The Steelers want to be disrespected.  They want to be doubted.  They want to be dilatory.  (Sorry, we couldn't think of another word starting with "d" that would fit the theme.)

The point is that the Steelers have been fueled by those who picked against them.  Never mind the fact that many league observers thought that the Steelers would beat the Bengals two weeks ago in the wild card round (we initially did, and then we didn't).  The big one came a week ago, when no one without pierogie guts clogging their arteries thought the Steelers had a chance to enter the RCA Dome and kick the SHT out of the Colts.

What's that, you say?  It was a close game?  Bull.  It was 21-10 when Taz made the pick that wasn't a pick that really was a pick.  We'll project the real final score, given the NFL's admission of Pete Morelli's faux poo, to be 24-10.

This week, the Steelers face another quality foe on the road.  And, unfortunately for the team that wants to play with a chip on its shoulder, Pittsburgh's performance against Indy has made some folks believe that the Steelers will win in Denver.

We don't think it'll happen.  (Cough, cough.)

We think that Jake Plummer will come up big again, as he always has, in high-pressure, high-stakes games, with lots of yards, a few touchdowns, and no mistakes.  (Eye bulge.)

We think that the defensive line made up of former turds from a team named for the color thereof will play like the Fearsome Foursome, the Purple People Eaters, Doomsday, and the Steel Curtain all slapped into one big pile of run-stuffing, quarterback-chasing goo.  (Facial twitch.)

We think that Jerome Bettis will fumble a few more times in Denver, just as he did at the goal line last week.  (Sneeze/fart combo.)

We don't think that the Steelers will be able to figure out how to neutralize the blitz-happy schemes of Denver defensive coordinator Larry Coyer.  After all, the Steelers under coach Bill Cowher really don't have a history of using creative and complex blitz packages, so how could Cowher be in a position to figure out how to move the ball under such circumstances?  (We can't think of any more bodily functions that connote sarcasm.)

We don't think that the Steelers will put together a blitz package of their own that will allow them to confuse Plummer and disrupt his hot reads.

We don't think that Troy Polamalu will have much of an impact.

Yeah, we don't think it's going to be a good day for the Steelers.  We think they shouldn't have even shown up.  We think they'll ultimately wish they hadn't.

For all these reasons, Broncos win, 41-10.

Yeah, that's our pick.  Broncos, 41-10.  Not Steelers, 24-13.  But Broncos, 41-10.

PHONY RAMS RUMOR FLOATED ON SAUNDERS?

Earlier this week, we reported on rumors making the rounds that former Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders said that he was holding an offer to become the next head coach of the Raiders in order to squeeze a contract worth more than $2 million out of Dan Snyder to become the Redskins' offensive coordinator.

Our old friend Howard Balzer, who covers the St. Louis Rams, tells us that there was a published report that the Rams planned to interview Saunders for their head coaching vacancy.  The report, per Balzer, was "totally bogus."  The Rams already had three finalists when the story broke, and there was never an intention to interview Saunders.

So what gives?  It looks to us like another effort by Saunders and/or his agent, Bob Lamonte, to create buzz and/or leverage.  Given that Saunders will make more than $2 million a year over three years in D.C., the ploy (if there was one) apparently worked.

FREE BEER ON SPORTS REPORTERS SET?

We'll admit that we watch, when we can, ESPN's The Sports Reporters.  It really doesn't add much to the national discourse of matters of sport, but it's mildly entertaining, even when Mike Lupica is talking.

We can't remember ever mentioning the show in this here space before, but we're compelled to do so after seeing a bizarre editing job in the early minutes of the January 22 show.  It was, frankly, the kind of thing that would have looked goofy even on local cable access.

The opening shot was of John Saunders flanked by Mitch Albom, Lupica, and some guy we didn't recognize.  The guy turned out to be Michael Kay of the YES network and ESPN 1050.  He gave his opening sentence or two, and then the ball passed to Lupica.

After Lupica was done, it passed to Albom.  But Albom's face, in mid-sentence, was replaced by an image of Jason Whitlock, who even Ray Charles wouldn't have mistaken for Albom.  Whitlock's voice eventually was heard, as he was in the middle of his show-starting salvo. 

Second later, the shot reverted to, from left to right, Albom, Kay, Saunders, Lupica.  And then it abruptly faded into a shot, from left to right, of Whitlock, Albom, Saunders, Lupica.

But the weirdness wasn't over.  Next, Lupica screwed up a line, apologized for it, and then the shot promptly cut to Lupica talking about something else.

What the hell gives here?  ESPN is a major network now, not the 1980 version that showed tiddly winks and backyard trout fishing.

The only explanation we can come up with is alcohol. 

SUNDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

The Packers have promoted defensive line coach Bob Sanders to defensive coordinator (makes sense to us, given how strong his unit performed last year).

From the "Hey Peyton, the Window of Opportunity Has Officially Closed on Your Squared-Off Noggin" file, Mike Chappell of The Indianapolis Star thinks that the Colts won't re-sign RB Edgerrin James.

New Rams coach Scott Linehan is talking like he wants to get Marshall Faulk's autograph.

Tony Grossi of The Cleveland Plain Dealer says that the Browns might have named offensive line coach Jeff Davidson the team's "assistant head coach" in order to keep him from leaving to become an offensive coordinator elsewhere -- but the reality is that, as long as Davidson is under contract as an assistant coach of any kind, the Browns don't have to grant permission for him to interview for anything other than a head coaching job.

The Falcons plan to interview Rams offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild for the position of quarterbacks coach in Atlanta (hey, Steve, be sure to bring your dunce cap if you get the job).

Pats director of college scouting Tom Dimitroff will interview for the non-G.M. player personnel position in Minnesota.

Not-so-thinly-veiled NFL Network homers Rod Woodson and Terrell Davis will be permitted, without further undermining their own "journalistic" integrity, to wave their Terrible Towel and do the Mile High salute, respectively, at AFC title game.

Colts president Bill Polian promises to address a long-term deal for DE Dwight Freeney "soon."

Giants G.M. Ernie Accorsi campaigned for defensive coordinator Tim Lewis get a head coaching job -- yeah, because the Soup Nazi wants to replace Lewis with Dom Capers.

The fact that we were 1-3 picking games in the divisional round hasn't deterred us from giving the conference championship games a whirl.

First up, the NFC.

The easy answer to the question of whether the Seahawks will reduce the list of franchises that have never been to the Super Bowl from seven to six is "no freakin' way," since we picked the Panthers to make it to the championship round way back in September.  (We also picked the Raiders but, well, a little thing called "reality" got in the way.)

Then there's the analysis we used a week ago to figure out that the Panthers would beat the Bears.  We looked at what the Panthers had done to the Giants in a wild card game at the Meadowlands, and we concluded that there's no way the Bears could do the same thing.  We picked the Panthers by seven, and they won by eight.

Applying that same patented formula to the NFC title game, there's no way that the 'Hawks could beat the Bears in Chicago, and Seattle needed all it could muster to beat the Giants during the regular season.  Advantage, Caroleena.

Delving beyond the obvious and the superficial, we believe that the Seahawks managed to capitalize on a subpar schedule in 2005.  They went 1-2 during the regular season against playoff teams, and a whopping eight of their wins came against teams like the 49ers, Cardinals, Rams, and Texans. 

Sure, the 'Hawks held serve against this six-pack of coffee cakes, but it's hardly the kind of thing that translates into a sure victory against a team like the Panthers.

Of course, Carolina was a mere 2-2 during the regular season against playoffs teams, and the Panthers otherwise fattened up on its fair share of Pop Tarts.

But the Panthers have stepped it up when it matters most, with three straight convincing road wins to cap the regular season and kick off the playoffs. 

They also have the experience in big games, given their Super Bowl appearance two seasons ago.  They earned that berth by winning on the road in the conference championship game, at Philadelphia.

Though, like every team, the roster has changed somewhat in the past two years, the Panthers still have much of the nucleus that carried them to Super Bowl XXXVIII:  Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith, Julius Peppers, Dan Morgan, Mike Rucker, Mike Minter, etc.  And they've upgraded with guys like Chris Gamble, Ken Lucas, Mike Wahle, and Thomas Davis.

They also have the best player in the league right now in Smith, who is having one the most fascinating playoffs runs for a pass-catcher in NFL history, especially since he's less than 70 inches tall. 

Smith is unstoppable, and no matter how the Seahawks try to cover him they won't be able to shut him down.  So whether it's by air, ground, or return, he'll get his touches, and he'll make things happen.

We're not dissuaded by the fact that Carolina's top two tailbacks are out for the year with injury.  Current starter Nick Goings has been effective in relief over the years, and he'll move the chains if the Panthers get the ball to him when the Seahawks are otherwise obsessed with stopping Smith.

When Seattle has the ball, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will be distributing it to three guys who are dinged up -- receivers Bobby Engram and Darrell Jackson and running back Shaun Alexander, who was erratic in last Saturday's win over the Redskins before he got loopified by linebacker LaVar Arrington.  Some think that Alexander could go AWOL with a Super Bowl appearance on the line, and we doubt that quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will be able to beat the Panthers defense through the air.

Bottom line -- Carolina wins convincingly, 27-10. 

Still to come, we'll try to figure out what will go down at the new Mile High in the early game.  For now, the only thing we're relatively sure about is that Steelers linebacker Joey Porter won't be shot in the ass during his current visit to Denver.  Beyond that, who the hell knows?

FINS WANTS FORMER BILLS COACH

The Miami Dolphins could end up far better off as a result of offensive coordinator Scott Linehan's departure to accept the head coaching job in St. Louis.  The Fins have offered Linehan's former position to former Bills coach Mike Mularkey, who resigned under odd circumstances nine days ago.

