Some Water For Detroit's Football Desert?

I'm late to the party on reading Michael Lombardi's wonderfully insightful writing and reporting at National Football Post - probably because it took me a while to work my sports appetite back up after baseball season (mercifully) ended - but his stuff is a must-read for me these days.

And maybe I just need any little kernel of hope to make me feel good about the Detroit Lions now (thanks to the Arizona Cardinals) being one of five teams (three of which are newer, expansion franchises) never to make it to the Super Bowl, but I was encouraged to read this from Lombardi about the Lions' new head coach, Jim Schwartz:

I know the Lions hired a great young coach in Jim Schwartz, who is someone I believe will do a wonderful job. We hired him in Cleveland in 1992 to work with me in the personnel department. He is extremely smart (third in his class at Georgetown in economics) and hard working. He knows how to build a program, and he understands the Bill Belichick approach as well as anyone. Given enough time, he will restore the roar to the Lions.

So hopefully, The Schwartz is strong with this team. And for a guy who said the Lions were dead to him, I'm suddenly quite a bit more interested than I was at this time a year ago.

May the Schwartz Be With Us!

This is just too easy, but in honor of the Detroit Lions hiring Jim Schwartz as their new coach (a moment of silence for the poor guy), I have to post the first thing that came to mind when I heard the news.



I think the Lions got the right guy. Someone with Schwartz's pedigree - working under Jeff Fisher in Tennessee, and previous background with Bill Belichick in Cleveland - and unconventional, stats-oriented approach to the game is intriguing. (I can't wait to see how the media and fans react when he says something like "Well, fumbles are a random occurrence; good teams fumble just as often as bad teams" after the Lions have five turnovers in a game.)

It's also encouraging that other teams were interested in hiring him. I'm just not sure about the executives that made the hire. Like Michael Rosenberg in this morning's Freep, I hope the Lions let Schwartz coach his way and bring in his players. (Just remind them who has the bigger Schwartz, Coach.)

Here's a profile of Schwartz that the New York Times wrote in November.

All That's Left is the Official Presser

It looks like it's as official as official gets: Your next Michigan men's basketball coach will be John Beilein.

From the Ann Arbor News:

West Virginia's John Beilein has agreed to be Michigan's men's basketball coach, four independent sources told The News Monday night.

Reached via phone, Michigan athletic director Bill Martin declined to confirm or deny the story.

Earlier Monday, a source confirmed Michigan had offered Beilein a contract, but said there was no timetable for a decision.

MGoBlog, Michigan Sports Center, and Maize n Brew have each confirmed the report through various sources.

Once the initial explosion of speculation occurred after Amaker's firing cleared out, this apparently became a rather narrow coaching search pretty quickly. But Michigan may not have had much choice once several other jobs opened up around the country. I'm guessing we'll never quite know the truth on that, though perhaps the introductory press conference will be enlightening. Hey, you never know.

By the way, it's not yet clear if Beilein will be introduced tomorrow. The first thing on the coach's agenda for Tuesday is to meet with his West Virginia squad and give them the news first-hand.

Here's some biographical info on Beilein, courtesy of the Ann Arbor News' Nathan Fenno.

From the Take It or Leave It Bureau, the Detroit News' Terry Foster says he hears that Beilein isn't interested in recruiting Detroit or Flint. Yet he doesn't pass along where he's heard such things, either. (Foster also said he heard Beilein may have soured on the Michigan job, which is obviously untrue one day later.)

▪▪ Meanwhile, it's also now being reported that Iowa has hired Butler's Todd Lickliter for their head coaching vacancy. And he will be introduced on Tuesday. (Here's the official announcement from the University of Iowa.) Does that affect how you feel about Michigan's choice, by any chance? Just curious.

Here's more on that from Steve Alford's Hair Gel.

John Beilein? Can't We Enjoy Some More Gossip First?

So if you were watching the NIT championship last night (and save your jokes about how we're used to watching it in Ann Arbor - I've already beat that quip to death), did it kind of sound to you as if Michigan has already found its new men's basketball coach?

Maybe it was just the announcers savoring a juicy story. Or maybe I was just trying to read into virtually every comment or gesture made during and after the game. I know there was talk around halftime that Michigan "will reach out" to John Beilein during the Final Four this weekend. But when Bill Raftery made a crack about Beilein drawing up a great play "for the Maize n' Blue!", to which Fran Fraschilla clarified, "the Maize n' Blue of West Virginia," I was beginning to think those guys knew something that the rest of us hadn't been told yet.

Obviously, Beilein had no comment after the game. How could you expect him to? He just won a tournament with his team. To talk about another job would be disrespectful to the kids who just worked their asses off for him. Pushing the issue any further might have resulted in a Roy Williams-Bonnie Bernstein moment. Of course, Williams had just lost a national championship game, so that's probably not a good comparison. But it would've been kind of amusing for Beilein to tell Fraschilla, "I don't give a $#!+ about Michigan right now."

There's been a highly entertaining debate going on between MGoBlog and Maize n Brew the past couple of days over whether or not Beilein should be Michigan's #1 guy to replace Tommy Amaker. Choosing a side in the argument probably depends on how realistic you think Michigan should be in their expectations and desires for a new head coach. Is Beilein the best guy available, the best fit for the type of program Bill Martin wants? Or should Michigan try to shoot for the moon, given the currently precarious state of basketball in the hearts and minds of Wolverines fans?

I suppose I lean more toward the shoot for the moon philosophy, though I can certainly understand why Michigan might prefer to be more efficient with their time and money. I can also see why you might want to avoid the potential embarrassment of being turned down by a top candidate only to then shuffle onto the next guy who now knows he was at least the second choice, as North Carolina did in the pre-Roy Williams days when they ended up settling on Matt Doherty after seemingly everyone else had declined the position.

