Is Marvin Lewis Next In Line For The Pitt Job?

Will the Pittsburgh Panthers be reaching back into the ranks of the NFL to find their next coach. Maybe. Rumors are that Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis might be a candidate for that job.

Of course, I can't stand to see anyone unemployed, so I would like to see Lewis land on his feet. Because I really don't see him staying in Cincinnati beyond this season. Michael Lombardi from the NFL Network reported that Lewis might be on the short list of cnadidates to take over for the newly departed Mike Haywood.

Lewis was asked about the position and said "he hasn't thought about it". Lewis also said "I don't know what happens from here". It's true that Lewis probably knows he's probably done in Cincinnati, but no one has told him where he stands so therefore he won't speak on his job situation or anything else. Sources say that he would like to return, but that's not guaranteed.

John Elway's New Gig

A report from the Denver Post says Denver Broncos have hired John Elway to be their vice president of football operations.  It's not yet a done deal as they have to finalize a deal.

"If and when we reach an agreement with John Elway, Pat is very confident that John's intelligence, his leadership, business savvy, his knowledge of the game, and competitive fire, plus the respect that everyone in this building will have for him, will make us better right away," Broncos chief operating officer Joe Ellis told the Denver Post.


Considering how they've played the past few years, I doubt the Broncos will be better in the short term. Unless Elway decides to turn back the clock and play quarterback and the Orange Crush defense is reincarnated. Also, Elway may have a good business acumen, but the trying to put together a football team is a different story.

The Broncos insist this isn't a PR move, but think about it. The team isn't doing to well and what better way to get fans back to the gate than to bring back a local legend. For Bronco fans' sake, just hope he isn't the next Matt Millen. 

Quote Of the Week: Mike Patrick

When Michigan was getting blown out in the Gator Bowl, ESPN know it all Craig James said that people (David Brandon) should not use the bowl game as a measuring stick for Michigan since Mississippi State is a Top 25 team.

His partner Mike Patrick replied "52 points is 52 points". Maybe Craig should take the blinders off and realize that Michigan has fallen a lot since Rich Rodriguez took over

A Big 0 For The Big Ten

Well, Gordon Gee. It's all up to your Ohio State Buckeyes to salvage the reputation of the battered and bruised Big Ten. That was a mighty pimp slap the rest of the college football world put on the boys from the midwest. Throw in Nebraska's loss to a mediocre Washington team they whacked by 35 earlier this season, that makes it a little bit worse.

For starters Northwestern fought the good fight in losing to Texas Tech 45-38. The Wildcats dug themselves too big of a hole to climb out of, but at least they made a game of it. More than what i can say about the next two games. That would be the simultaneous beatdown suffered by Michigan and Michigan State. The Michgan schools were outscored 101-21 and thoroughly embarassed by Alabama and Mississippi State. The Rodriguez era will end on an ugly note, no matter what David Brandon is saying. The Spartans are not ready for prime time. Penn State and Florida went down to the end until the Gators finally locked up an Outback Bowl victory with a pick 6, 37-24. Then in the Grandaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl, Wisconsin lost to an unbeaten TCU squad, 21-19. No shame in that, except if Ohio State president Gordon Gee didn't make those ridiculous comments about teams like TCU not playing anyone. It's not like anyone wants to sign up to play them. Anyway, how did that taste Gordon.

The bowl season actually started out pretty good for the Big Ten, with wins by Iowa and Illinois, only to see the roof cave in during the postseason. Five losses in five games. And I'm not feeling to confident about Ohio State, with the distractions created by the Buckeye 5 and all.   

Haywood Era Is Over Before It Begins

If you know of Pittsburgh atheletic director Steve Pederson, you know he has a history of making bad football coaching hires. First was Bill Callahan at Nebraska, now the recently fired Mike Haywood.

Haywood was arrested about 3 p.m. Friday after a custody issue developed with a woman with whom Haywood has a child, police said. The unidentified woman told police that Haywood grabbed her by the arm and neck and pushed her as she tried to leave the home that Haywood owns in South Bend, Ind., where he once was a Notre Dame assistant.


Haywood didn't last 2 1/2 weeks at his new job because of a domestic violence arrest in South Bend. Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg immediately dismissed Haywood and that the school was reopening the coaching search. Good luck chancellor because Dave Wannstedt was as good as it was going to get. No matter how inconsistent the team was.