Mularkey, if he accepts, brings to the table the benefit of two years of knowledge of the Buffalo roster, and two years' experience game planning twice a year against the Jets, Pats -- and Dolphins.

Apart from Mularkey's credentials as an offensive coordinator with the Steelers, which got him his shot in Buffalo, Mularkey was regarded as a solid coach in his first season with the Bills.  The wheels fell off, however, in 2005.  Though it appeared that Mularkey would get one more year to turn it around, he quit a week after Marv Levy returned to the franchise as the new G.M., replacing Tom Donahoe.

And if Mularkey lands in South Florida, he likely won't make much less than he was earning with the Bills.  Mularkey was paid $1 million in Buffalo, and Linehan got $800,000 last year from the Fins.

KING CARL SAYS NO PROMISES MADE TO SAUNDERS

Chiefs G.M. Carl Peterson denies that he promised former offensive coordinator Al Saunders that he'd be named the successor to Dick Vermeil when Saunders passed on an opportunity to take over the Nebraska Cornhuskers two years ago.

"I'm telling you he wasn't,” said Peterson, according to The Kansas City Sate.  "Dick Vermeil will verify that.  Al Saunders should verify that.  I couldn't do that for a number of reasons. No. 1, I owe it to the Hunt family to find . . . the best prospect for being the next football coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.  The second part of that is that there's no way I could promise him that because we have a very important diversity policy in the National Football League.  I adhere to that, I support it."

Actually, Peterson could have promised the job to Saunders upon Vermeil's departure without violating the Rooney Rule.  It's the only exception to the requirement that a minority candidate be interviewed for each coaching job.

Regardless, Vermeil backed up his former boss's claim that no promises were made to Saunders.

"He told him he would be a leading candidate," Vermeil said.  "He told him he would be the first to interview or the leading interview or whatever those terms were.  I was sitting right there.  There were no promises made.  Carl never said that."

Peterson said that Her Edwards was his first choice, and that Saunders would have received strong consideration for the job, along with former Giants coach Jim Fassel, if Edwards had not been available or interested.

COYER PULLS A LAZARUS

One of the forgotten facts in the Broncos' stellar season is that defensive coordinator Larry Coyer was in serious danger of getting fired in September.

After a Week One loss to the Dolphins, there were grumblings from the locker room regarding Coyer's predictable schemes.  We even learned that the Fins knew what the Denver "D" planned to do on most if not all plays based on film study. 

It was so bad, so we heard, that Coach Teflon (who'll likely become Coach Kevlar if he wins another Super Bowl) had a list of replacements ready to go.  Coyer saves his cujones when the defense woke up in the second half of Week Two and avoided an 0-2 start by helping the team beat the Chargers.

Since then, Coyer and the Broncos have exploded on a defensive unit that is an unpredictable now as it was predictable in the season-opening loss at Miami.

It's a stunning turnaround about which no one is talking, given that Coach Teflon angrily denied reports that Coyer had been on thin ice, calling yours truly a "complete idiot" (Tef must have been talking to Mrs. Florio).

'DINGER DISPUTE LIKELY NOT ABOUT THE MONEY

Gary Myers of The New York Daily News suggests that the current brouhaha between the Jets and offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger might be about the money.  If Heimerdinger had been fired, the Jets would be on the hook for the difference between 'Dinger's $1 million salary in 2006 and $1.2 million salary in 2007 and the money he'd earn coaching elsewhere.  If he quits, he gets nothing.

But think this through, Gary.  Heimerdinger has made it clear that he wants to quit.  The issue isn't whether he leaves with a fatter wallet, but whether the Jets will release him from his legal obligations.  If anything, the Jets might be able to squeeze the 'Dinger's donger in order to get back some of his 2005 salary in exchange for a waiver of the team's contract rights.

Many believe that Heimerdinger wants out so that he can become the next offensive coordinator of the Broncos, after Gary Kubiak takes the head coaching job with the Texans.  'Dinger claimed earlier this week that the Denver gig isn't open, officially making him the only person getting paid to work for an NFL team not to acknowledge that Kubiak-to-Houston is a done deal.

But, hey, given the way the Jets voluntarily removed their scalps and handed them over to the Chiefs when the time came for Herm Edwards to be carried away to K.C., our guess is that if 'Dinger plays his cards right, he might be able to finagle a premature release of his contract and a little extra walkin' around money.

BUCS SAY NO TO BARRY

With Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli heading to Detroit to become the head coach of the Lions, Tampa has denied a request to permit linebackers coach Joe Barry to become Marinelli's defensive coordinator.

Though Tampa's stance as to Barry, who has one year left on his contract, isn't unusual for the Bucs, the difference here is that Barry is Marinelli's son-in-law.

We're not suggesting that the folks in Tampa should have coughed up their contractual rights, but we think that the team's hard-headed approach to such matters could, at some point, make it harder to land assistant coaches.  Really, if a guy has another option, why would he go to a team that under no circumstances would permit him to attempt to improve his standing in the coaching industry?

And if the Bucs are going to tell a guy that he can't join his father-in-law, couldn't the Bucs at least have enough class to, you know, tell him about it directly?  In this case, Barry found out about the team's stance from a reporter.

As a result, the Buccaneers now have a guy under contract for a year who will have less of an incentive to go above and beyond the call of duty.  "I was hoping they'd see it as a unique situation. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and now it's all for naught," Barry said.

Allow us to step away from the growing throng of folks who already have declared the hiring of former Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli to be a "home run" in Motown and utter a phrase to which military types like Marinelli surely can relate.

"Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it."

We say this because Marinelli reminds several league insiders of the last Sgt. York-type who decided to apply principles of the battle field to an NFL practice field. 

Les Steckel.  Minnesota Vikings.  1984.

Steckel was the hand-picked successor to Hall of Famer Bud Grant.  A Vietnam veteran, Steckel was a disciplinarian who installed an obstacle course at training camp.

The team responded with a 3-13 season, despite having essentially the same players who went 8-8 under Grant in 1983, and 7-9 in 1985 after Grant returned for a season in an effort to reverse the damage that Steckel had inflicted on the franchise.

Though Marinelli, also a Vietnam vet, likely won't turn minicamp into boot camp, the Lions can count on something far more demanding than the training camps they've seen in years past.

"I believe in pad practices," Marinelli said Thursday.

As one league insider said on Friday, "Sure, they'll be disciplined.  They'll be the most disciplined 3-13 team in NFL history."  

As we see it, if pro football players didn't respond well to the jarhead thing 22 years ago, they won't respond to it any better now.

The only difference today is that, thanks to free agency, the Lions can try to reshape the roster with players who are more likely to buy in to Marinelli's style.  But it's not something that can happen overnight.  Or in a year.  Or two.

The problem is that there are plenty of turds in the Lions locker room -- and most of them aren't in the latrines.  Charles Rogers won't last.  Plenty of others will want out of town.

And what does all of this mean for quarterback Joey Harrington?  We won't ask.  And we don't expect the Lions to tell.

As to the praise heaped on the Lions by some members of the media for hiring Marinelli, why haven't these same people been mentioning Marinelli as a potential head coaching candidate at any point in the past five, six, seven years?  The guy wasn't an unknown.  And surely some other team took an initial look-see at Marinelli after another Tampa defensive position coach, Herm Edwards, performed relatively well as the head coach of the Jets following his arrival in 2001.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN, in an article regarding the Marinelli hire, quotes folks like Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, former Bucs coach Tony Dungy, and former Bucs G.M. Rich McKay, all of whom rave about Marinelli.

"Some guys are born to be assistants and some are born to be coordinators, but when I look at Rod Marinelli I see a guy who was born to be a head coach," Kiffin said. "He is a natural leader.  I'm surprised nobody realized it until now."

"I felt the same way about Herman [Edwards]," said Dungy. "Herman wasn't a coordinator . . . he was a leader of men.  Rod is a leader, he's a coach's coach, he's one of the best communicators I've ever been around, he's a motivator and he is a great teacher."

Added McKay:  "Rod really is a special guy and he's a special coach.  A lot of people have taken credit for the turnaround of the Bucs' franchise going back 10 years or so; one of the primary factors to that turnaround was Rod Marinelli."

Mortensen reports that McKay didn't interview Marinelli when McKay's current team, the Falcons, was hiring a head coach in 2004 because part of McKay's wink-nod deal with the Bucs was that, if the team allowed him to leave for a lateral move, McKay wouldn't try to raid the team's coaching staff.

Still, if Kiffin, Dungy, and McKay feel so strongly about Marinelli, why hasn't word previously gotten out on the guy?  The Bucs won the Super Bowl in January 2003 -- a day before the Lions fired Marty Mornhinweg.  But Marinelli's name wasn't mentioned in connection with the ensuing Lions vacancy, or any other job that has opened up after the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

In fact, we're told that the Raiders, who recently interviewed Marinelli for their head coaching vacancy, were actually interested in hiring Marinelli to be the team's next defensive coordinator, but that the Raiders knew the Bucs would deny any requests to interview Marinelli for defensive coordinator positions through January 31, the date on which his contract with Tampa would have expired.

Tampa's refusal to permit its position coaches to accept promotions to coordinator jobs in other cities is one of the reasons that Marinelli's profile never grew.  The Bucs are notorious for holding back their assistants, and we have no doubt that the team would have prevented him from interviewing with the Raiders, who ransacked the Bucs for cash and draft picks when Jon Gruden was hired. 

And perhaps some of the same competitive malice that prompts the Bucs to block efforts by assistant coaches to improve their standing also kept guys like Kiffin, Dungy, and McKay from creating positive buzz about Marinelli as head coaching material.  If, after all, Marinelli becomes the next Lombardi, then there will be one more successful franchise out there for Kiffin's Bucs and Dungy's Colts and McKay's Falcons to lose to.