From everything I've read about the guy over the past two weeks, Beilein would be a fine coach for Michigan - and not just because he appears to be the anti-Amaker. I don't think there's much question that we'd see a better product on the floor (though perhaps more in terms of philosophy and scheme than pure talent) next season with him running the show.

However, it's beginning to sound like Beilein isn't just Michigan's top choice - he might be their only choice. And that's where I start to make a face. Reports say otherwise, so maybe I'm reading into something that's not really happening. Or maybe Michigan's practicing some "I don't need no stinkin' permission" espionage, and that's why things have been so quiet up until this point.

But we've seen this enough times in the metro Detroit area to know when there's not really much of a search going on. When the Pistons fired Larry Brown, Flip Saunders was their guy. Not much of a search there. When the Tigers canned Alan Trammell, Jim Leyland was already driving to Detroit from Pittsburgh. Not much of a search (unless you count the token minority interviews). And Ken Holland already had Mike Babcock in mind for the Red Wings' job when he dismissed Dave Lewis. No search process.

You realize what this means? Matt Millen is the only one in this area who appears to have performed due diligence for a head coaching search over the past three years. And that only happened because Millen #@$%ed up his previous two searches when he jumped far too quickly on Marty Mornhinweg and Steve Mariucci.

Of course, I'm looking at this much more as a fan than an administrator. I want the sizzle that comes with reading that Michigan is talking to head coaching stars like my homeboy Bruce Pearl, regardless of whether or not that's a realistic expectation. Give me a few rising stars that other schools might also be after. (Southern Illinois' Chris Lowery is apparently on Michigan's list, so there's that. And despite signing a contract extension, Washington State's Tony Bennett might be, as well.) Even if this is serious, big boy stuff, it's just more fun with some juicy gossip, isn't it? This is why we're all here, man.

Happy Hour 03/27: Waiting For Bill

I understand that perception doesn't always equal reality, but right now, doesn't it seem like everyone except the Michigan athletic department is interested in hiring a men's basketball coach?

I'm distinguishing between the men's and women's positions because Michigan has reportedly contacted Vanderbilt and Bowling Green for permission to interview their coaches for the women's basketball job. Meanwhile, it appears that none of the schools that currently employ any of the rumored candidates for the men's coaching gig have received requests for interviews.

Am I being a bit hasty in asking just what the hell is going on here? There has been almost zero noise surrounding the men's basketball coaching search over the past week. The only chatter that is coming out is from coaches acknowledging that the position is open (or just casually mentioning Michigan as a state in which they've recruited before). And considering most every candidate that's been rumored is now available to be interviewed (or has received a contract extension from their respective employers), that's a bit surprising.

It's borderline shocking when you see that Iowa isn't showing Michigan the common courtesy of waiting until the Wolverines have decided to make their move before requesting permission to interview prospective coaches. I mean, the Hawkeyes have already contacted Tennessee so they can talk to Bruce Pearl. How rude! What the hell happened to all the kindness and politeness I encountered from people during my two years in Iowa City? See what a having a head coach opening can do to your manners?

So seriously - what's happening? Is Michigan gathering its reserves to make a really big move, one that might test the resolve of anyone claiming loyalty to their current position? Is the administration waiting until the coach of a certain NIT semi-finalist (who's been heartily endorsed by local columnists) is available to formally chat? Or are they still trying to figure out just what the hell they're going to do?

Okay, the waiting is the hardest part. I know that. But why is there any waiting at all?

Happy Hour 03/22: What the Hell is Going On Here?

♦ In the span of about two hours, the game of coaching musical chairs got crazy in the Big Ten. First, it looked like Xavier's Sean Miller was going to be the next University of Minnesota head coach. Shortly thereafter (very shortly), the Gophers raised the stakes significantly, hiring Tubby Smith away from Kentucky to run the show at Williams Arena next season. (ESPN.com confirmed the story soon after that.)

As Maize n Brew Dave just said to me via IM, "What the hell just happened?" Even the Minnesota press was knocked off their chairs on this one.

The dominoes aren't just falling in order now; they may have been scattered off the table. One of the elite jobs in college basketball just opened up in Lexington, and can expect to attract some of the biggest names available (or not available until approximately two hours ago). And whichever school loses their coach to Kentucky might create an opening that jumps ahead of Michigan in the greeting line.

♦ I'm sure you've all read this already, but just in case you haven't had a chance to see what it looks like when a coach sells his soul, here's a link to the NY Times article on the O.J. Mayo/Tim Floyd courtship at USC.

The main reason I'm linking to it today is The Big Lead raised an interesting point earlier today: What are the chances Mayo plays a minute for the Trojans once the NCAA looks into his relationship with Ronald Guillory?

I'll repeat what I said in the comments section over there: If Jamal Crawford was suspended while at Michigan because of his living arrangements with what the NCAA termed a “sponsor,” then what the hell will they have to say about an “event promoter” making overtures to a college coach?

♦ A swap of first-round picks (#8 to #10) and two second-round picks for Matt Schaub? Last night, my initial thought was that the Texans gave up too much for a back-up - and still rather unproven - quarterback. Then Richard Justice said he loved the trade on his Houston Chronicle blog. And if you weren't sure such a deal expressed the Texans' intentions to make Schaub their starting QB, they followed up with a six-year, $48 million contract that effectively sends David Carr looking for free agent handouts.

But enough about those other teams. Let's bring it back home to Detroit. Atlanta now has the #8 pick in the first round, and the 7th and 12th selections in the second round. Is that what Matt Millen might be looking for in exchange for the #2 pick? Here's how ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli sees it:

Most teams use a chart, principally developed by former Dallas and Miami coach Jimmy Johnson, that assigns a points value to every choice in the draft. The corresponding points for the eighth pick in the first round is 1,400. The two second-round choices owned by the Falcons are worth 510 points (the seventh choice in the round) and 460 points (the 12th).

