FanHouse Mike Tomlin

Casey Hampton is heading into the final year of his contract, but Steelers coach Mike Tomlin isn't exactly taking it easy on the Steelers nose tackle.

Last year, Hampton showed up too fat for training camp (well fatter than normal), so Tomlin sat him out of practices until he melted away some of the extra pounds. He ended up playing his normal key role as the anchor of the Steelers' defensive line, but that hasn't earned him a pass from Tomlin. When asked if Hampton is in better shape this year, Tomlin could have easily said something like: "I'm sure he will be because Casey's a professional," or something like that to send a message while also going out of his way to not needle the big man.

Instead, he made it clear that he's not going to coddle Casey.

There's a scene in an old Simpsons episode (the exact episode escapes me) where Otto the bus driver is attending a concert, sitting amongst a sea of spectators who are all standing up, screaming, and enjoying themselves. Otto, annoyed by his line of vision being obstructed by his fellow concert-goers, screamed for everyone else to "sit down, sit down, you're ruining it for the rest of us."

A similar scene played out high atop section E-16 of Mellon Arena on Tuesday night, nearly leading to a fight between two women as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings frantically played the final six minutes of the third period of Game 3.

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.

After five sometimes-tumultuous years in Cleveland, the Browns traded Kellen Winslow to the Buccaneers this offseason. It was an opportunity for the tight end to get a fresh start, a new beginning, a rebirth ... any cliche works here, really. Except that, on Tuesday, Winslow missed the start of organized team activities (OTAs) with his new club.

In general, it's hardly a big deal; OTAs aren't mandatory and while it's good for team-building and whatnot, veterans don't get much out of the experience. At least those not learning a new system. That wasn't the case for Winslow, and it might explain why former Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp took exception to Winslow's decision to skip out on voluntary workouts:

Despite what MIchael Vick told a judge in bankruptcy court last week, there's no way he plays another "10 to 12 years" in the NFL. In fact, there's a chance he never plays again if commissioner Roger Goodell chooses not to reinstate him.

That decision won't come till summer, but if Vick, who is nearing the end of a 23-month prison sentence in connection with dog-fighting, is allowed to return to the league, he'll almost certainly have suitors. And the Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald thinks that, under the right circumstances, he could be a good fit for the Raiders.

On Monday, the NFL announced its preseason schedule for 2009, and the most intriguing game -- as intriguing as preseason games can be -- might be between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals on Thursday, Aug. 13.

One of the unintended consequences of releasing Terrell Owens is that now there's no one around to take the focus off Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips. (On the upside, the offense is now "Romo-friendly," so there's that.) In previous seasons, Phillips' shortcomings were partly overshadowed by anything T.O. might do, no matter how seemingly benign.

Now, though, when we aren't talking about Tony Romo, the conversation falls squarely on the guy responsible for benching Doug Flutie for Rob Johnson. I have a vague notion of how this is going to end.

At the annual NFL meetings earlier this week, Phillips offered this thoughts on how long it takes to evaluate a head coach. (Presumably, his response is autobiographical, though he could've been speaking in generalities.)

It's been hard to find anyone in the NFL who would comment publicly on whether Michael Vick should be reinstated, but Mike Tomlin isn't shy.

When asked about the former Falcons quarterback-turned-federal prisoner, Tomlin said he thinks any team with a quarterback need should be interested in adding No. 7, even if he's sure to generate protests wherever he goes.

Things that make you go "hmmmm." I've been tossing this idea around ever since watching the Super Bowl and considering what a great job both Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Tomlin have done with their short tenures in Arizona and Pittsburgh, respectively; would it make sense to add coaches to the fantasy football roster?

Before you start thinking of all the reasons that this does not make sense, hear me out, because there certainly exist a lot of those -- the most obvious being that it's pretty impossible to measure a coach's individual contribution. That said, a lot of coaches have discernible habits and bad lineups that can, in theory, lead to some level of predictability in their outcomes. Thus, the more I think about this, I'd like to see coaches in the fantasy lineup. They have to be at least as predictable as the kicker, which has to be the silliest element in fantasy sports, that we try to predict outcomes from on a weekly basis.

So, enough prepping, let's look at some of the stats that I think could be included in the coaches' fantasy stats and you tell me if it makes sense. I'm already sold ...