Still, word has a way of getting around in the NFL, and the fact that Marinelli emerged out of nowhere while in plain sight makes us wonder whether Kiffin, Dungy, and McKay were merely being charitable in their recent assessments of him.  Perhaps Marinelli is one of those hoorah nut jobs who brings a lot to the table in a supporting role, but who needs to be restrained from time to time by a superior officer who appreciates the bigger picture. 

Left to his own devices and with no one to dress him down, it's possible that Marinelli will become the first drill sargeant since Les Steckel to march a franchise, in perfect formation, right into an ambush.

Word around the league is that there was little or no communication between Chiefs G.M. Carl Peterson and former coach Dick Vermeil as the 2005 season wound to a conclusion, due directly to tensions regarding his status.

There was plenty of talk that, if Vermeil hadn't jumped into retirement, he would have been pushed by Peterson, who had a loaf of Pemmican in his pocket for Jets coach Herm Edwards.  And that talk, regardless of whether it was on the money (our guess is that it was) apparently made things very dicey between Dick and King Carl.

We've also heard that the members of Vermeil's staff who weren't retained by the team that they weren't able to get into Arrowhead Stadium and get their personal effects because the locks had been changed.

The final four is on tap with the NFL conference championship games this weekend. Don’t fumble, and be sure you fall on the winning side! Pick2Pick.com’s top-rated 3-Star NFL consensus picks have hit over 70% this season, and are 4-1 during the playoffs. Pick2Pick offers complete transparency with their Handicapper Rankings. Get your free picks here!

TEAMS WANT ONE ALL-STAR GAME

There's a movement by some teams to pare the postseason college all-star games down to one -- the Senior Bowl.  Apart from the travel demands and associated expenses, some league insiders believe that the other games simply aren't very useful.

As one league source put it, the contests other than the Senior Bowl "have become sh-t in terms of player caliber" and are a "waste of f--king time."

The source also said that the talent level at this year's East-West Shrine Game is "a joke."

SAUNDERS SQUEEZED 'SKINS WITH PHONY OFFER?

Word around the league is that new Redskins offensive coordinator Al Saunders squeezed some extra coin out of Dan Snyder's deep pockets this week by telling the 'Skins that he was sitting on an offer to become the next coach of the Oakland Raiders.

The only problem is that, you know, the Raiders never actually made him an offer to become their next head coach.

On one hand, it's good negotiating tactics.  On the other hand, it's pretty a shaky foundation on which to launch Saunders' career in D.C.

A league source tells us that, contrary to rampant rumors in Chicago, receiver Terrell Owens did not have dinner recently with Bears G.M. Jerry Angelo.

We've received multiple inquiries from Chicago readers who heard local media reports of a Wednesday night dinner between the two.  We've looked into the matter, and we're told that there's nothing to it.

Although Owens remains property of the Eagles, contact between Owens and Angelo would not constitute tampering since the Eagles have granted Owens and agent Drew Rosenhaus permission to seek a trade.

No trade is expected, however, since Owens' current contract calls for $7.5 million in bonus payments within days after the trading period opens.

VIKES TO TRADE CULPEPPER?

Charley Walters of The St. Paul Pioneer Press, whose gossip-driven columns make our rumor mill look like Gospel truth, believes that the Vikings will trade quarterback Daunte Culpepper to the highest bidder in early March.

Walters technically isn't reporting that the trade will happen, but his item likewise doesn't speak in speculative terms.  

Walters thinks that Oakland and Baltimore will be in the running, and that Miami and Arizona also could join the parade.  (With Scott Linehan in St. Louis and the suddenly brittle Marc Bulger working under a relatively modest quarterback contract, we think the Rams are a possibility, too.)

Though we agree that something could happen with Culpepper, we disagree with Walters' suggestion that a first-round pick and a player would change hands.  Culpepper is rehabbing from three torn knee ligaments, and his confidence similarly was shredded through six regular season games in which his play seriously regressed.  At best, the Vikes would get a second-day pick in 2006 and a conditional first-day pick in 2007 that could go as high as a first-rounder based on his performance this season.

We've been troubled by the manner in which vacant jobs have been filled this year, primarily at the coaching level.

Brad Childress, Mike McCarthy, Sean Payton, Eric Mangini, Scott Linehan, Rod Marinelli, Gary Kubiak.

None has been a head coach before.  Some (and you know who you are) weren't worthy of a promotion. 

So what gives?

We initially thought it was about the money.  But the more we ponder this, and the more we talk to league insiders about it, we're beginning to realize that it's about something else.

Control.

Whether it's the G.M. or the V.P. of player personnel or the owner's personal crotch washer, folks who already have jobs in these cities want to keep them.  More importantly, they want to preserve their power and influence.

The best way to do that is to avoid introducing into the organization new employees who might be too strong, too dynamic, too good.  Because once a person like that shows up, there's a chance that the guy who writes the checks will emerge from his trance and realize that there might be one or more frauds on the payroll.

We first touched on this concept a week ago, when Packers G.M. Ted Thompson rewarded McCarthy for six years of relative mediocrity as an offensive coordinator by making him the head coach.  In nearly other city, however, there's an argument to be made that the coaching hire was driven not by notions of winning as many games as possible, but by protecting the territory of the other key employees who already work for the team.

Hiring the Tuna's biatch, Sean Payton a/k/a Frankie Muniz, gives Saints G.M. Mickey Loomis a contented lapdog who'll never say or do anything to expose Loomis as a bean counter with no football pedigree.

In St. Louis, the front office recently closed the book on an ugly experience with Mike Martz, who dared to question and challenge guys in the front office who might have been trying to undermine him.  How does the front office avoid that development in the future?  By hiring the guy who seems least likely to pull a Martz moving forward.

With the Jets, assistant G.M. Mike Tannenbaum apparently championed Eric Mangini because another guy might have tried, over time, to neuter Tannenbaum and his boss, Terry Bradway.  Indeed, former coach Herm Edwards made a power grab when he arrived in 2001, initially by refusing to use many of the players that the front office were signing as the season got going.

In Detroit, industry sources previously have told us that former coach Steve Mariucci cooked his goose by making a power play a year or so ago.  So the decision to marry Rod Marinelli, a defensive line coach who'd never even been a bridesmaid, might have been driven by an assessment that he won't ever try to squat and spray on turf otherwise owned by Matt Millen and Tom Lewand.

The only exception to this trend in 2006 could be in Houston, since owner Bob McNair had the foresight to bring in someone who wasn't already entrenched (Dan Reeves) to help hire the best guy for the team -- not the best guy to do the job while at the same time respecting the authority of G.M. Charley Casserly.

The strangest example of this dynamic might be in Minnesota, where another first-time guy quickly got the gig in what one industry sources calls an "inside job."  The Vikes also made an early run at Eagles exec Tom Heckert for G.M., but when Heckert decided to stay put the Vikings abruptly decided against using a G.M. model and are instead looking for a "personnel director."

Why?  Some league insiders think that V.P. Rob Brzezinski has forged a solid relationship with owner Zygi Wilf, and that Brzezinski gently has engineered the staffing process to ensure that his voice will be heard even after a new front office exec is added.  If that exec isn't a G.M., Brzezinski has greater overall say.

We're not saying that Brzezinski or any of these other guys around the league aren't good at what they do.  But we believe that, in most if not all of these hires, the folks advising the owners are perhaps paying too much attention to their own power and not enough attention to the overall objective of any football team -- to win as many games as possible.

Jets head coach Eric Mangini wants to keep offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger.

The only problem is that Heimerdinger doesn't want to stay.

"I'm not upset because this may be a rebuilding situation," he said, according to The Newark Star-Ledger. "I'm upset because I came to work for Herman Edwards and I'm having to stay and work for someone not named Herman Edwards.

"Also, I'm upset because I interviewed for the [head] job and obviously I was third in the pecking order [behind Mangini and Mike Tice].  So, I wasn't good enough for the job and I still have to stay.  I'm not happy with the situation."

(Editor's note:  Boo freaking hoo.)

Also chiming in on the matter is agent Bob LaMonte, who might now become even more loud and obnoxious after getting fired by Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis, who likely thought LaMonte wasn't loud and obnoxious enough.  "My client is grossly unhappy," LaMonte said. "He feels he should have gotten the [head] job.  I just hope we're able to work toward an amicable conclusion."

Here's your amicable conclusion, Bob.  Your client signed a contract.  When you negotiated it, you didn't include a clause permitting him to leave if Herm Edwards is no longer the head coach and if your client isn't named Herm's successor.  So tell your client to be a man and honor his obligations.

As for the Jets, we hope that the organization shows a little strength this time and requires Heimerdinger to stay put.  There's no difference, as we've said before, between coaches who want to break their contracts and players who want to break their contracts.  So if T.O. gets vilified for trying to force his way out of Philly, guys like Herm and Heimer should get some of that treatment, too.

On Thursday, The St. Paul Pioneer Press quoted agent Mason Ashe regarding his desire to promptly commence negotiations aimed at finagling even more money for quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who otherwise has committed contractually to the Vikings through 2013.

"I am poised and ready to begin the scheduled restructuring of his long-term contract with the Vikings, as we discussed last summer with Mr. Wilf, so Daunte can assume the position on the NFL pay scale that he so deserves," Ashe said.

Now, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Culpepper was "livid" with Ashe regarding his comments, and that Culpepper might fire him.

As a result, Ashe has backpedaled faster than Deion Sanders after stumbling into the theater during a Brokeback Mountain love scene.

"I have never forewarned a team about negotiating with me at some point or another, in my 15 years in the business," Ashe said Thursday, according to The Pioneer Press.  "That is not what I said nor my style of representation." 

The Star Tribune also reports that Culpepper recently tried to get negotiations started on his own by sending a letter to several members of the organization, requesting a meeting.  When Culpepper arrived, V.P. Rob Brzezinski was the only team official present, and Brzezinski politely told him that there will be no further negotiations at this time.

