I honestly thought that Jon Gruden would stay with MNF for one year, and then roll out to a team in need of a head coach (*ahem* Redskins!), but that's definitely not the case. Gruden has signed a multi-year deal to stay with the network....

Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden, who joined ESPN in May as a Monday Night Football analyst, has agreed to an exclusive multi-year agreement with the company. Gruden has made a commitment to remain with ESPN.

In addition to his MNF role alongside play-by-play commentator Mike Tirico and analyst Ron Jaworski, Gruden will appear on ESPN’s NFL Draft and Super Bowl week coverage, among other platforms, and he will call the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl in South Florida on January 31, 2010. Gruden will serve as an analyst for ESPN Radio’s 2010 Rose Bowl and Bowl Championship Series (BCS) title game broadcasts, where he will team with Tirico, and he will be part of SportsCenter coverage leading up to the ESPN on ABC telecasts of both games.

"Working with Mike, Jaws and our entire Monday Night Football team is the most fun I have had in years, and I am fired up to make this long-term commitment to ESPN," said Gruden. “Monday Night Football is special and I look forward to remaining a part of it and continuing to call these great games.”

While there's no mention of a "coaching clause", there's no reason to believe he'd re-sign if he wanted to immediately return to coaching. I'm still conflicted on how I feel about him as an announcer, but the move makes sense for ESPN. Even though there are times when he goes overboard with emotion and analogies, he's still better than Kornheiser.

Former MLB Manager, Bobby Valentine, has spent what seems like a lifetime coaching in Japan, but that could be changing soon. According to the NY Daily News, are return to the States is a "done deal", and that his employer will be ESPN....

Television industry and baseball sources say Valentine, completing his final season as manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Pacific League, is on the verge of signing a lucrative multi-year deal with ESPN.

Valentine, no doubt carrying his bag of disguises, will likely make his debut at the network working in its "Baseball Tonight" studio during next month's playoffs.

"It's a done deal," one source said. "And it should be announced soon."

This would mark Valentine's second tour of duty in Bristol. In 2003, he replaced Buck Showalter in ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" studio.

Again, I don't know why they need to add yet ANOTHER analyst, but Valentine's hiring will sure make a splash for the Playoffs. I remember him having a few problems back in 2003, but he's done so much TV since then, that it shouldn't be a problem this go around.

Bobby Valentine close to making return to TV, nears deal with ESPN (NY Daily News)

Last year, Doug Collins was all set to coach the Chicago Bulls, when he suddenly decided to take his name out of consideration. Apparently this year he'll be doing the same thing to the 76ers. Doug Collins told the Associated Press yesterday that he had talked to the 6ers, and that there was mutual interest, but during the game he decided to complete contradict that statement....

TNT analyst Doug Collins apologized to Philadelphia 76ers president Ed Stefanski for mistakenly saying he spoke to the team about its open coaching job.

Collins had told The Associated Press on Tuesday night before Game 5 of the Rockets-Lakers series he had talked with the Sixers about their vacancy "like two or three times."

"Whatever they want to do, they know where I am if they want to call," he said.

Collins, a former NBA coach, then backtracked on his original comments during the game and denied speaking with Stefanski.

"I have not spoken to them. And I want them to understand that," Collins said on TV. "I feel very badly if there was a miscommunication there at all."

He added: "I apologize to Eddie Stefanski if they felt like I was putting something out there that was not true."

I can understand if used the term "mutual interest", but to say you've talked two or three times is not just a "miscommunication", it's a "misrepresentation". And a pretty egregious one at that.

Collins backs off talk on 76ers vacancy (AP)

I've long enjoyed the Coors Light coaching commercials. Well, I take that back. I enjoy the coaches part, but the actors who play the dudes in the crowd are terrible. They should really just play the original clip and be done with it. Anyway, ESPN analyst Herm Edwards will be the latest to get a commercial, and naturally it will feature his famous "You play to win the game!" speech, from 2002. