Steelers Coaching Candidates

With Mike Tomlin resigning, the Steelers are looking for a new head coach for the first time since 2007. In case you're wondering, yes, I wrote about the Steelers hiring Mike Tomlin back then since this blog is old! There is a lot of speculation about potential candidates to be the fourth head coach of the Steelers since 1969. I'm here to add to that speculation! Some of these people listed below are legitimate candidates. Some are not. In any event, I hope that you enjoy this.

(The picture above is from a much younger Mike Tomlin when I compared his expression to a Game of Thrones character.)

Many people are clamoring for someone associated with the Indiana University football team to take over in Pittsburgh. While you probably believe that I'm writing about current IU coach Curt Cignetti, who turned arguably the worst major football program in college football history into a national championship contender and someone born in Pittsburgh, worked at Pitt, and got his first head coaching job at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), I'm looking at someone else. 

Antwaan Randle El 

Randle El is one of the best players in IU history, but he also played five seasons for the Steelers. More importantly, he served as an offensive assistant in Tampa for two years (and got a championship as a coach when the Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV), held the wide receiver coaching position with the Detroit Lions for 4 years, and is now the wide receivers / assistant head coach for the Chicago Bears. He's a winner and has had success in all of coaching stops. El Yeah!  Oh, he also did this.

Hines Ward

Currently, the Associate Head Coach and Wide Receivers Coach at Arizona State University. He previously worked for the Steelers, Jets, and at Florida Atlantic University. A 3-7 record as the head coach for the XFL's San Antonio Brahmas is a little concerning. Oh, he also did the thing in the video above.

Danny Smith

Big Gum has been patient, lurking in the background of the NFL. They have a stronghold in baseball, where major league dugouts universally have large containers of gum. Big Gum may feel that the time is right to make its mark in America's biggest sport. The poster person to represent Big Gum is clearly Danny Smith. He's also from Pittsburgh and graduated from Central Catholic High School.

Cam Heyward

The Steelers could make history by becoming the first team in the modern NFL to have its head coach also be an active player. And who better to do that than Cam Heyward. Seems highly regarded and well respected by his teammates. He's a leader. Curly Lambeau and George Halas were successful in both roles with the Packers and Bears respectfully in the 1920s. Let's try it again for the 2020s! (Tom Landry and Dan Reeves were both players / assistant coaches, and they both did pretty well too.)

Larry Foote

Current run game coordinator / outside linebacker coach for Tampa. Definitely seeing a trend of former Steelers who go to Tampa to coach. More importantly, I get to share this picture again!

Byron Leftwich

Former Steelers QB who won a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator in Tampa (again!). He deserved to be a head coach then. It seems like he worked for Deion Sanders at the University of Colorado last season, but he’s not listed as part of the coaching staff on Colorado's website, and there were reports that he may have been a volunteer. For once, the internet is not really clear on if or when he was employed at Colorado.

Joey Porter, Sr.

Thanks to drawing a personal foul penalty on Adam "Pacman" Jones, he helped the Steelers win a playoff game against the Bengals. (Many people may remember the two personal foul penalties to essentially seal the game for the Steelers, but the entire last few minutes of this game were absolutely bonkers.) 

(Sorry - You have to watch the video of the end of the January 2016 Steelers-Bengals playoff game on YouTube. Won't let me embed it here.)

Cedrick Wilson

I have no idea what Wilson is up to, but I feel like he needs to be included here since he was also a wide receiver on the Super Bowl XL winning team with Ward and Randle El. Don't want him feeling left out.

Ryan Clark

He's good on TV. While that means absolutely nothing, he and Pittsburgh broadcasting legend Sally Wiggin seem to have mutual admiration for each other, so that counts for something.

Bill Cowher

Bring back the Hall of Fame coaching legend from retirement. Plus, if he wins a Super Bowl in the first few years, we can all say that he won with Tomlin's players!

Am I missing other legitimate candidates? Absolutely. Is it more fun to write a post about people with Pittsburgh ties? Also absolutely!  Here We Go!