This one, then, officially is a full-blown clusterfudge.  Kudos to the Vikes for refusing to put more money on the table.  We hope that the team will continue to take a hard line if Culpepper continues to think that a pathetic performance in 2005 and a horrific knee injury from which he may or may not fully recover merits more money.

Faced with the possibility of hiring a head coach without interviewing any minority candidates, the Bills interviewed Chargers receivers coach James Lofton on Thursday.  The move puts the team in compliance with the Rooney Rule, which requires at least one minority candidate to be interviewed on a face-to-face basis for each head coaching vacancy.

Our friends at WGR 550 in Buffalo report that former Texans coach Dom Capers will interview on Friday.  Leo Roth of The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle has confirmed that Capers is a candidate, and that he will interview on Friday.

And contrary to rumors that the Bills conducted a phone interview with former Buffalo defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell, we're told that there has been no contact between the Bills and Cottrell.

On Wednesday, rumors were flying that Dick Jauron was the favorite for the job.  Other candidates are Mike Sherman and Bobby April.

Chiefs running back Larry Johnson says that new coach Herm Edwards has told Johnson that he'll be the No. 1 tailback entering training camp in 2006.

Priest Holmes has been the starter, but a neck injury forced him to sit out for much of the 2005 season. 

Frankly, we have a feeling that Edwards' statement to Johnson was also intended to be a message to Holmes, who reportedly planned to retire if former Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil didn't.  Herm is loyal to Dick; thus, to the extent that bad blood was brewing behind the scenes between Vermeil and Holmes, Priest shouldn't expect to be absolved by the new coach.

Besides, Johnson is an emerging star.  At 32 and with a growing history of injuries, Holmes is fast becoming yesterday's news.  If he doesn't retire in 2006, our guess is that he'll get one year of Marshall Faulk duty, and that he'll then be dumped in 2007.   

New Jets coach Eric Mangini fired defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson on Mangini's 35th birthday and third day on the job.  Mangini also retained offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, and has made no decision on whether to keep special teams coordinator Mike Westoff.

Henderson was considered to be a rising star before the 2005 season.  Entering only his second year as the Jets defensive coordinator, Henderson was on the preseason short list of head coaching candidates.  As the team fell apart, so did Henderson's prospects. 

Though the decision to keep Heimerdinger was a surprise in some circles, it makes perfect sense to us.  Mangini is a defensive coach.  He needs an offensive coordinator.  If he dumps Heimerdinger, Mangini will be required to find someone else. 

Besides, having Heimerdinger on hand promotes continuity -- and it  increases the possibility that Chad Pennington will be the starting quarterback in 2006, since he won't have to learn yet another new offense as he continues to recover from serious shoulder problems.

THURSDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

Fins coach Nick Saban is saying all the right things about the departure of a guy who, as the rumor mill goes, he wanted to fire during the 2005 season.

The NFL officially has granted special eligibility to 48 underclassmen (which means that any prior statements regarding underclassmen constituted a blatant violations of the rules).

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis sure seems to acknowledging that something happened with Chad Johnson in the locker room at halftime of the playoff loss to the Steelers:  "He has to learn to hold his emotions in check because at that point in the game we needed him to be better than he was in the first half, and not to be the same guy, and to be better."

All but one of the guys on the injury report for the Steelers-Broncos game are listed as probable.

Many of Dick Vermeil's assistants will be on the Chiefs' staff in 2006.

It's one and done for Chris Farley's dad in San Diego.

["I need a 'For Sale' sign for my . . . van down by the river."]

Peter Guinta is the new defensive back coach with the Giants.

Redskins.com reports that all assistants have been retained for 2006 including offensive coordinator Don Breaux; the Redskins official site also acknowledges the hiring of Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders, but no specific title for him is identified.

From Moronweg to Moronucci to . . . Moronelli?

At a time when some NFL teams are reaching to hire guys with little or no experience drawing up the X's and the O's, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder continues to take full advantage of the absence of a salary cap for coaching staffs by bringing in a seasoned offensive coordinator who arguably has the chops to run the show somewhere else.

Per ESPN.com, the 'Skins have scalped former Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders with a three-year contract worth more than $2 million annually.

Combined with Joe Gibbs' $5 million per year and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' $2.6 million annual salary, Snyder is now paying nearly $10 million per year to the top three members of his coaching staff.

Snyder's willingness to pay big money for coaching talent is even more significant in light of the fact that other franchises seem to be going on the cheap with the hiring of guys like Mike McCarthy and Sean Payton and Scott Linehan as head coaches.  

And although there's a chance that each of those guys will be successful, it won't be because of anything currently on their resumes.

In our view, Snyder's addition of Saunders is further evidence of the owner's evolving understanding of the game of football -- and the proper roles of a team's employees.  Several league and industry insiders have noted to us over the past several week that Snyder apparently has stepped away from the football side of the business in the past year or so, entrusting it to the folks with football pedigrees.

And it really shouldn't be a surprise.  Snyder has owned the team for seven years.  In that period of time he has learned from his mistakes, and he has matured.  The guy didn't get so rich in the first place by being stupid, and our guess is that once he recognized that the football business isn't as easy as it looks he realized that it was in the team's best interests for him to trust the experts to do their jobs.

Hey, some owners never figure that one out.  In Snyder's case, we have a feeling that his willingness to spend big and to step back could translate to into a special season in what otherwise will be a wide open NFC field in 2006.

Need more evidence of how crazy this year's round of coaching hires has become?  Look no farther than the fact that 66 percent of last year's new class of head coaches already have begun to sprout so-called "coaching trees."

For years (and we think it all started with Bill Walsh), NFL observers loosely have determined the relative success and stature of head coaches by the number of his assistants who become head coaches.  

And many of the branches of the Walsh tree have gone on to create trees of their own.

Usually, it takes a head coach a few years of significant performance before his assistants begin to get sniffs at one of the 31 other top jobs in the profession.  But not this year.  The 49ers hired Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Nolan in 2005.  Nolan hired Mike McCarthy to be his offensive coordinator.  And the Packers hired McCarthy to be their head coach a week ago.

Ditto for Saban, who came back to the NFL in 2005 after a successful run of college jobs.  Saban hired Scott Linehan to be his offensive coordinator, and Linehan will now be the next head coach of the Rams.

McCarthy's coaching lineage ultimately traces back to Walsh, since Nolan is a member of the Brian Billick tree, which is an offshoot of the Denny Green tree, which is an offshoot of the Bill Walsh tree.

Ditto for Linehan, sort of, since he made his name running the offense for Mike Tice, who rose through the ranks under Green.  Saban, of course, is a member of the Bill Belichick tree, which is an offshoot of the Bill Parcells tree.

In McCarthy's case, he spent more of his time coordinating offenses with Jim Haslett's Saints, who is a member of the Bill Cowher coaching tree, which is an offshoot of the Marty Schottenheimer coaching tree.

The end result is that it's shocking -- and likely unprecedented -- for two brand new head coaches to spawn two more head coaches after only one year together.  

STORM CLOUDS GATHER IN MINNY

A few days back, we suggested that the relationship between the Vikings and quarterback Daunte Culpepper soon could be coming to an end.  In our assessment, the process is already beginning to unfold.  

In our opinion, the Vikings would be wise to accelerate it.

Sean Jensen of The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that agent Mason Ashe plans to reopen talks aimed at finagling more money for Culpepper, who currently is rehabilitating a torn ligament trifecta (and, presumably, a shattered ego).

"I am poised and ready to begin the scheduled restructuring of his long-term contract with the Vikings, as we discussed last summer with [owner Zygi] Wilf, so Daunte can assume the position on the NFL pay scale that he so deserves," Ashe said on Wednesday.

Excuse me?  Mason, are you f--king insane?  You hijacked the Vikings for more money last year because you had your guy sign a deal running through 2013 that didn't properly anticipate his MVP-caliber performance in 2004, and now after your guy played like refried baby crap in 2005 before having his knee exploded you want more money?

For new head coach Brad Childress, who was smack dab in the middle of the T.O. mess last year, it looks like deja turd all over again.

And if Childress learned anything a year ago, it's that cancers like this must be dealt with swiftly and decisively.  Culpepper is due a $6 million roster bonus in March.  

So cut him.  Cut him now.  

Don't even try to trade him.  Just dump him.  So what if you're giving him what he wants?  But getting rid of him, you'll also be getting what you need.

Peace.  Harmony.  Focus.  

Then Brad Johnson can be the starter for 2006, and the team can develop its next quarterback as Johnson squeezes the last bits of toothpaste out of the tube. 

It's bold, but it's a no brainer.  C'mon Zig, Rob, Brad.  Show the entire NFL that team is more important than individual.  Who cares if Culpepper wins a ring with someone else?  The simple truth is that, as long as he stays in Minnesota, no one is gonna get one.

When the Broncos' season ends, offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak will become the new head coach of the Houston Texans.  It's pretty much an accepted fact in league circles -- and for good reason.

We continue to hear that Texans officials privately are indicating the Kubiak will get the job, and that Texans officials are getting increasingly bold and blatant in their statements, given that everyone pretty much knows what's going on.

Of course, this means that the Texans have told Kubiak that they want him, and that Kubiak has said he's interested.  Indeed, we've heard that Kubiak already has lined up much if not all of his staff.

Technically, it's a violation of tampering rules for the Texans to do anything more than interview Kubiak.  But the Broncos aren't likely to reward Kubiak for more than a decade of loyal service by throwing a wrench into his well-deserved move to the next level.

