Except that Cowher, for the second consecutive offseason, said he wasn't interested in an NFL coaching job.
Because the NFL rules the sports landscape in North America, it shouldn't be a surprise that Bill Cowher, former head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 years, has worked his way into the storyline of the NHL's Eastern Conference final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes.
Prior to the start of the series, there was some debate as to Cowher's rooting interest for the series, seeing as how he not only coached in Pittsburgh for a decade-and-a-half, but because he was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and now currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. Prior to Tuesday's Game 4, Cowher will be sounding the Hurricanes' pre-game warning siren, and, as far as many people in the steel city are concerned, turning his back on Pittsburgh.
It wasn't even 30 seconds into Eric Staal's post game interview on VERSUS Thursday night when we received our first reference to the fact that he and his brother, Jordan Staal, were about to face off in the Eastern Conference Finals. Get used to it, because you're going to hear about it ... a lot. To get you ready for the Staal family reunion, head on over to Puck Huffers to get your set of rules for the official Staal Brothers Drinking Game.
Over/under on number of references in the series: 200
This is just one of the many random story lines you're sure to hear about as the Penguins and Hurricanes fight for a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Here are some of the others.
Everyone makes mistakes. But when those mistakes are magnified by intense scrutiny of the NFL draft, well, they become much more embarrassing than, say, my typical Friday morning, mustard-stain-on-khakis incident.
Which is why the NFL FanHouse braintrust got together to determine who is the biggest bust for each NFL team. They're not listed in terms of stupidity -- they're all stupid relative to a team's total draft performance. Meaning, of course, some teams "bust" is much different than another organization's; we did it this way to avoid just linking you to DetroitLions.com.
Instead, we're putting it in current draft order, sans trades, and allowing this list to serve as a reminder of each's team's ability to properly execute a fail. The "bust factor" was based primarily on three things: statistical production (or lack thereof), position in the draft and other available options during that year's draft.
The Green Bay Packers added some depth to their secondary on Friday, agreeing to terms with free agent safetyAnthony Smith. A former 2006 third-round pick, Smith was a tremendous disappointment with the Steelers, and was not tendered a contract offer this offseason as a restricted free agent.
He's talented, sure, but he's the football equivalent of a million-dollar arm and a 10-cent head. His claim to fame as an NFL player is his foolish guarantee of a win against New England back in 2007, when the Patriots were on their way to an undefeated regular season.
Mike Tomlin is 36, just finished his second season as an NFL head coach, and all he's done is amass a 22-10 record and bring Pittsburgh its sixth Super Bowl championship, all while blazing a trail for young potential head coaching candidates who might be short on experience but long on leadership.
And the good news keeps on coming. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Tomlin's employer, are in the process of giving him a raise, even though he's only two years into a four-year deal. In general, the organization has a rule about new contracts: they're only re-worked in their last year. Perhaps that only applies to players, or maybe Dan Rooney is willing to make an exception in this case. Whatever, I don't imagine anybody thinks it's a bad idea.
Team spokesman Dave Lockett told the AP that "There's not a whole lot to say ... Ben was fine to go. He was cleared to play. He didn't miss any [practice] time. There was no doubt he was going to play."
We can add Bill Cowher's name to the litany of folks who have weighed in on the Jim Zorn situation in Washington. After the 'Skins lost to the then-winless Chiefs last Sunday, Zorn's tenure in DC was pretty much done -- except that Assistant to the Traveling Secretary Vinny Cerrato went on the radio to proclaim that Zorn's job would be safe through the end of the season. 
This should count for something, right? Hall of Famer and Browns legend Jim Brown likes Eric Mangini. Pretty much everybody was in agreement that Romeo Crennel had to go after a four-win season (even if it was on the heels of a 10-6 effort in 2007). 
Because the NFL rules the sports landscape in North America, it shouldn't be a surprise that Bill Cowher, former head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 years, has worked his way into the storyline of the NHL's Eastern Conference final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes. 
The Green Bay Packers added some depth to their secondary on Friday, agreeing to terms with free agent safety Anthony Smith. A former 2006 third-round pick, Smith was a tremendous disappointment with the Steelers, and was not tendered a contract offer this offseason as a restricted free agent. 
Mike Tomlin is 36, just finished his second season as an NFL head coach, and all he's done is amass a 22-10 record and bring Pittsburgh its sixth Super Bowl championship, all while blazing a trail for young potential head coaching candidates who might be short on experience but long on leadership. 
Ben Roethlisberger says he played Super Bowl XLIII with broken ribs. The Steelers claim to know nothing of it. 