Mike Tomlin Is A Really Good Coach

Welcome to the first post in my new series, “Hills I’m Willing To Die On.” The idea behind these posts are me sharing my opinions that will be impossible (or nearly impossible) to convince me otherwise. 

When it comes to active NFL coaches, Bill Belichick with six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots is clearly considered the best. I think many people would rank Andy Reid next though it took him having Patrick Mahomes as quarterback to win his first Super Bowl. After that, I'm not sure if there is a significant difference between the 3rd best and around the 10th best coach. And I would include Mike Tomlin in this group as a top tier NFL coach.

There are many people who criticize Tomlin. Some of it is fair. Some of it isn't. The idea that Tomlin only won a Super Bowl with Bill Cowher's players is still absurd to me. You know who didn't win with Cowher's players? Bill Cowher. The team followed its 2005 championship by going 8-8 with Ben Roethlisberger starting 15 games, Willie Parker rushing for nearly 1,500 yards, and having Hines Ward, Heath Miller, Alan Faneca, Troy Polamalu, James Harrision, Ike Taylor, and more. You know, Cowher's players! Meanwhile, I have yet to hear any Pittsburgh sports fans criticize Mike Sullivan for winning the Stanley Cup with Mike Johnston's players. Sullivan took over part-way through the 2015-2016 season and led the Penguins to titles that season and in the 2016-2017 seasons. He hasn't won since, so clearly he only won with Johnston's players, right?

The next criticism I hear is that Tomlin should have won more since he had Big Ben as well as arguably the best running back and wide receiver in football with Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Thanks to injuries, the three of them rarely played together in the playoffs. Plus, having the best players in the game doesn't mean you're going to win. I know that I’m bringing up different sports, but Mike Trout has played in one playoff series with the Angels during his 11-year career. Connor McDavid has made it beyond the first round with the Edmonton Oilers once in his 6-year career. I think most people consider James Harden one of the best players in the NBA. He's only made it to the finals once and that was very early in his career.

Back to football, Aaron Donald may go down as one of the greatest players in NFL history. He lost in his only Super Bowl appearance. Just because you have possibly the best player in the league in 1-2 positions (no one considers Roethlisberger to be better than Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Drew Brees) clearly doesn't mean you're going to win a Super Bowl. Football of all sports requires more than 2 or 3 elite players. Just look at the Super Bowl last season. You have a future Hall of Fame coach in Reid and the best quarterback in Mahomes, but with an offensive line decimated  by injuries, Kansas City lost big to Tampa Bay.

I’m getting off subject which happens quite often. Now Tomlin's recent playoff record definitely does deserve criticism. He hasn't done well with challenges over the years either. You can definitely complain about his choices in hiring offensive and defensive coordinators including the puzzling “retirement” by Bruce Arians. Still, look at how Tomlin has fared compared to his contemporaries (courtesy of Ian of @thesteelersnat). 

Although Tomlin has the best regular season winning percentage of this group and the worst playoff record, this really seems like a lot of this.

Plus, Tomlin seems truly respected by his players. Have you ever heard a current or former Steeler say bad things about Tomlin? Take a look at the interviews Ron of Steelers Takeaways has done, and the players all seem to admire and respect him.

I'm not suggesting that Tomlin is the best coach in the NFL. He needs to win more playoff games which might be tough this season with an improved division and Ben at the end of his career. However, my hill to die on is that Tomlin is a top tier coach in the NFL and nearly every other team would love to have him. He’s also going to Canton and deserves to be there and not just for the Hall of Fame game in a few weeks.

Penguins-Red Wings Story Lines

With Detroit’s win over the Chicago Blackhawks last night, the Red Wings will now face the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup finals. For all of you hockey fans and non-hockey fans (at least for now) out there, let me be of assistance for what you may (or may not) hear from the media over the next week.

- Marian Hossa was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and signed a one-year contract with Detroit this season.