BILLS LIKELY TO INTERVIEW LOFTON

In response to our story regarding the possibility that the Bills are flirting with a blatant violation of the Rooney Rule by focusing on Dick Jauron before interviewing a minority candidate, an industry source tells us that the Bills likely will interview Chargers receivers coach James Lofton for the vacancy.

Lofton is a Hall of Fame wideout who played for four seasons with the Bills, appearing in three Super Bowls.  He also played for the Packers, Raiders, Eagles, and Rams.

Lofton recently interviewed for the head coaching vacancy in Oakland.

A league source tells us that former Bills defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell was interviewed by phone.  Although Cowboys owner Jerry Jones interviewed Denny Green by telephone three years ago at a time when everyone knew that the job was going to Bill Parcells, the league thereafter said that, moving forward, phone interviews are not sufficient.

We're also told that the Bills still plan to interview Jim Haslett at some point before making a decision.  As we reported earlier on Wednesday, there are strengthening rumors in league circles that Dick Jauron will get the job.

Lions President/CEO Matt Millen, who is 0-2 in the hiring of head coaches, needed to knock the third pitch out of the park.

There were rumors of a desire to pursue Bill Parcells.  There were rumors that Marty Schottenheimer might be available.  "A" list college coaches like Kirk Ferentz and Bob Stoops were mentioned.

In the end, Millen apparently will go with Rod Marinelli, a long-time defensive assistant who hasn't served as a defensive coordinator in years.

It's hardly the kind of a move that will inspire the locals to dream of a Lombardi, especially as Motown prepares to play host to the game that gives one out. 

Soon, all of the big names in coaching will be descending on Detroit for the Super Bowl.  Far bigger names than Marinelli or Mariucci or Mornhinweg will be there.

And folks will notice.  Sure, there weren't an abundance of great head coaches available this time around.  But Marinelli?  Over Jim Haslett? 

To make things look even worse, the Lions supposedly selected Marinelli and Haslett for second interviews with the Ford family, and then hired Marinelli without even bringing Haslett back in. 

Now we're starting to figure out how the Edsel got put into mass production.

In our view, the pressure and the outrage and the confusion will continue to build in Detroit throughout the offseason until, at the first sign of trouble once the real games start in 2006, the "Fire Millen" crowd will get louder, and larger.  

As rumors intensify that the Buffalo Bills will hire Dick Jauron to be the team's next head coach, there's a minor problem.

No minority candidates have been interviewed.

To date, the only candidates identified are career special teams coach Bobby April, Jauron, and former Packers coach Mike Sherman.  Former Bills Pro Bowl linebacker Jim Haslett, an early favorite, hasn't formally been contacted to interview.   

If word continues to spread that Ivy Leaguer Marv Levy will give the job to Ivy Leaguer Jauron, no minority candidates will agree to sit for the gig.

Of course, there's always Art Shell, the league's in-house "candidate" who has helped other teams comply with the requirement that at least one minority candidate be interviewed for every head coaching vacancy.

Shell might be the Bills' only hope.  Three years ago, Denny Green and Sherm Lewis declined to interview for the vacancy in Detroit at a time when everyone knew that Steve Mariucci was in line for the job.

Lions CEO Matt Millen ultimately was slapped with a $200,000 fine for the infraction.  The league has promised that future violations will be dealt will even more harshly.

In the Bills' case, the franchise already has violated the spirit of the Rooney Rule in connection with the hiring of G.M. Marv Levy.  The league strongly encourages the inclusion of minority candidates for key positions such as General Manager and club president, but Levy was the only guy considered.

And if the Bills can't muster a minority candidate, the blame falls directly on Levy's shoulders.  Since it's normally the G.M.'s job to hire the coach, it's also the G.M.'s job to line up the interviews.  And it's also the G.M.'s job to ensure compliance with the Rooney Rule.

But since Levy has been out of the game for more than a few years and since the vast majority of his experience is in coaching, it's understandable that he'll make a mistake or two -- especially since, you know, he was still in his orientation period when the last coach quit.

Still, the whole thing makes us wonder whether the organization really is in good hands with the owner as the team president and a neophyte as G.M.  In a division with an elite team (the Pats), a rising star (the Fins), and a nowhere-to-go-but-down franchise captained by a Belichick disciple (the Jets), the folks in Western New York could be in for a few more years of pain and suffering.

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that vandals tossed a rock through a window at NFL referee Pete Morelli's house on Monday night, one day after he made one of the worst calls in NFL history.

Police have no suspect and no motive and can say with no degree of certainty that the incident was related to Morelli's decision to overturn based on video reply an interception by Steelers safety Troy Polamalu that would have prompted a chorus of The Party's Over from Don Meredith.

But anyone with an ounce of common sense can figure out that there was/is a connection.  Morelli, after all, is a high school principal in Stockton, California.  So he's not exactly an anonymous member of the community.

And Steeler fans are everywhere, as proven by their presence in droves at most if not all road games.

The incident is all the more reason for the NFL to fine Joey Porter for throwing jet fuel on an already raging brush fire after he said following the game that Morelli made the call because the refs want to see the Colts in the Super Bowl.  Even though the league possibly feared that a fine might lend credence to such goofy theories, the sad truth is that plenty of people genuinely believe that, from time to time, the fix is in when it comes to NFL games.

So when players make statements to validate these conspiracy theories, it shouldn't be shocking to anyone when a random fan or two takes action.

And when players who make such statements aren't slapped across the money clip, it shouldn't be shocking to anyone when the next player rants to the press that the zebras are taking sides.

One of our regular sources tells us that talk is intensifying in league circles of the Bills hiring Lions interim head coach Dick Jauron.

In recent days, published reports have narrowed the field of candidates to Jauron and former Packers coach Mike Sherman.

Jauron previously coached the Bears, leading them to a 13-3 record in 2001.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello tells us that Steelers linebacker Joey Porter will not be fined for comments critical of the officiating in Sunday's playoff victory over the Colts.

Earlier on Wednesday, Bob Glauber of Newsday reported that an NFL source had told him there will be no fine.  The Beaver County Times also reported that Porter was told by Coach Bill Cowher that no fine will be issued.

On Sunday, Porter accused the officials of trying to cheat the Steelers out of a win.

In a development that should put in perspective the pending tug-o-war between the NFL and the NFL Players Association regarding an extension to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Canadian Football League and its players union agreed on Tuesday night to a new salary cap.

If approved by the rank-and-file, the nine CFL franchises will be permitted to spend up to (drum roll, please) $3.8 million per season on rosters that will increase from 40 to 42 players.

Currently, the salary cap is $2.6 million.  But it is believed that none of the teams were staying under the limit -- and apparently there's no effective mechanism for forcing them to do so.

In the NFL, the salary cap will exceed $90 million per team in 2006, and it constantly is rising.

While we ordinarily don't pay much attention to the CFL (unless, you know, one of the NFL turds like Lawrence Phillips or, in the not-too-distant future, Marcus Vick is exiled there), the sheer magnitude of the difference between the money available for CFL and NFL players should get the attention of both the NFL and the NFLPA.

As we understand it, the NFL owners have gone a long way towards resolving their differences regarding the issue currently unshared revenues, which was one of the primary impediments to extending the CBA.  (In this regard, it's difficult if not impossible to get solid information, since no one from the NFL side is talking under fear of a public caning of the groin.)  The impediment, then, to getting a deal done is the gulf between the management and union positions as to the percentages of the gross revenues that will fund player salaries.

Folks, it's time to work this thing out.  We're not laying blame here.  We're just asking you to look down the road at the potential consequences of an uncapped year in 2007, and more importantly of a work stoppage (by strike or lockout) in 2008.  At a time when the NFL has emerged as the top professional sport, it's important to remember how it got there.

Though the gap between baseball and football was closing during the early 1990s, it took a devastating baseball strike in 1994 to propel the NFL into the generally accepted position as America's favorite pastime.

Look at what a long strike has done to the NHL.  It will be years before hockey gets back to a solid No. 4 behind the NFL, the MLB, and the NBA.  Even after a string of new Gretzkys and Lemiuexs, pro hockey might never again be what it once was.

So let's set aside the egos and the agendas and the greed.  Everyone is very well paid.  It will continue under a new CBA.  It won't continue, especially for the players, if there's a work stoppage.

It's hard enough for some of these guys to make ends meet even with their current six-to-seven-figure salaries.  Imagine what'll happen if the game checks suddenly stop coming.

We wonder whether the players are thinking that far ahead.  Young men usually don't.  But with the stakes as high as they can possibly be, it's time for the players to make themselves heard -- because they'll be the ones who suffer the most if things ultimately aren't resolved.

There's a report that Steelers linebacker Joey Porter won't be fined for claiming that the officials working the Colts-Steelers game were engaged in a conspiracy to deliver Indy to Detroit.

But, in all candor, we're skeptical in light of the source.

The guy making the report is Bob Glauber of Newsday, who said on ESPN2's Cold Pizza that an NFL source told him there won't be a fine.  In November, Glauber claimed to have inside knowledge regarding a mixed-bag outcome to the Terrell Owens arbitration -- hours before the arbitrator delivered a backboard-shattering slam dunk for the Eagles.

In this case, however, Glauber might have some corroboration.  According to The Beaver County Times, Steelers coach Bill Cowher has told Porter that he won't be fined. 

On Tuesday, Dolphins coach Nick Saban left the door open as to whether he would have an interest in receiver Terrell Owens, who is available now via trade and most likely will be available on the open market by on or before March 1.

Many of Saban's current players, however, are hoping that the head coach eventually slams the door shut.

"I think we're interested in anybody who would make our team better," Saban told Dan Patrick on ESPN Radio.  "Guys who have been proven playmakers in this league are all people we would be interested in."

We're told that some of the veterans aren't happy with Saban's comments, and that they don't want Owens on the team, under any circumstances.