The total points value for the Falcons' three choices in the first two rounds is 2,370 points. On the points chart, the second overall choice in the entire draft, owned by Detroit -- which is rumored to be interested in trading back -- is worth 2,600 points. Atlanta would fall a little shy of that, but not by much, with its 2,370 points for the three choices in the first and second rounds.

If the Falcons have their eyes on Calvin Johnson, and the Lions want to move down, there might just be enough to dance with here.

Big Ten Basketball Jobs Are the New Thing This Spring

So if Michigan and Minnesota were eyeballing each other, looking at several of the same candidates to run their men's basketball programs, what happens now that Steve Alford is looking to bolt Iowa for the head coaching gig at New Mexico?

According to ESPN.com's Andy Katz, this is close to a done deal, and unless negotiations hit a snag, Alford will be announced as the Lobos' new coach on Friday.

Now we're looking at three head coach openings in the Big Ten? (Well, maybe it's two, if the Gophers job belongs to Flip Saunders.) The competition for coaching talent is suddenly getting pretty fierce.

On the bright side for the Iowa athletic department, at least they no longer have to worry about not being able to buy the FireSteveAlford.com domain now.

Meanwhile, here's a conversation topic you can discuss amongst yourselves: Is Iowa a better job than Michigan?

I'm sure I can guess what Wolverines fans would say, but I'd argue that they're remarkably similar, especially in terms of fan support. Iowa might have better facilities, but Michigan has a deeper pool of talent to recruit. But up until last season, I'd say Alford was under just as much pressure (if not more, due to the Pierre Pierce scandal) and scrutiny as Tommy Amaker.

UPDATE (3/22 - 2:30 a.m.): The Daily Iowan, the University of Iowa student newspaper, is reporting that Alford will inform his players of the move this morning at a team meeting.

Happy Hour 03/19: So Who's the New Guy?

Right now, the Michigan blogosphere and media runneth over with lists, candidates, and opinions regarding who should be the next men's coach at Crisler Arena. I really have nothing to add, especially since I'd just come up with the same names, and honestly, I don't know a whole lot about 60% of these guys.

My initial reflex was to jump up and down while fluttering my hands at the mention of former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery. At first glance, he would seem to be exactly what Bill Martin should be looking for. He's coached at a school with extremely tough academic standards, put together a consistent Pac-10 powerhouse, while notching some won-loss records any coach would be proud of. Plus he's got a little of that NBA experience, which is nice, too.

However, I also think he might be a bit too old to undertake a project like this, and seems to be more of a West Coast guy. I'm betting Michigan wants someone younger (although you could argue they've already gone that particular route) with strong Midwestern ties and connections.

As our buddy Doug Hill said over the weekend, Michigan really needs a coach who can sell this program, and I definitely agree with that. Amaker certainly had his failings as a game coach, but I think his primary flaw was his seeming refusal to promote Michigan basketball.

How can a coach in this era of college basketball not even have a radio or TV show? And last year (I believe), there were rumblings that Fox Sports Net wanted to follow Amaker and his team during the end of the season, as it fought to make the NCAA Tournament. What an opportunity to show yourself to fans, alumni, and potential recruits, right? Except Amaker refused. You know who didn't, and took FSN up on its offer right away? Tom Izzo.

So my current impulse is to bring in a guy who will work like hell to encourage interest in his program, and I think mid-major coaches are used to that sort of demand. They're not presuming people will watch simply because of notoriety and reputation. They're not banking solely on the name of their school to attract attention. They're out there working like hell to embrace the community at large because they can't afford not to. And Michigan needs that kind of mentality right now.

But here's what people who actually know about this stuff are saying right now:

♦ Maize n Brew has done an incredibly thorough job of outlining the candidates (after reading his list, I knew there was no sense in me even trying) and assessing their chances of being your new Michigan men's basketball coach. Southern Illinois' Chris Lowery is the most likely, in his opinion, followed by Washington State's Tony Bennett and UNLV's Lon Kruger.

♦ Michigan Sports Center details the most important qualities that the next coach will need (teaching fundamentals, recruiting Detroit), and posts its own meticulous list, with a couple of additional candidates to consider.

♦ MGoBlog has zoomed the microscope in even further, breaking down the talent pool into two categories: Name Guys and Mid-Majors. (Oh, and just in case you weren't sure, Brian really, really doesn't care for Terry Foster.)

♦ Former coaches and TV analysts disagree! The Ann Arbor News' Nathan Fenno covers the differences in opinion over just how good a job Michigan is right now. (Fenno also wrote this insightful profile of Tommy Amaker almost a year ago).

♦ The Detroit News' Eric Lacy says Amaker's biggest problem may have been that he thought coaching basketball was the only thing he had to do at Michigan.

♦ Oregon's Ernie Kent says if Michigan talks, he'll listen. I'm sure his bosses are thrilled that he made these comments while his team is preparing for its next NCAA Tournament game against Kruger's Runnin' Rebels. (That just didn't sound right, did it?) (via the Detroit News)

♦ According to Ann Arbor News columnist Jim Carty, Michigan could've done much more to support Tommy Amaker, and will have to prove it's serious about winning to attract a better successor. (Maybe they can take a walk by Fisher Stadium to check out the renovations when the subject of a practice facility and investing in the basketball program comes up.)

Ding Dong, Tommy's Gone

WDFN is reporting that University of Michigan men's basketball coach Tommy Amaker has been fired. Eric Lacy of the Detroit News has reported the same (via Michigan Sports Center), as are Mark Snyder and Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press.