- Jordan Staal does not have any brothers on the Red Wings.

- Sidney Crosby is still trying to grow a playoff beard.

- Chris Chelios will be the oldest player ever in the Stanley Cup finals at 72. (Actually, he’s only 47, and I have no idea whether or not he could be the oldest player ever in the Stanley Cup finals.)



- Will Henrik Zetterberg ever update his website?

- The Penguins are 3-0 in the playoffs when Craig Adams scores a goal. Why isn’t he playing 35 minutes a night?

- As a member of the Penguins last season, Ty Conklin was part of the trial of the decade against Marc-Andre Fleury on the old version of The Pensblog. (Just make sure that you also visit the new version of The Pensblog.) Conklin is now on Detroit.

- Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart is not related to singer Rod Stewart. (Although both think they are sexy.)



- Mikael Samuelsson played for the Penguins in 22 games during the 2002-2003 season. No one remembers this including Mikael Samuelsson.

- Jim Leyland will not turn into the traitor known as Bill Cowher.

- Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke? He's a coach on the Detroit Tigers staff along with Jim Leyland and former Pirates Lloyd McClendon, Gene Lamont, and Rafael Belliard. I thought I would mention this since Detroit is facing Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup finals.

- Jerome Bettis is from Detroit.

- Larry Foote is also from Detroit and recently signed with the Lions after leaving the Steelers. Foote will be supporting the Red Wings. (The same article pointed out that Whitehall, Michigan native Nate McLouth was undecided. Is he still? Dejan - get on this!)

- After not participating in the Eastern Conference finals against Carolina, will Pascal Dupuis (the Iceman) play in the Stanley Cup finals?



- Penguins coach Dan Bylsma has been an NHL head coach for only a few months longer than me.

- Dan Cleary is still from Newfoundland and is still the first and only native of Newfoundland to win the Stanley Cup.

- The Penguins touched the Prince of Wales trophy.

- The Penguins are 2-0 in series when I do these previews.

This just in (as I'm writing this on Wednesday night): the Stanley Cup finals schedule has been announced (h/t Empty Netters):

Saturday, May 30 at Detroit, 8:00 pm NBC
Sunday, May 31 at Detroit, TBD-Night NBC
Tuesday, June 2 at Pittsburgh, 8:00 pm VERSUS
Thursday, June 4 at Pittsburgh, 8:00 pm VERSUS
* Saturday, June 6 at Detroit, 8:00 pm NBC
* Tuesday, June 9 at Pittsburgh, 8:00 pm NBC
* Friday, June 12 at Detroit, 8:00 pm NBC

Finally, here's the latest Yinz Luv 'Da Guins video:



Go Pens!

Penguins-Hurricanes Storylines

Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Washington Capitals, we can all focus on the Eastern conference final between the Pens and the Carolina Hurricanes, who defeated the Boston Bruins in a tremendous game seven Thursday night. For those of you seeking storylines for the series, let me be of assistance of what you may (or may not) hear from sportscasters and writers over the next week.

- Eric Staal and Jordan Staal are brothers. I feel like you should hear this from me since the announcers will fail to mention this.

- Although Tuomo Ruutu is the brother of former Penguin Jarkko Ruutu, Pirate great Turner Ward is not related to Carolina's goalie Cam Ward.



- Scott Walker, who scored the series winning goal against Boston, is not a Texas Ranger even though he may think he is after punching out the Bruins’ Aaron Ward.

- Sergei Samsonov and Simeon Varlamov are not the same person.

- It's time for Bill Cowher to decide whether he supports the Penguins or the Canes.



- Cam Ward and Ryan Bayda are both from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. OK, no one outside of Saskatoon will mention this, but I still think Saskatoon is one of the greatest city names ever.

- After watching hundreds of "The Portal at NHL.com" commercials, you will snap and want to "Scott Walker" guy who randomly (and unconvincingly) appears to be in the stands and locker room. Conversely, you realize that the FreeCreditReport.com commercials aren’t as bad as you originally thought.