Tight end Randy McMichael recently has spoken out regarding his own desire that T.O. not join the team.  Curiously, both players are represented by agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Whether other players join McMichael in making public their desire that Owens not be signed remains to be seen.  Regardless, there's plenty of them that feel the same way.

Browns owner Randy Lerner candidly has admitted responsibility for the in-house rift between former club president John Collins and G.M. Phil Savage.

"I should have been on top of it. Clearly, that's on me," Lerner told The Cleveland Plain Dealer.  "Was I clumsy? Yes."

Lerner also concedes that it was a mistake to have Savage and coach Romeo Crennel report directly to Collins, who was (in Lerner's words) "a non-football guy."

Lerner says that he'll perform Collins' duties for now, and that Lerner has no immediate plans to install a new club president.

"We don't need more [job] titles," Lerner said. "We need more championships." 

We suddenly like this guy.  A lot.

A league source tells us that USC quarterback Matt Leinart has selected agent Leigh Steinberg to represent him.

Steinberg's work will be limited to Leinart's football contract only.  We're told that, in order to land the deal, Steinberg had to agree to cap his fee at 1.5 percent -- and possibly less.  NFLPA rules currently cap agent fees at three percent of value of the contract.

We're also told that an agent wannabe named Chuck Price will appear on the representation agreement, and that Steinberg has agreed to mentor Price as part of the arrangement. 

WARREN REITERATES HIS "KILL THE HEAD" THING

When defensive tackle Gerard Warren was a member of the Cleveland Browns in 2004, he got himself in a little hot water before a contest with the Steelers due to his comments regarding then-rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Warren said he would "go across the head" of Big Ben, explaining that if you "[k]ill the head [then] the body's dead."

Warren was warned by the NFL that he would face a big fine if he followed through on his statements, and Warren behaved.

This week, however, he reiterated that his "kill the head" thing "will always be my motto."  And Warren claims that he wasn't really promising to whack Big Ben upside the brain basket.

So either Warren has a bad memory, or he's lying.  Or a little bit of both.

RANDLE EL POISED TO GET PAID

One of the players benefiting the most from the Steelers' run of playoff success could receiver Antwaan Randle El.  In March, Randle El becomes an unrestricted free agent.

His stats haven't been stellar.  He had three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown against the Colts.  He had two receptions for 15 yards a week before against the Bengals.

But he's in an offense premised on the run, and he's playing second fiddle to receiver Hines Ward.  So his raw numbers won't be huge.

His impact, at times, is.  He's versatile, returning punts in addition to performing his duties on offense.    And his experience as a quarterback gives the offensive coordinator more options in the playbook, as evidenced by Randle El's perfect execution of a sweep to the right and a cross-field lateral to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who then fired a touchdown pass to Cedrick Wilson against Cincy.

For the regular season, Randle El had 35 catches for 558 yards and one score.  He also had 12 carries for 73 yards, was 3-for-3 passing with a perfect rating of 158.3, averaged 10.2 yards on punt returns with two touchdowns.  Though he returned only one kickoff in 2005, he has done so a total of 78 times in his four-year career, with an average of 22.9 yards.

Despite the somewhat disappointing performance in 2005 of last year's free-agent receiver who bolted from the 'Burgh, Randle El doesn't have the same turd taint of a Plaxico Burress.

We're not saying that Randle El is going to get $10 million to sign in a new city, but our guess is that, given the fact that he's playing in January when 28 other teams are home taking notes, someone will make him an offer that the Steelers can't or won't match.  And the longer he plays into the postseason, the bigger the numbers might be.

One team to watch in this regard could be the Redskins, who don't really have a solid No. 2 across from Santana Moss.  Unless the 'Skins make a play for T.O. (and we still have a funny feeling that they will), a guy like Randle El could help to make the offense a lot better.

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com was first to report that the Saints will hire Cowboys offensive coordinator Sean Payton as the franchise's fourteenth head coach.

Some league insiders believe that, a year from now, the team could be hiring head coach #15.

There's a theory making the rounds in league circles that owner Tom Benson will go through the motions for 2006 in Louisiana, and then sell the team to L.A. interests for close to a cool billion.

And, as the theory goes, the new owners will then offer the G.M./coaching gig to USC coach Pete Carroll.

Of course, this means that the new owners will be required to deal with the current coach's contract -- which in Payton's case comes with a relatively modest "thanks for giving me another chance to be a coach after I pissed away my shot in Oakland" compensation package.

In the interim, Payton can be counted on to keep his mouth shut while Benson gradually implements his likely plan to pull the franchise out of Louisiana, for good.  After being pooped on by guys like Jim Fassel and Bill Parcells, Benson's a breeze. 

MINORITIES LIKELY TO BE SHUT OUT

But for Herm Edwards' pre-determined jaunt from New York to Kansas City, there likely will be no minority candidates hired for head coaching jobs this offseason.

The lone exception could be Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, who remains alive for the Rams' job.

Elsewhere, the Vikings have hired Brad Childress, the Packers have hired Mike McCarthy, the Jets have hired Eric Mangini, the Saints will hire Sean Payton, the Texans will hire Gary Kubiak, the Lions will go with Jim Haslett or Rod Marinelli, the Bills are looking at Haslett, Dick Jauron, and Mike Sherman, and the Raiders are looking at Al Saunders and Rod Marinelli, with James Lofton as outside-the-box possibility.

So there were six minority coaches for the 2005 season, and there most likely will be six for the 2006 season.  A lot of progress has been made over the past few years, but the absence of any net gains this year will put pressure on the owners filling vacancies in 2007 to give more careful consideration to minority candidates, with Rivera and Mike Singletary the most likely to get hired.

TIME FOR THE TIKI TO CATCH ON

After looking back at some of the key fumbles from the past weekend, a thought occurred to us.

If Tiki Barber's new way of carrying the football is so damned effective, why aren't other running backs mimicking it?

Jerome Bettis doesn't fumble much, but he was dangling it out there like a box of Tampax when Gary Brackett's helmet almost put the wrong kind of exclamation point on the Bus's career.

Barber cradles the ball against top of his chest, not along the side of his body.  It looks odd.  And it works well.

We're amazed that no one else has tried this one.  We've got a feeling that, by next year, plenty of others will.

MILLEN COULD HAVE HIS DONUT, EAT IT TOO

As Lions CEO Matt Millen focuses on former Saints coach Jim Haslett and Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, we've got an idea.

Hire both.

Make Haslett the head coach, and make Marinelli the defensive coordinator. 

Hell, maybe the Steelers would let Russ Grimm leave to become the offensive coordinator.

Can life really be that easy?

On Monday, we wrote that Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt taunted the Steelers bench when coach Bill Cowher called a time out to ice Vanderjagt prior to the potential game-tying field goal.

And then Vanderjagt gave one of the folks sitting along the five yard line a door prize.

We've learned that the NFL has had a Vanderjagt moment as well.  A league source tells us that, late last week, the league office circulated a memo that announced various promotions in the officiating department.  The memo also proclaimed that the response of the public and the media to the quality of the officiating has never been better, and that the level of performance of the officials is at an all-time high.

By Sunday, the officials were indeed at an "all-time high," and we're still trying to figure out the specific controlled substances that induced it.

So the league, it seems, isn't immune from the same phenomenon that has bitten so many others in the buttocks.  Publicly declare you're greatness, and then promptly go out and demonstrate otherwise.

As to the worst call of the weekend, there's a firm belief in league circles that the NFL would not have conceded that referee Pete Morelli muffed the mozzarella when he overturned the Troy Polamalu interception, if the Colts had ultimately won the game. 

Finally, regarding our observation that the folks at Sirius NFL Radio actually have the freedom to criticize the bad calls from the divisional playoffs, the source predicts that NFL Executive V.P.of Communications and Public Affairs Joe Browne will be slapping some knuckles at Sirius soon, if he hasn't already.

At a time when many of our readers are asking whether quarterback Daunte Culpepper wants out of Minnesota, we're hearing that the Vikings could be the ones making the decision for him.

The thinking is that new Vikings coach Brad Childress doesn't believe that Culpepper will be able to run the West Coast offense, since Culpepper hasn't shown a consistent ability to change plays based on the looks he is getting from the defense.  Indeed, his only pre-snap aptitude that we've ever detected was his propensity to spot single coverage on receiver Randy Moss -- and then to chuck the ball to him deep.

The separate, and more significant, issue is Culpepper's knee, which was blown apart on October 30 at Carolina.  Even if he is able to start the first regular season game, he'll need every snap in the offseason, training camp, and the preseason to enable him to get ready to run a new offense.

So it could be that, a year after the Vikings shipped Moss out of town for a relatively light package of picks and a player who didn't really contribute in 2005, the Vikes might send packing the guy who supposedly wanted Randy's bad influence out of the way so that he could lead the team without being undermined.

The objective evidence points to problems.  Culpepper and Childress have yet to meet in person, and Daunte has been dissing members of the organization ever since he became a forgotten man during the team's improbable six-game winning streak.  Pending criminal charges for something he claims he didn't do doesn't help matters, either.

An industry source tells us that Daunte is merely laying low as he considers the various changes to the organization, but we've got a feeling that, even if there's nothing more to it right now, it's heading in the direction of a divorce.

If Daunte is going to get moved, possible destinations are Arizona, Oakland, Miami (if offensive coordinator Scott Linehan stays), and St. Louis (if Linehan becomes the next head coach of the Rams).  The Vikings have the cap room to make the move, and Culpepper's value isn't going to get any higher if he struggles for a year or two learning the new attack.

So keep an eye on this one.  Barring a public smooch-fest in the near future, our guess is that the new direction in Minny won't include the quarterback whom many thought would lead the team into the next decade.

LOOMIS, SHANNY COMMENTS CATCH ATTENTION

Our Monday report as to the recent statements of Saints G.M. Mickey Loomis and Broncos coach Mike Shanahan regarding Texas quarterback Vince Young is raising some eyebrows in league circles.