“To be clear, the university’s decision is not tied to any expectation with respect to the terms on which the legal proceeding now pending in Indiana might ultimately be concluded,” Nordenberg said in the statement. “Instead, it reflects a strong belief that moving forward with Mr. Haywood as our head coach is not possible under the existing circumstances.”

Pederson, who was fired by Nebraska in 2007, might have the search taken out of his hands since his job might be on the line due to Haywood's troubles. I would fire Pederson on the strength of his lousy track record of hiring coaches. The Haywood hire was met with much enthusiasm by fans, alumni, or boosters. I don't think I'd be too happy with a with one winning season on his resume.

“This is a matter of real regret for the many people at Pitt who had looked forward to working with him,” Nordenberg said. “However, head coaches are among the university’s most visible representatives and are expected to maintain high standards of personal conduct and to avoid situations that might reflect negatively on the university.”


The first mistake was not identifying more candidates. Secondly, they made a quick hiring with a name that wasn't 'hot' in coaching circles.

  "His history at outstanding programs with outstanding coaches gave him a rare combination of experiences and background,” Pederson said at the time. “Most importantly, Michael is a man of character and integrity and will be an inspirational leader for our football team".

There goes Haywood's character and integrity. Right out of a 10 story window.
Before the firing was announced on Saturday, Haywood told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “It isn’t fair. The truth will eventually come out.”


The truth may come out but Haywood will still be out of a job.


 

Freeney Is Past Due

According to TMZ reports, Indianapolis Colts defensive end, Dwight Freeney is being sued for $400,000. You might ask by who and for what. The who is Tracey Edmonds, the ex-wife of the well known music producer Babyface. The what is for the unpaid rent of $422,150 for leasing two floors in the Edmonds Tower, which is owned by Tracey.

Freeney has a recording studio and agreed to pay $37,000 a month to rent the two floors. Reports say Freeney paid the first month's rent in July but hasn't paid anything since. Edmonds' says that they were induced into letting Freeney rent since he had financial stability due to being a star NFL player.

Dwight, unless there's something seriously wrong with your finances, pay the rent. If you didn't want to pay it you shouldn't have made the business venture in the first place. But we all know every athlete wants to be in the music business. Maybe the rent is too damn high for Dwight.
 

Michigan & Michigan St. Get Drilled

What was the license plate number of the semi that rolled over Michigan and Michigan State today. Wow, I didn't expect wins out of either of them but these games were flat out embarrasments. The Wolverines were decimated by Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl, 52-14. Michigan State didn't show up at all in losing to Alabama, 49-7. Being old school like I am, it reminded me of the episode of What's Happening when Oakland steamrolled Tampa Bay. That's 4 and a half hours that I'll never get back.

With Michigan's loss that should spell the end of the Rich Rod error, I mean era in Ann Arbor. This game was a summary of what went wrong in his three years at Michigan. Athletic Director David Brandon says that he will evaluate Rodriguez after the season. Well Dave evaluation time is now. I think Brandon said that to buy time to see which back door deal he could make for a new coach. Of course that's just my personal opinion. Anywhere else that guy might've been fired. The offense couldn't get anything going, the defense can't tackle anyone, and the special teams were anything but special. Everyone blames Greg Robinson for the defense, but he had a scheme that was forced down his throat that wasn't his forte. Also Rodriguez made the same mistake Bill Callahan made at Nebraska. He abandoned the tradition of what put the school on the map. It's pretty clear Michigan won't go outside the Michigan family for this hire. Stay tuned for the moving and shaking that'll go on this week in Ann Arbor.

What the hell happened to Michigan State? After all they accomplished this year they went out like chumps against Alabama. That tree that fell in the forest, that was the resounding thud ending the Spartans' season. I'll give them credit though. They had a helluva season. It just shouldn't have ended this way. After it was 21-0 I didn't have the stomach to watch it. I really don't have much to say, except it looked a lot like the Iowa game. I hate to say it, it looked like they didn't show up to play. They do have some building blocks for the future and I'm not a hardcore Spartans fan, but I want to see how they progress next year. That'll be a year to see if they've really arrived or if they're a one year wonder.