A press conference to announce the firing is scheduled for 3 p.m. this afternoon.

My initial reaction, despite joining the pitchfork-and-torch mob that wanted to see this happen, is a bit of shock. More after the presser, hopefully.

UPDATE (3:30 p.m.): The Wolverine is reporting (once again via Michigan Sports Center) that the presser has been pushed back to 4:30 p.m. However, the Detroit News' Terry Foster says there won't be a press conference today, and Michigan will issue a statement. Saturday's kind of a weird day for such a thing anyway, so maybe they're holding off on addressing the media until Monday.

UPDATE (4:30 p.m.): The Diag has more details, including Bill Martin's comments to the Associated Press.

"Letting Tommy go was the toughest decision I've had to make in seven years as athletic director.

"He took over a program that needed help, and he helped it in a lot of ways. But at Michigan, we have a tradition of winning Big Ten and national championships and we haven't been close to doing either in a lot of ways."

Amaker (who will receive a $900,000 buyout for the dismissal) also spoke briefly with the Detroit News. (via The Diag)

"It was tough. But with the way things went this year, we knew anything could happen.

"We tried to get this program to the next level. It didn't happen."

And on his Detroit News blog, Terry Foster said Martin gave Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman an ultimatum: Either let me fire him, or I quit.

The Luckiest Coach on the Face of This Earth

[Yes, I know I'm a couple of days late on this, but dealing with the sick yesterday kept me away from the computer. So much like Big Al - welcome back, good buddy - I'm catching up on a few things I wanted to chime in on.]

I didn't catch Norv Turner's introductory press conference as San Diego Chargers head coach, but I can only imagine the first sentence began something like this: "Today... I consider myself... the luckiest..." Has any NFL coach ever feel into such a sweet gig @$$-backwards like this?

(Barry Switzer is a name that comes to mind, but at least he produced a head coaching record to be proud of at Oklahoma. And he got a Super Bowl out of his Cowboys gig, which sets the bar pretty high for ol' Norv.)

This sort of reminds me of the Detroit Pistons firing Rick Carlisle after two straight 50-win seasons. That looked like a potentially crazy move, also made largely because of personality clashes. Of course, a key difference is that Joe Dumars knew he had Larry Brown standing by while he made the announcement sitting side-by-side with Carlisle in what had to be one of the most bizarre pressers Detroit has ever seen.

As many have pointed out, Turner's record as a head coach is, well, not good. Yet here he is, taking over what was probably the best team in the NFL last season, largely because the Chargers' front office doesn't want to rock the boat. (Firing the coach who led them to that 14-2 record wasn't exactly the way to avoid choppy waters, however.) That's all this really is, right?

The Chargers obviously have a good thing going, and at this point in the offseason, they just wanted to bring in a guy who could - at the bare minimum - maintain the status quo. Turner knows that offense, and he has a good history of working well with quarterbacks and running games (as if LaDainian Tomlinson could get much better). So that should be covered. And on the defense, Norv's new right-hand man, Ted Cottrell, is familiar with the scheme and should keep it running smoothly. But just in case, Ron Rivera's on staff to step right in, if needed. This is head coaching by committee. If Norv can't motivate the locker room (as Jerry Rice has asserted), then this cafone has two capos to help him out with that. (Okay, I realize the mafia terminolgy's a bit much here.)

So if this set-up can yield a playoff win (and Norv has at least done that), then A.J. Smith and Dean Spanos can high-five themselves over glasses of chardonnay for making such an astute hire. But these championship windows don't stay open very long, so if the Chargers have blown it by making an utterly safe hire, it could be one of the all-time botch jobs. And that roster deserves a hell of a lot better.

Happy Hour 02/13: Fired Faster than Greased Lightning!

So if you're San Diego Chargers general manager A.J. Smith, do you wish you'd have just promoted Cam Cameron or Wade Phillips now?

I realize it probably wasn't looking very good with a big chunk of Marty Schottenheimer's staff running off to other gigs. But given how much chatter there was about Marty getting fired after San Diego was knocked out of the playoffs, isn't it now pretty clear that the Chargers really wanted to make a coaching change, but couldn't justify it after a 14-2 regular season, and the presumption that most of the band would get back together again?

But it's not like the Chargers won't have a stack of resumes to choose from. You could argue that the talent pool is even deeper now that the Super Bowl has passed. None of this "we'll have to talk after the playoffs" junk now. Or they could just talk to the other nine candidates Jerry Jones didn't hire in Dallas.

(By the way, do you think any of the guys who pounced on the six previous openings in the NFL are kicking themselves today? What's a better gig than taking over a 14-2 team?)

Reportedly, Schottenheimer clashed with Smith and team president Alex Spanos over trying to hire his brother Kurt as defensive coordinator. I'm guessing that upon receiving Marty's request, the following sentence might have been uttered by either Smith or Spanos: "Kurt Schottenheimer? Didn't Matt Millen fire that guy?" In the two years that Marty's younger brother oversaw the Detroit Lions' defense, they finished 30th and 28th in the NFL. Of course, he would've had far better players to work with in San Diego. But nepotism should only take a guy so far, don't you think?

▪▪ As you might imagine, Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz has already been mentioned as a potential replacement for Schottenheimer. (Jay Crawford pitched his name on ESPN's "1st and 10.") But is it saying something that John Clayton has him listed last, behind four no-chance candidates, among his 12 possibilities for the job?

Friday Follow-Up #1: Forget Miami Martz?

Following Mike Martz's Wednesday night interview with the Miami Dolphins, the task now falls to Wayne Huizenga and his front office to whittle their list of 12 candidates down to a more manageable number.

(With that many candidates, this could've been a reality show. Where was ESPN on this one?)