One league insider tells us that the memo prohibiting such statements provides not only for fines but also for a loss of draft picks. 

And we've further confirmed that the ban extends through and until the league has granted special eligibility to the underclassmen who apply prior to the January 15 deadline, and that the memo announcing eligibility has not yet been issued.  Thus, the fact that the issue Sports Illustrated in which the statements appeared was published after Young declared for the draft is irrelevant.

The bottom line here is that Shanny and Loomy have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar; the only question is whether the NFL will do anything about it.

YOUNG'S AGENT CHOICE A RED FLAG?

Some league insiders believe that the decision of Texas quarterback Vince Young to sign with a generally unknown agent might hurt his draft value.

Young has hired Major Adams, a family friend who Young regards as an "uncle."

As one source opined, "I'll bet his 'uncle' is as qualified to perform a bone marrow transplant as he is to negotiate an NFL contract of this magnitude.  If I'm a team, I immediately see this as a sign of poor judgment and immaturity on Vince's part."

Then again, teams know that Bus Cook is discreetly lurking behind the scenes, and that he won't directly be involved in the representation because, as we've heard, Cook has promised another client, quarterback Jay Cutler, that he won't sign any other signal-callers for the upcoming draft.

Still, the danger here is that, regardless of whether the deal Young signs is a good one or a bad one, his choice of representative will make him susceptible to whispers from other agents that maybe he didn't get the best contract possible, which could then prompt Young (with perhaps a new agent) to start asking for more money prematurely.

We can't quit thinking, talking, and writing about this past weekend of games.  So we figured we'd put together another Ten-Pack of takes on the best quartet of divisional games we can remember.

1.  Short People Got No Reason Not To Play.

As the NFL talking heads rave about Panthers receiver Steve Smith, one fact that gets rarely mentioned is his height, or lack thereof.

Listed at five feet, nine inches, Smith is one of the shortest players in the league.  But he's nevertheless having a huge impact on the postseason.  (For a great look at Smith and other notch-on-the-door-frame-challenged wideouts, check out this item from Nunyo Demasio of SI.com.)

He's virtually unstoppable, and he's playing right now as well as any receiver in the history of the game.

Meanwhile, much taller receivers like T.O. and Randy Moss are surely scratching their heads at the exploits of the biggest little man to hit North Carolina since Muggsy Bogues.

One guy who'll benefit significantly from Smith's performance this season is former Colorado receiver Jeremy Bloom, another five-nine dynamo who's profile likely will skyrocket when the Olympics get started next month.  If Bloom can couple a gold-medal performance in Turin with a blazing 40-yard dash in Indy, agent Gary Wichard will work relentlessly to get folks around the NFL to start thinking of Bloom as a far more marketable version of Smith.

2.  Hartings Is A Hero, Too.

While Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is getting plenty of praise for his game-saving tackle of Colts cornerback Nick Harper, one guy who also should be getting an "attaboy" or two is center Jeff Hartings.

It was Hartings who broke from the scrum of linemen and made a dive at the bouncing ball that had been coughed up by the Bus.  Though Hartings didn't come up with it, he landed in Harper's path, slowing Harper's initial acceleration and forcing him toward the right side of the field.

As a result, Harper didn't have enough of a lead on the players chasing him to slow down and put a move on Roethlisberger, and Harper likewise didn't have enough room to sprint away from Roethlisberger to the left sideline.

If, of course, the Steelers don't beat the Broncos in Denver this season, some Steelers fans might secretly wish that Harper hadn't been stopped.  If the Colts had won that game off of an uncharacteristic Jerome Bettis fumble, there's no way that Bettis would have retired. 

3.  Steelers, Broncos Have A History.

Sunday's AFC title game will be the sixth postseason meeting between the Broncos and Steelers.  Denver was won three, Pittsburgh has won two.  Four times, the winner of their postseason slugfest has ended up in the Super Bowl. 

This time, as in 1997, it's guaranteed that the victor heads to the game with the Roman numerals.

But the teams have only met once in the postseason under Coaches Teflon and Chin, with the Broncos stealing the 1997 AFC title at Three Rivers Stadium.

So what happens this time around?  At this point, it's too close to call.

Maybe they'll end up playing beyond the final gun -- just like they did in 1974, when the Steelers and Broncos played to the first regular-season overtime tie in league history, 35-35.

4.  Panthers, 'Hawks Don't.

In contrast, the Seahawks and Panthers have crossed paths only twice since Carolina entered the league in 1995.  The Panthers won 26-3 at home in 2000, and the Seahawks won 23-17 at home a year ago.

Still, we've got a feeling that this game could be a modern-day version of those Cowboys-49ers postseason contests from the early 1990s.  Both teams have their nuclei in place, and both could be back in this situation in the coming years.

For now, we're leaning toward Carolina.  The Seahawks will load up against Steve Smith, forcing the Panthers to beat them either by running the ball with Nick Goings or by throwing it to other receivers. 

Goings, however, isn't some slappy signed from the practice squad.  He's been with the team five years, and he rushed for 821 yards in 2004 when both Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster were out with injury.  If the Seahawks keep a safety out of the box, Goings is good enough to get sprung.

5.  Bears Defense Overrated.

Just as the Carolina offense was shredding the Chicago defense for 29 points, a league source was opining to us that the Bears defense is grossly overrated.

"People talk about them being one of the best ever," the source said.  "They're not even the best defense in the playoffs."

We predict for both the Bears and the Colts a tough time in 2006.  With the fruits of a long season of hard labor squandered in sixty minutes of play, we think it will be very hard for both teams -- and specifically for the Bears -- to put together a season that will net them another high seed in the playoffs.

And as teams like the Steelers and Panthers are proving this year, maybe the whole "peaking at the right time" thing includes authoring a regular season that requires the team to go for the win as the weeks wind down.  Even one game of coasting can be dangerous for a squad that will sit at home as its initial playoff opponent harvests a heaping helping of confidence during wild card weekend.

6.  He Who Score The First Touchdown Wins.  

In all four of the divisional round games, the road team scored first.  The difference is that the Redskins and Pats scored field goals in the second quarter -- the Steelers and Panthers scored touchdowns on their first drives.

It's a great way to put the home team on its heels.  Take a seven-point lead, and turn the defensive dogs loose.  Build the bulge to more than ten, and hang on.

It's the best way to take the home crowd out of the game.  Even if they get back into it, they never seem to be as loud as they otherwise would be if the home team was winning.

7.  We're No Dumber Than Dr. Z.

As we continue to lick the wounds of a 1-3 weekend, we noticed that SI's Paul Zimmerman managed the same miserable outcome as us.

We picked the Redskins, Pats, Colts, and Panthers.

Dr. Z picked the Seahawks, Pats, Colts, and Bears.

The Bears?  What a moron.

8.  Best . . . Playoff Games . . . Ever.
 

With all the buzz regarding the excellent quartet of playoff games from this past weekend, including a contest for the ages in Indy, we decided to put together our own list of the top non-Super Bowl postseason games since the merger.

Here are the 21 best, in chronological order:

Chiefs-Dolphins, 1971:  Chiefs running back Ed Podolak's 350 all-purpose yards are a footnote to the longest game in NFL history, won by the Dolphins more than 22 minutes into overtime, 27-24.

Raiders-Steelers, 1972:  Immaculate Reception.

Raiders-Dolphins, 1974:  Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler chucks a last second touchdown pass while falling down to running back Clarence Davis to beat Miami 28-26, ending the reign of the two-time defending Super Bowl champs.

Cowboys-Vikings, 1975:  Hail Mary.

Raiders-Colts, 1977:  Oakland snuffs out Bert Jones' Colts with a double-overtime thriller, 37-31.

Chargers-Dolphins, 1981:  "I've never felt so close to death before," said San Diego tight end Kellen Winslow after a 73-minute roller-coaster ride on a humid Miami late afternoon/evening, which the Chargers won, 41-38 (his son would say the same thing 24 years later after a motorcycle ride).

Cowboys-49ers, 1981:  The Catch.

Broncos-Browns, 1986:  The Drive.

Broncos-Browns, 1987:  The Fumble.

Vikings-49ers, 1987:  Minnesota receiver Anthony Carter makes like Steve Smith in one of the biggest postseason upsets in league history, 36-24.

Oilers-Bills, 1992:  The Run-'N'-Shoot dies a sudden death as Houston proves that it's the perfect offense . . . for blowing a huge lead.

Colts-Steelers, 1995:  Jim Harbaugh's last-second rainbow almost delivers the greatest moment in NFL history.

Jaguars-Broncos, 1996:  The upstart Jags upend the heavily favored Broncos in Mile High in the last game for the old orange-and-blue unis.

Vikings-Giants, 1997:  Minnesota coach Dennis Green saves his job with an uncanny late-game comeback win on the road.

Falcons-Vikings, 1998:  Vikings kicker Gary Anderson misses his first kick of the season to prevent 16-1 Minnesota from taking a 10-point lead late; the Falcons rally to force overtime and then take the game on a fifth-quarter field goal, 30-27.

Rams-Buccaneers, 1999:  The Greatest Show on Turf hits a pothole en route to the Super Bowl, scoring only 11 points.

Bills-Titans, 1999:  Music City Miracle.

Patriots-Raiders, 2001:  "What in the f--k is the tuck rule?"

Giants-49ers, 2002:  San Fran erases a 24-point deficit, and then holds on thanks to a bad snap and a close call on the ensuing pass.

Packers-Eagles, 2003:  Fourth-and-26.

Patriots-Broncos, 2005:  End of an era or a temporary detour?

Steelers-Colts, 2005:  Marred by bad officiating, but still one of the best ever.