- The Penguins will get all of the calls since the NHL wants Sidney Crosby in the finals. Oh sorry about that. I channeled my co-worker who is a Washington Capitals fan momentarily.

- Craig Adams is on a one-game goal-scoring streak! (Or the Penguins are undefeated in game sevens when Craig Adams scores a goal.)

- Ron Francis, Carolina’s associate head coach, won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins. Even if Francis decides to "Scott Walker" the cotton candy guy, which would completely out of character for this three time Lady Byng recipient, he will still be loved in Pittsburgh. (h/t Empty Netters for this video)



- Will the Pens see the return of Casey Hampton at its home games? Since Ric Flair is a huge Canes fan, who would win in a steel-cage match between these two?



Let's just hope Casey Hampton keeps his shirt on this time unlike during the Super Bowl parade.

Steelers Should Sign Favre

Once again, Brett Favre has been in the news quite a bit recently. Much to the dismay of Big Daddy Drew of Kissing Suzy Kolber (language may be NSFW), the speculation is that Favre would join the Minnesota Vikings, but according to Yahoo, "Favre told Vikings coach Brad Childress that he wanted to remain retired." Nevertheless, I don’t expect that people will believe that Favre is truly retired until the day Super Bowl 44 is played. Therefore, to end the speculation and the months of "will Brett be back?" stories, I propose that the Pittsburgh Steelers sign Favre. From his perspective, wouldn’t he want one more chance to win a second Super Bowl? The defending Super Bowl champions are one of next season’s top contenders and could give Favre that opportunity.



From the Steelers side, we all witnessed what happened after Super Bowl 40. The Steelers finished the season 8-8 and failed to reach the postseason. In his final season as Steelers coach, Bill Cowher did not have his usual enthusiasm and the team seemed to play without the same passion and determination that they did during the previous season. Plus, that was the season in which Ben Roethlisberger missed one game after an appendectomy and had that whole motorcycle accident thing. To ensure that Roethlisberger doesn’t have the same drama following his second Super Bowl championship, signing Favre could keep Ben away from motorcycles and a second appendicitis. In addition, signing Favre would keep the team hungry. A team that wins a championship can’t be complacent and needs some new players who are desperate to win the title. Sure, the team has a new rookie class highlighted by Ziggy Hood, but rookies don’t have the same perspective that veterans have. And yes, the Steelers signed free agents Keiwan Ratliff and Shaun McDonald, but they don’t bring the same history and headlines that Brett Favre would. While Favre competing for another Super Bowl would be a national story, I can’t see the same level of "Bettis wins a championship in his hometown" coverage for Ratliff or McDonald.

Another reason to sign Favre would be to help in the development of Dennis Dixon and rookie free agent Mike Reilly out of Central Washington. Roethlisberger and Charlie Batch need to focus on learning the playbook and winning games. They may not have the time to mentor the younger quarterbacks. Dixon needs someone to teach him what it’s like to win a Super Bowl. Brett Favre can do that. Of course, when Favre is busy meeting with Peter King or Rachel Nichols, Dixon could always talk to Roethlisberger about the experience of winning two Super Bowls.

If only John Madden was alive to see Favre as a Steeler.

Friday Links (Please Buy My Hockey Tickets)

Despite posting an ad on StubHub and Ottawa’s Craigslist, I continue to be unable to sell my tickets for next Monday’s (December 8) Ottawa Senators-Florida Panthers game. Amazingly, trying to sell the tickets through my blog hasn’t worked either. However, I finally found a reason for people to attend the game: you can see Florida’s David Booth, who wants to go on a grizzly bear hunt. Just don’t read this story since the tickets are in the upper deck.

On to the links:

Five Questions with D.C. Steeler Nation and Cowboy Nation. Christmas Ape is clearly the winner.

Remember the song/commencement address reminding you to wear sunscreen? Blog ‘N Gold created a Bill Cowher version for his commencement address at North Carolina State.