Will Martz make the cut? Unfortunately, the magic 8-ball provides no answer.

The Detroit Free Press' Nick Cotsonika speculates that Miami may have just been picking Martz's brain, to see what he thinks of their team and how it can be improved offensively.

And the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero singled out two candidates who don't seem to fit what the Dolphins are looking for.

Tim Lewis - who was the New York Giants' defensive coordinator until today - is probably out because he favors a 4-3 scheme, which doesn't really cater to the skills of middle linebacker Zach Thomas and defensive end Jason Taylor, who earned the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award playing in the 3-4.

And then there's Martz. What are the strikes against him? 1) He doesn't care much for Daunte Culpepper, and told people the Dolphins were better off keeping Gus Frerotte. 2) He's been known to abandon the running game quickly, which might not suit a roster with Ronnie Brown and a soon-to-return Ricky Williams.

In the meantime, he's apparently waiting for the Oakland Raiders to show up on his Caller ID.

Happy Hour 01/10: Where might Mike Martz go?

Oh, sure he's going to stay in Detroit.

Actually, maybe Mike Martz really will be the Lions' offensive coordinator next season. It seems like a pretty sweet gig for him. He was greeted with celestial rays of light and rose-petal covered streets when he came to town. And Sgt. Marinelli lets him do whatever the hell he wants with the offense. He can sign and cut three wide receivers a week or get offensive line coaches fired.

Plus, if you watched a Lions game with the sound turned down this past year, you probably would've thought Martz was the head coach anyway, judging from how many times the camera shows him on the sideline.

He gets all of the credit, and none of the blame. Marinelli has to slog through those what-went-wrong-this-week press conferences. And if the offense doesn't perform, well, it's Matt Millen's fault for assembling such a piss-poor roster, right? Meanwhile, when he's not telling Mike Williams to lose weight, moving back-up QBs over to receiver, or comparing Jon Kitna to Kurt Warner, Martz can just sit in his office and draw plays with crayons on the walls.

But hey, nothing beats being the guy in charge. So we've had a few rumors swirling around Martz throughout the season. And that just feeds into Lions fans' inferiority complexes. No one believes that he'd really want to keep working for the Lions, right? Even if it means being the head coach for the Cardinals or Raiders.

Then we have the Dolphins. As soon as Nick Saban skulked out of Miami like a mouse ducking behind the fridge when you turn the lights on, Martz's name topped the list of potential replacements. And why not? He's essentially the anti-Saban, and how awesome would that offense look under the Florida sun?

Wayne Huizenga apparently thinks so, too, and while the rest of us are watching Pistons-Hornets, or Deal Or No Deal, he'll be meeting somewhere in Detroit with Martz about his currently vacant head coaching position. Since Huizenga's interviewed virtually every other candidate available, however (nine coaches, including the Rooney Rule-mandated minority prospect), I suppose it's not a certainty that Martz will be tanning with Don Shula this spring.

But c'mon, if you were Mike Martz and Huizenga came to interview you, jingling that Blockbuster change in his pocket, wouldn't you start calling realtors in South Beach? (And we already know he likes Joey Harrington - that is, if the Dolphins don't cut him.)

A Nick Saban in training?

This might be an unfair comparison to make, but when I heard the news last night that the Atlanta Falcons had hired Louisville's Bobby Petrino to be their new head coach, the first thing thought I had was, "Another Nick Saban in the making."

No, he hasn't moved around quite as much as Saban. At least not yet. I realize that coaching careers are typically nomadic, as you jump from staff to staff, trying to build your resume. But now that Petrino's made the jump from a college head coaching job to the NFL, let's see what happens.

If there's been a job opening at a school in a major conference or in the NFL, Petrino's probably been mentioned as a candidate. (Of course, this doesn't mean he actually expressed interest in the job.)

Ole Miss? Notre Dame? Florida? Washington? LSU? A particular highlight was when the Auburn athletic department snuck behind Tommy Tuberville's back to offer Petrino his job back in 2003. And last year, Al Davis offered Petrino the Oakland Raiders job (more than once), which he turned down.

If you signed up to play for Petrino at Louisville, how does it feel when your coach is attached to another job every other week? Is that just a part of doing business these days? Or do you go to a school with the hope and expectation that the man who convinced you to play for him will be there throughout your college career?

Meanwhile, the Cardinals athletic department did everything it could, burying Petrino in extra money and contract years, to get their coach to stay. Just last summer, he signed a 10-year, $25-million extension with the school. And this year, Louisville looked like a program that could (along with the Big East conference) possibly establish a presence in college football for years to come. (Would John L. Smith have left Louisville for Michigan State if he knew what might happen four years later?)

So much for that. You have to pounce while you're hot, right? Nick Saban did the same thing when he left both MSU and LSU. No one sticks around for 15-20 years anymore. Petrino has obviously kept an eye on the NFL since working in Jacksonville as an offensive coordinator, so when Atlanta offered virtually the same amount of money with half the years, he figured it was time to bolt.

I'm kind of surprised the Falcons didn't hire Ken Whisenhunt or Cam Cameron. Those guys have shown they're creative enough to do something with Michael Vick. But maybe Whisenhunt's staying with the Steelers, and Cameron could be busy with the Chargers for up to another month. And Petrino is known for innovative and explosive offenses. Anyway, they seem pretty happy with the hire in Atlanta.

However, given the recent success rate of college coaches going to the NFL, if you're an athletic director, keeping Petrino on your list might not be a bad idea. He might be available in the next couple of years, after deciding that the pros just aren't suited for him.

That gopher looks a little less golden

I'm almost a week behind on this, but I've been wanting to chime in ever since I saw the news run across the crawl on ESPN. Brian Cook and Dave Dye have already written on the subject, so let me get in line right behind them.