9.  Our Weekly Michael Irvin Complaint.

During his regular appearance on the Dan Patrick radio show, the Playmaker dressed down Patrick and Keith Olbermann for poking fun at Daniell Harper's claim that she accidentally stabbed her husband, Nick, with a knife.  Spouting off about "generational curses" and other such nonsense, Irvin said that there's nothing funny about a woman putting a blade into her man's kneecap.

But then Irvin talked about his efforts to force his son to become a star athlete, yukking it up as he compared himself to Joe Jackson.

This guy Irvin really is a piece of crap.  He says what he wants and does what he wants and ignores any apparent inconsistencies.  We haven't heard whether ESPN has extended his contract beyond the current season, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that we won't have to listen to the Playmaker in 2006 or beyond.

10.  NFL Admits Error.

Hours after describing referee Pete Morelli's reversal of Troy Polamalu's interception a "judgment call," the NFL acknowledged that Morelli simply got it wrong.

Good for the NFL.  Pete, it was nice knowin' ya.

We wonder, though, whether the NFL would have been so candid if the Colts had won the game (or, more importantly, if they'd ultimately covered the spread).  Somehow, we don't think so.

We also were pleasantly surprised to hear the guys on Sirius NFL Radio openly bitching about the bad calls from the past weekend.  Although there's an apparent double standard at play, since the league owns the radio network and the league otherwise forbids team officials from second-guessing the game officials, it's good to know that the NFL isn't using its private airwaves as an overt propaganda tool. 

With published reports pegging the salary demands of Pats defensive coordinator Eric Mangini at $2.5 million per year, which is $500,000 more than former head coach Herm Edwards was earning, there's a growing belief in some league circles that the guy who will get the gig when the dust settles is Long Island's own Mike Tice, who made only $1 million in the final year of his contract with the Vikings and figures to be had for a lot less than $2.5 million.

On one hand, we sort of like the idea that we'll still have the Meathead to kick around.  On the other hand, we wonder what in the world owner Woody Johnson is smoking . . . and where we might score some of it.

Tice seems like a nice guy.  But coaching salary shouldn't be an issue for a large-market team, and as we explained when Tice got poop-canned a couple of weeks back the Meathead is a "get what you pay for" proposition.

If the Jets don't want to spend more than $2 million on a coach, they can fughetabout guys like Mangini and former Saints coach Jim Haslett.

So they'll save a few bucks, but they'll be less likely to win as many games as possible.  Frankly, it doesn't make any sense to us.

And it also makes us wonder whether the owners are hoping to get control of coaching salaries by hiring guys with less objective qualifications for a lot less money.  Why else wouldn't the New York Jets be eager to spend some of that New York money?

Somewhere, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is nodding and smiling, because one thing Snyder never will do is underpay when the time comes to hire the guy who'll be responsible for getting the players pointed in the right direction.  And with each team that plays it cheap, it's one less franchise that Snyder will have to worry about over the long haul.

UPDATE ON THE COACHING CAROUSEL

Here are a few nuggets we've picked up over the past 24 hours or so regarding the efforts to fill the various vacancies around the league:

1.  Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli is telling people that he's the favorite for the job in Detroit.

2.  He isn't.  No final decisions have been made in Detroit.

3.  Marinelli is emerging as a leading candidate for the head coaching job in Oakland, eclipsing Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders.

4.  Just as we're starting to believe that the Rams will hire a head coach with an offensive background, rumors have revived that Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera is the guy.

COWHERD BLOWS UP ON BLOGS

We received several e-mails on Monday from readers who heard the commentary of ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd regarding our story on the Chad Johnson locker room brouhaha of eight days ago.  Although most readers concluded that Cowherd was slamming us specifically, we've listened to the podcast of his comments, and we concluded that maybe he was . . . maybe he wasn't.

Here's a transcript of the relevant portion of his remarks, followed by our interpretation of Cowherd's rant:

---------------------------------------

(Editor's note:  We've already pasted together one Ten-Pack of observations from the divisional playoff games, but we've got more to say regarding the best quartet of postseason contests in recent memory -- and we'll be posting a bonus Ten-Pack later in the day.)

Mike Sando of The Tacoma News-Tribune reports that Seahawks starting right tackle Sean Locklear currently is being held without bond for a domestic violence incident occurring earlier Sunday morning.

We're told that the incident occurred at Pioneer Square, the same location where safety Ken Hamlin was assaulted during the regular season.

Per Sando, bail cannot be set for Locklear until he makes an initial court appearance.  Due to the holiday, the court's hours are limited.

League insiders who observed Sunday's playoff game between the Colts and Steelers tell us that Indy kicker Mike Vanderjagt was taunting the Steelers bench after coach Bill Cowher took a time out aimed at icing Vanderjagt before he tried a potential game-tying 46-yard field goal.

We're told that, after the time out was called, Vanderjagt made a gesture toward the Pittsburgh sideline that was of the "Who do you think you're dealing with?" variety.   

Of course, Vanderjagt then proceeded to push the thing wiiiiide right.

The only possible explanation for the entire course of conduct is that Vanderjagt must have been liquored up. 

LOCKLEAR LOCKED UP?

A reader has tipped us off to the fact that a guy named "Sean Hilary Locklear" currently is being held without bond in the King County, Washington jail on charges of domestic violence.

A guy named "Sean Locklear" is the starting right tackle for the professional football team that plays its home games in King County, Washington.  He was booked on January 15.

And 

Locklear is a second-year player from North Carolina State.  He has started in every game this season for the Seahawks, who arguably have the best offensive line in the NFL.

POSTED 2:52 p.m. EST, January 16, 2006

A FINE MESS FOR MICKEY, MIKE?

We read with great interest the comments of Denver head coach Mike Shanahan and Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis in the January 16 issue of Sports Illustrated.  At the bottom of page 18, both Coach Teflon and G.M. Moron offer their views to Peter King regarding Texas quarterback Vince Young.

Says Tef:  "Everyone makes fun of his [throwing] motion, but you can't argue with his results.  He was the best in college football in passing efficiency.  You don't change that."

Says Loomis:  "Historically, mobile quarterbacks don't last in the NFL unless they become pocket quarterbacks.  Look at Michael Vick.  It seems like he's starting to break down a little bit."

The biggest problem with these statements isn't their content, but the mere fact that they were even made.  You see, the NFL forbids any commentary on underclassmen by team officials.  Every year, the 32 NFL clubs get multiple memos and other missives regarding the importance of saying and doing nothing that will jeopardize the league's relationship with the stewards of its no-cost farm system otherwise known as the NCAA and its member schools.

The quick response to our point in this regard is that the issue came out after Young declared that he was entering the draft.  A league source tells us, however, that the prohibition on public commentary regarding underclassmen is lifted only after the league officially approves the player for inclusion in the draft -- and that the memo identifying the list of approved underclassmen has not yet been issued.

So neither man should have said anything about Young.

And if the league (as expected) is going to fine Steelers linebacker Joey Porter for claiming that the refs were trying to send the Colts to Motown, then the league also should slap an oversized parking ticket on Shanny and Loomy for their own violation of league rules.

Another problem here is that Loomis has no credentials that would allow him to make credible comments regarding football players.  He's a bean counter who was in the right place at the right time.

As one league insider put it, "Hey Mickey, shut the f--k up.  You don't know a damn thing about football or football players."  

POSTED 1:59 p.m. EST; UPDATED 2:22 p.m. EST, January 16, 2006

As the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to win road games in the postseason, the Detroit Lions continue to delay the hiring of a head coach.  And some folks believe this means that Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm has the inside track to hearing the words "you're hired" from a guy who many think should be hearing the words "you're fired."

So if the Lions like Grimm so much, why don't they elope with him?

In other words, the Lions can let Grimm know in a roundabout way that he's the guy (see Kubiak, Gary and Texans, Houston).  From what we hear, the Lions haven't done so.

Instead, there are rumors in some circles that Grimm's chances of getting the job are diminishing, because the delayed conclusion of the Steelers season is preventing Grimm from getting started with the hiring of a staff.

But that dynamic hasn't stopped Kubiak, we hear, from getting guys ready to join him after he's named the new head coach of the Texans within days after the Broncos wrap up their season.

The inference, then, is that if Grimm isn't the guy in Detroit, it's not because he's unavailable until his current work is done.  It's because the Lions still haven't made a decision to offer him the job.  

PORTER PUSHES IT TOO FAR

Steelers linebacker Joey Porter's mouth gets him into plenty of trouble, in a variety of circumstances.  Prior to games, during games, and after games -- with other teams and within his own organization.

And now he's very likely to be in trouble with the league, due to some gum-flapping in which he engaged after Sunday's win over the Colts regarding the quality of the work of the officials

"I know they wanted Indy to win this game," Porter said. "The whole world loves Peyton Manning, but come on man, don't take the game away from us.

"I felt they were cheating us.  When the interception happened, everybody in the world knew that was an interception.  Don't cheat us that bad.  When they did that, they really want Peyton Manning and these guys to win the Super Bowl.  They are just going to straight take it for them.  I felt that they were like 'We don't even care if you know we're cheating.  We're cheating for them.'"

Joey, baby.  You gotta know when to zip it.  Let the reformed sock puppets crow about the bad calls (and crow they did).  Let the fans bitch about the perceived injustice.  They can't be fined.  

But you can be.  And you will be.

Expect it to be a big one.    

As to the substance of Porter's comments, we don't really think that the refs were trying to deliver the Colts to Detroit.  We just think that the officiating generally sucked this weekend, and that the NFL should be letting out a huge sigh of relief that the Steelers ultimately prevailed.

If they hadn't, 15,000 or so folks wearing black and gold likely would have arrived this morning at the Commish's office in New York for an unscheduled visit.

Looking for more?  Click here for the rumor mill archives.