Mystery Man (of Tidbits and the Angry Consumer) writes that the leaf blower is the dumbest invention ever. Take that, singing fish!



This is Getting Old thinks the Pirates should sign Barry Bonds. Hmmm.

The Pensblog looks back at the dark ages of the Pittsburgh Penguins: 2001-2006.

Any other soccer referees out there? If so, check out this video (in the middle of the page) from a game that took place in Greece. (I have no idea what the language is on this website.) A player tripped a guy who ran on the field, and for his action, earned a red card. There seems to be some debate about this in the referee community. The reason for the red card is "violent conduct" since the player deliberately kicked the pitch invader during the match and it was unprovoked violence. Players cannot take such violent action like this during a match against anyone (even if the action is egregious as invading the pitch) and not expect to have the maximum disciplinary sanctions imposed by the referee. On one hand, I agree with this decision. However, seeing this picture of James Harrison tackling the Cleveland Browns fan who ran on to the field always makes me smile.



(Yes, writing about the incident in Greece was partially an excuse to post the Harrison picture again.)

Finally, you may have noticed the banner ad on the top right of this page. Since someone was nice enough to actually pay for an ad (yes, really), please click on the ad or visit Sportsinfo.com. Pretty please!

Greg Lloyd Will Watch the Steelers-Browns Game at Your House

As part of the DC Steeler Nation listserv, I received an e-mail on Wednesday with the following offer, which is currently listed on eBay:

THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME CHANCE THAT YOU WILL NEVER FORGET!!! GREG LLOYD WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE TO WATCH THE STEELERS DESTROY THE BROWNS SEPTEMBER 14TH 2008!!! PLEASE READ ALL THE DETAILS BELOW OR CALL US AT 864-517-7799 WITH ANY QUESTIONS.



WHERE AT: YOUR HOUSE ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES. IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT STATE YOUR IN JUST AS LONG AS ITS IN THE UNITED STATES. THEY DONT CALL IT "STEELER NATION" FOR NO REASON! WE ARE EVERYWHERE!! HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GO!!

Does that mean that Toronto or Montreal is out even though they are much closer to where Lloyd lives (I believe near Atlanta according to a recent PSAMP post) then say Walla Walla, Washington?

WHEN: 8:15 PM KICKOFF STEELERS VS BROWNS SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Please stop with the CAPS!

DETAILS:

GREG LLOYD WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE TO WATCH THE ENTIRE GAME WITH YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS. ITS A SIMPLE AS THAT. WE MAKE ALL THE ARRANGMENTS FOR GREG TO ARRIVE IN YOUR CITY AND TO YOUR HOUSE. JUST LIKE THE DIRECT TV NFL SUNDAY SEASON TICKET COMMERICAL WITH PEYTON MANNING SHOWING UP IN SOME GUYS LIVING ROOM, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN FOR YOU.IT WOULD MAKE A GREAT GIFT IDEA FOR YOUR HUSBAND, KIDS OR A CLOSE FRIEND. WANNA IMPRESS YOUR BOSS?? INVITE HIM OVER TOO?

Yes, just like Peyton Manning on the commercial.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: SO WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS WHOLE DEAL??

A: GREG LLOYD WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE FOR THE GAME. HE WILL BE THERE BY KICKOFF AND LEAVE WHEN THE GAME IS OVER.YOU WILL ALSO RECIVE A GREG LLOYD FAN PACKAGE THAT WILL INCLUDE A AUTHENTIC JERSEY, 2 16x20 PHOTOS, 2 8x10 PHOTOS AND A MINI HELMET ALL SIGNED BY YOURS TRULEY GREG LLOYD.

I have never claimed to be a master of the English language, but it’s OK to use spell-check. Recive? Truley?

Q: HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN I INVITE? IS THERE A LIMIT?