The University of Minnesota fired Glen Mason as its head coach? Are they insane? Has the athletic director been going out into the bitter Minneapolis cold without a hat on? Has the adminstration been reading those goofy blogs in its spare time?

I guess blowing a 31-point lead in a bowl game doesn't ensure the job security it used to.

And here I thought it was all smiles in Gopherland with a new on-campus stadium finally being approved. I could be completely off-base here, but how much support for such a project would've been generated had Mason not been so successful with the Gophers' football program in recent years? (However, that stadium may also have increased the pressure on the athletic department to bring in a more successful, higher profile coach.)

Sure, there were a couple of years there where Mason was seemingly interested in every other Big Ten job (Michigan State, Ohio State) besides his own. But does anybody else figure to finish with a winning record over 10 years at Minnesota?

Well, maybe. Apparently, some relatively impressive names are inquiring about the job. Former NC State offensive coordinator Marc Trestman (also with a number of NFL credits on his resume) has been contacted by the university. Not contacted, but most definitely interested, are LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, former University of Miami head coach Larry Coker, former Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney, and a familiar face in Minneapolis from his days with the Vikings, Mike Tice.

The only guy who isn't interested is Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy. (And really, if you were him, why would you be? Dude could win a Super Bowl this year. His NFL ticket is permanently stamped.)

Still, that's not a bad list. But would these coaches be so intrigued by the job if not for the foundation Mason had established? Minnesota is hardly a fertile recruiting territory. And until that new stadium is built (target opening date: 2009), the Gophers still have to play their home games in the sterile, spiritless setting of the Metrodome, where game-times have to be frequently shuffled along with the Twins and Vikings. Of course, as always, money could be a big part of the appeal.

So what are you going to do, Golden Gophers? The rest of the Big Ten is keeping a collectively interested eye on you...

The Slick Nick Road Show continues

Is anyone really shocked at Nick Saban's smash-and-dash to Tuscaloosa yesterday? It already has to be the least surprising development in the oh-so-fresh-and-young 2007.

This is what the man does. Any Michigan State fan could tell you that. It seemed like he had one foot out the door with a phone to his ear during his entire four-year stay in East Lansing. Saban also showed how sneaky he could be when he insisted that he didn't meet with anyone in New York about the Giants' head-coaching job. See, he actually met with them in New Jersey.

To be fair, however, though it looked like Saban left MSU hanging when he bolted for LSU, it's been revealed in the seven years since his departure that the school's administration was playing games with him and his contract.

LSU catered to Saban's ego, made him feel wanted, and offered him an opportunity to be the top dog in an area with fertile talent - something he was likely never going to be in Michigan. (And correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Saban's contract made him the highest-paid coach in college football.)

Obviously, it turned out to be the right decision. Saban proved just how good a coach he could be by winning the 2003 national title. Yet a year later (after trying for a championship repeat), he was loading up the moving trucks, bound for Miami.

I'm not nearly as familiar with the situation in Baton Rouge, but I'm sure the pattern was similar enough. Rumors of Saban leaving for the NFL began to persist, while he insisted he wasn't going anywhere. Maybe he talked about his love for LSU, and how Baton Rouge was the best place for his family. He'd won the national championship and recruits continued to stream in - why would he go anyplace else?

Of course, a big, fat contract ($5 million per year) from Wayne Huizenga and the promise of total control over football operations can do a lot to change a man's mind.

Maybe it was time for Saban to go, anyway. What more could he achieve? He put in five years. He got a national title. It could only go downhill from there, right? Coaches typically have nomadic resumes, but Saban's (especially with his time in the NFL) seemed to indicate that he wasn't too interested in hunkering down in one place for 10-15 years. He's a mercenary football coach. And if you've got the money, Slick Nick is interested.

Sure, he'll act offended at such a notion. How can he maintain credibility with his players while preaching the virtues of integrity and character?

Back in his office, however, he apparently just can't say no when someone begins flirting. Saban's like that man or woman you know who's happily married, with seemingly everything you could want (house, kids, great job, etc.), yet feels the need to go to the bar (wedding ring tucked away in pocket, of course) to see if he or she still "has it."

And that's what's so outrageous about his behavior over the past week. You've heard the sound bites on TV and sports talk radio constantly over the past 24 hours.

"I guess I have to say it. I'm not going to be the Alabama coach. ... I don't control what people say. I don't control what people put on dot-com or anything else. So I'm just telling you there's no significance, in my opinion, about this..."

Hey, he's not going anywhere! So quit asking him about it! He's looking at you dead in the eye and telling you how it stands, man! Why are you even bringing this stuff up?!

Yet once again, back in his office, he's setting up interviews with the University of Alabama. Oh, just to hear what they have to say, right? Please. Anyone who's familiar with Saban's history knows that he was leaving the Dolphins as soon as that meeting was scheduled. Otherwise, why not just say no? Wait a minute - how much money was the Crimson Tide offering?

And there you go. It's that kind of phony indignation, saying one thing while clearly intending another, that has people so outraged. Even the Miami Herald's reporters, filing supposedly unbiased news stories, couldn't help but let some of their cynicism and venom sneak into their prose. (Even Dan Le Batard was apoplectic, and he lets everyone off the hook. Oh, if only Saban had been busted with guns or steroids. Or decided to take a marijuana-fueled sabbatical. Then he'd probably be "misunderstood" in Le Batard's eyes.)

Sure, it's not entirely about the money. (But c'mon, let's be real here.) It's about control, being able to mold a program to suit your beliefs. It's about having a true position of authority over 18-to-23-year-olds, and forging boys into men, as opposed to catering to adults raking in a ton of cash from professional contracts.