A:YOU MAY HAVE UP TO 25 PEOPLE THERE.THE LESS AMOUNT OF PEOPLE YOU HAVE THERE THE BETTER FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU WILL GET A BETTER EXPERIENCE WITH A SMALLER AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THERE.YOU ONLY WANT TO INVITE YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS AND DONT WANT TO RISK SOME STRANGER MESSING UP THIS WHOLE THING. GREG LOVES TO TALK AND WHO ELSE HAS BETTER "WAR" STORIES THEN GREG WHEN IT COMES TO STEELERS FOOTBALL AND THE STEELERS BROWNS RIVALY

James Harrison may have better stories about the time he tackled the Browns fan. Bill Cowher and Joey Porter probably have some good tales too.



Q: WILL GREG BE BRINGING ANYBODY WITH HIM?

A: YES GREG WILL HAVE ONE OR 2 PEOPLE WITH HIM

Any chance he’ll bring fellow linebacker Jerry Olsavsky. What’s Joel Steed up to these days? Does he accompany Greg on these visits?

Q: WILL YOU BE SUPPLYING FOOD FOR THIS OR BEVERAGES?

A: NO THAT IS YOUR CHOICE IF YOU WANT FOOD, SNACKS ETC YOU WILL NEED TO SUPPLY THAT YOURSELF.

If you want food? You better have food if you’re going to have a party of 25 people plus Greg Lloyd and possibly Jerry Olsavsky and/or Joel Steed.

Q: ARE WE ALLOWED TO DRINK ALCOHOL?

A: YES HOWEVER WE ASK THIS IF YOU DO DRINK ADULT BEVERAGES THAT EVERYONE THERE STAYS SOBBER. WE WILL NOT TOLERATE DRUNKEN BEHAVIOR.THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD KEEP THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE YOU BRING AT A LIMITED AMOUNT AND DO NOT ALLOW FRIENDS TO BRING FRIENDS ETC ETC. IF GREG LLOYD FEELS UNCOMFORTABLE AT ANY TIME HE MAY GET UP AND LEAVE AND THERE WILL BE NO REFUNDS GIVEN.WE SIMPLY ASK THAT YOU BEEN RESPECTFUL AT ALL TIMES.

C’mon Greg. If Ben Roethlisberger came to the party, there would definitely be many adult beverages.



Q: I WANT TO DO THIS IN A SUPRISE WAY FOR A GIFT TO MY HUSBAND, KIDS, FRIEND ETC. CAN YOU MAKE THIS A SUPRISE OR SOME TYPE OF SPECIAL REQUEST

A: SURE WE CAN. YOU WANT US TO SNEAK HIM IN THE BACK DOOR? HAVE HIM RING YOUR DOORBELL AND YOUR HUSBAND GO TO THE DOOR HAVING NO CLUE GREG IS COMING? WE CAN HANDLE ALL THE LITTLE DETAILS TO MAKE THIS A TRUE ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE

This is my favorite part. To quote Jon on of the DC Steeler Nation:

Husband: "Honey, there's a very large man outside on our patio that looks like he could rip our hearts out and feed them to his children."

Wife: "It's ok dear, I won him in an online auction."

You can “Buy It Now” to have Greg Lloyd sit on your couch for the low price of $10,000. Otherwise, make your best offer. The auction expires in 28 days, so get your bid in quickly!

Steelers-Browns: No Longer a Rivalry

When I wrote about the best sports rivalries a few months ago, I received several comments both publicly and privately questioning why I failed to include the Browns and Steelers on the list. Sunday’s game clearly provided the answer. The Steelers have now won eight in a row against Cleveland and 14 of the last 15. Simply put, the Steelers-Browns series is not a rivalry anymore, and really hasn’t been since the Browns returned in 1999. A true rivalry is one where both teams have success against the other. The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has only been a true rivalry since 2004. Before then, it was just a series of Yankees victories. Similarly, the Browns have to win a few games this decade in order for the rivalry to return.