But it's also about being perceived as a savior, which is obviously intoxicating to Saban. Alabama is a historically elite college football program that has consistently shot itself in the foot looking for the next Bear Bryant. (While I'm at it, why did they fire Gene Stallings? Was one national title not enough?)

The possibility of being the guy to finally bring glory back to Alabama - along with $32 million, of course - was just too good to turn down. Especially when it appears that Saban was in over his head in the NFL. (Maybe that mess-up with instant replay in Week 1 this season told us all we needed to know.) College football clearly suits him better.

But kudos to Alabama. They got the best guy we didn't (but should've) realize was available, and it will be worth the trouble. Saban will very likely bring another national championship to Tuscaloosa. He's very good at what he does; just look at his record. However, it's worth noting this to Tide fans: If you think Slick Nick is sticking around for the duration of that eight-year contract, you haven't been paying attention. You'll learn. Oh, you'll learn.

The Stanford stepping stone?

Keep an eye on him as he rises through the coaching ranks, from San Diego on up to Stanford.

Yesterday, former Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh was hired as the Cardinal's head coach. And a job at a Division I program looks like an excellent point from which to jump toward the position that many Wolverines fans hope is his eventual destination.

Is there a set of headphones being kept warm for Harbaugh in Ann Arbor? I'm certainly among those hoping so, and said as much in one of the very first posts on this blog (which wasn't nearly the original idea I may have thought it was at the time).

His 29-6 record at San Diego was certainly impressive, though some will surely wait to see what he can achieve at the Pac-10 level before declaring him bona fide. For me, however, the Bob Bowlsby stamp of approval is enough for me. As athletic director at Iowa, Bowlsby hired Kirk Ferentz, which says to me that his eye for coaching talent is quite sharp. So if Harbaugh's good enough for him, he might just be pretty damn good.

▪▪ If you haven't read it already, Brian Cook has taken a closer look at Harbaugh and the Stanford job over at the AOL Fanhouse.

▪▪ And here's what Jake Curtis of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks of the hire.

While we were sleeping...

It appears that Michigan State University hired a new head football coach. By the time you read this, it may have already happened (and you surely go elsewhere on the internet and blogosphere to read anything MSU-related, as this might be the first Spartans-related item I've written here).

But if you've been keeping track of this thing, there have been quite a few bouncing balls to follow. LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. Miami Dolphins' receivers coach Charlie Baggett. (Surely, the rumor mill surged around him this weekend, with the Dolphins in Detroit.) Philadelphia Eagles' QB coach Pat Shurmur.

Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator Todd Grantham seemed like he was the guy a couple of weeks ago, and an announcement was just a formality. Then he was out (possibly because MSU was dragging its feet on a decision). Then he may have been in again. But now, he's out.

Some people wanted Central Michigan head coach Brian Kelly, who built a Division II powerhouse at Grand Valley State and is seen by many as a fast-rising coaching star. But it looks like he's going to take the job at Iowa State. (Having lived in Iowa, I'll say that Iowa State isn't a better job than MSU, but it could be a better stepping stone. And given the way the Big 12 is set up, the Cyclones probably have a better chance to contend faster in the conference's North division.)

Am I missing anyone else? Former Detroit Lions coach (now NFL Total Access co-host) Steve Mariucci? Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong? New York Jets' running back coach Jimmy Raye?

Oh yeah - the guy MSU is actually going to hire: Cincinnati head coach Mark Dantonio. The Enlightened Spartan says so. So does the Detroit News.

And given his pedigree - with names like Saban and Tressel on it, and the gold star of being Ohio State's defensive coordinator for its 2002 national championship team - he might just be exactly the right choice for the Spartans. He was at Michigan State during its most recent run of success. He has all kinds of recruiting ties in the Midwest, and understands this area. He's a defensive guy, not someone who's going to bring in some wacky gimmick offense.

But it's the Tressel and Ohio State points on his resume that might be most important (at least from a Michigan fan's point of view). And that bit of nervousness is what makes MSU alumni like my buddy (and former roommate) Rob pretty happy about the choice. Of course, that could depend on what Dantonio says in his introductory press conference, and whether or not he chooses to define his program in comparison to Michigan.

EDIT (10 a.m.): It's now official, according to the Lansing State Journal. No fireworks, no politics - the MSU Board of Trustees approved Dantonio smoothly (which was hardly a given, according to rumblings, with up to three different factions pushing their preferred head coaching candidate). The new coach has a five-year (rolling) deal, worth $1.1 million a year.

Lions presser post-mortem

Well, I was a bit disappointed by that press conference, if only because I was hoping (and expecting) some antagonism between Matt Millen and the media. Remember how the press attacked Mike Ilitch and Randy Smith when Phil Garner was hired as the Tigers' manager? Now that was a press conference. Of course, the late Joe Falls was on hand that day to demand some answers. Maybe that's what was missed in Allen Park today. Either that, or Millen's just too big, too scary a guy to take on.

You never know; Millen could pounce from behind that podium and attack someone. He still has that ruthless linebacker look in his eyes. At least when he's not sheepishly defending his 20-55 record as Lions president and general manager.

Hoo boy. 20-55? Wow, that doesn't look good at all - especially when you type it out like that. That had to have been the pink elephant in the room. And as far as I could tell while watching the press conference, the Detroit News' Bob Wojnowski was the first (and maybe only) one to point it out, asking Millen what mistakes he thought he'd made during his five years in Detroit.

But the press conference made it official: Steve Mariucci is out as Lions coach. Dick Jauron is the interim replacement. And Greg Olson will call the plays as offensive coordinator. In his brief remarks to the press, Jauron practically read from the sports cliche handbook, flatly stating that the Lions "had five more games, and would play them one at a time." However, I was intrigued by his comments that the defense performed poorly on Thursday because players were "freelancing," rather than working within the system.