In addition, I really don’t sense a hatred between Steelers and Browns fans and players anymore. Well, the rivalry still exists from the perspective of many Cleveland fans, but not for Pittsburgh fans. If you ask most Steelers fans who is the team’s biggest current rival, the answers will probably be the Baltimore Ravens or Cincinnati Bengals. Cleveland may even be the fourth choice after the New England Patriots. Gone are the days of Frank Minnifield, Bernie Kosar, Hanford Dixon, Ozzie Newsome, and the scariest player to ever face the Steelers in my lifetime, Eric Metcalf.

To me, the rivalry ended when Art Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore. The fact that a team with the history and fan support of the Cleveland Browns was taken away from such a passionate football city was inconceivable. There’s very little difference between Steelers and Browns fans, so Steeler fans stood in solidarity with Cleveland against Art Modell. We hated the fact that the NFL allowed the Browns to leave Cleveland. We actually felt empathy for Browns fans, and were happy when the new version of the Browns returned. In terms of a rivalry, how can you hate a team or fan base that had its franchise ripped away?

With all of this written, all the Browns need to do is hire Bill Cowher as its next head coach, and the rivalry will be back.

Pittsburgh Sports News

I have not written much about sports lately, so I thought I would share a few items from the past few days.

First, Ron Cook writes about the possibility of Bill Cowher becoming the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Just for the record, I already predicted this in January.

The new Pittsburgh sports blog, Doubt About It, has an excellent contest where you can pick the worst Pirates team from the past fifteen years. You can vote for luminaries such as Randall Simon, Chad Hermansen, Keith Osik and Kevin Polcovich. There are some very difficult choices. By the way, the current Pirates have now lost five games in a row and are 13 games below .500.

Finally, it was a great weekend for the Penguins. First, they re-signed Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi, then, they drafted Angelo Esposito with the #20 pick, a player who would have been #1 overall pick if the draft was six months ago. Of course, very few people outside of Canada, Buffalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh and possibly 20,000 people in Anaheim care about the NHL.

Links To Start the Day

The Penguins are looking for a part-time Game Night Premium Seating Concierge. One of the responsibilities is to assist guests with any game day issues, concerns or special requests. You can look forward to answering questions about how to get a date with Sidney Crosby.

The Pittsburgh Comet interviewed Pittsburgh councilman Bill Peduto. This is the most famous blog interview I have seen by someone I know.

A long-time commenter has joined the blog world. Please welcome Daisy’s Dish, featuring product reviews and freebie information. Although it’s not for me, Daisy has a link for a free Pantene sample.

Courtesy of Arjewtino, Virginia’s Department of Motor Vehicles has an online personalized license plate generator. This is my favorite:










The D.C. Sports Bog interviews the one and only Sergeant Slaughter. I never realized how much he looks like Bill Cowher.

Pittsburgh Steelers Mascot

Are there ever cases when a mascot debuts and is universally loved? I generally think the opposite occurs as people seem to dislike or ridicule new mascots (see Screech of the Washington Nationals). It seems that the best mascots have earned their reputations through years of service and familiarity (see the Phillie Phanatic and Big Red of Western Kentucky University).

The reason I am writing this is because the Pittsburgh Steelers displayed their new mascot on Friday to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the team. Dan already gave his take about the unnamed mascot, calling him a Demento (Pennsylvania Senator) Bob Casey Junior. Other commenters wrote that he has a smaller chin than Bill Cowher and looks like Pittsburgh TV announcer Ken Rice or “the priest who made me sit in his lap last week.”

Personally, I don’t think I like the stereotype that all steelworkers go to work unshaven and wearing yellow flannel shirts and goulashes! In all seriousness, the Steelers really don’t need a mascot. Is the mascot going to go from section to section to get fans excited? No. The fans will start yelling at the mascot for getting in the way of game (like I did when the Washington Capitals mascot made me miss a Penguins goal this season). If the team feels like they MUST have a mascot, just borrow the Pirate Parrot.

Interested in naming the mascot (my suggestion is "Unnecessary"); you can click here for KDKA's website.