Millen denied that any "emergency meeting" was called after the Thanksgiving Day massacre vs. Atlanta, saying that the decision was made this morning. Why did he wait?

"I was angry after that game," he said. "It was disturbing to watch. I did not want to make that decision based on anger."

After lamenting how difficult the decision was, based on Mariucci's quality as a person, Millen made it quite clear why a coaching change was made. He believes the roster is "capable of making a playoff run." He twice stated that the staff has "not developed our younger players, and that’s bothersome."

"The talent is there," he said. "And it hasn't played up to that level."

When asked whether a new coach should tailor his system toward the available players, or make the roster play his system, Millen said, "I think every coach has to adapt to what you have, and what you get."

There you go. In his eyes, Millen did his job. He brought in good players. But Mariucci didn't do his job. He didn't win games.

Of course, if the Lions have to hold another one of these press conferences in the near future, there won't be much question as to whether or not Millen did his job well.

10 days later

Ultimately, firing Alan Trammell was the right move for the Detroit Tigers. I know that. Only someone who grew up totally idolizing the man, wears a Tram jersey four days a week, and still has posters of the man taped all over his bedroom (or den) walls would completely deny that a change had to be made.

I certainly acknowledge that the Tigers' abysmal record can't be entirely blamed on Trammell. Due to injuries, he never had his best lineup together for more than a handful of games. Having players like Carlos Guillen, Rondell White, Magglio Ordonez, and Troy Percival healthy for a full season likely would've pushed the Tigers closer to a .500 record.

(Photo by Steve Perez/ The Detroit News)

But losing control of the team after Kyle Farnsworth was traded to Atlanta was Trammell's biggest failing as manager. The players interpreted the deal as giving up on the season, an excuse which consumed the team and overwhelmed Trammell's management skills. Pudge Rodriguez became a petulant diva and set his own rules for himself, which was best displayed by his "vacation" to Colombia during his four-game suspension in August.

Once you let your employees walk all over you, you just can't be an effective boss. In college football, the worst thing that can happen to a program is for the NCAA to cite it for "lack of institutional control." That's exactly what happened with the Tigers; Trammell lost control of his team.

But though I generally agree with the move, there are few things still rattling around in my brain that I need to dump out.

♦ When Trammell was originally hired, I was happy to see him back in a Tigers uniform. Really, who wasn't? Yet I felt an underlying sadness, because it seemed rather obvious how this was all going to end. Tram was eventually going to be fired, an indignity one of the Tigers' greatest players didn't deserve. Unless he proved to be a managerial genius, the second coming of Tony LaRussa, a first-time manager guiding a youthful, inexperienced team looked like a potentially toxic combination. And with everyone learning on the job, the 2003 Detroit Tigers were almost historically bad. At times, it seemed like Tram was learning his craft and getting a handle on the job. But eventually, his inexperience just couldn't overcome the many screaming failures this team was burdened with. The inevitably sad ending came to pass.

♦ To me, the most troubling aspect of Trammell's firing and Jim Leyland's hiring is the total traveshamockery of a charade General Manager Dave Dombrowski perpetrated when he crammed two quickie interviews with Juan Samuel and Bruce Fields (whom I'd argue could've been named manager instead of Trammell) in the hours before Leyland arrived in Detroit. Major League Baseball, in the interests of equal opportunity, prefers its teams to open up its interviewing process and give minority candidates an opportunity to pursue managerial positions.

Of course, I agree with this policy, in principle. But in practice, it doesn't seem to work. Especially when teams subvert the policy by squeezing in a couple of token interviews before hiring the guy they wanted all along. It was almost comical when Dombrowski admitted that he interviewed Samuel immediately after firing Trammell. He may as well have been holding up a sign that said "Loophole, people!" Dombrowski will say that he had to act fast, before another team courted Leyland, and his actions certainly support that. How fortunate that he had Samuel and Fields on hand to bail him out.

♦ The Detroit News' Tigers beat writer, Tom Gage, astutely pointed out how tiresome this whole hire-and-fire process has become for owner Mike Ilitch. "This time he looked ... bored," Gage wrote. And I'm sure he was. Along with having to fire a man who a generation of Tigers fans idolized, Ilitch had to face the embarrassment of admitting yet another failure and making yet another managerial change. (I also think he had to face the embarrassment of going out in public with that hairpiece. Are you looking at that picture? Damn. How can a rich guy have such bad hair?)

He even tried to pull the ol' Red Wings card (Hey, remember how many Stanley Cups we've won?) by comparing Jim Leyland's hiring to the Wings' hiring of Scotty Bowman.

Let's see, how can I say this most succinctly? No. Let me elaborate. No, no, no. No, no. Bowman has nine Stanley Cup championships. Jim Leyland has five winning seasons. That's not to diminish Leyland's accomplishments. He won a World Series title in 1997 and is easily the best manager the Tigers have had since Sparky Anderson. The Tigers aren't going to lose games because the manager sat the wrong guy or made an incorrect decision within a game. And he has the gravitas to stand up to Pudge when he's acting like a spoiled rich girl who has to drive a Honda instead of a Lexus. But Leyland is not Scotty Bowman. I know that's not exactly what Ilitch said, but he did try to draw the comparison to make himself look better, and needs to be called out on it.

♦ A guy who's been in Detroit for a grand total of four years (Dombrowski) was allowed to dismiss a Tigers legend, one of only three men who played in this town for 20 years. If you grew up in the late-70s or early-80s, Trammell was probably the best Tigers player you ever watched. Getting fired by a relative outsider - when it comes to the Detroit Tigers - just doesn't seem fair.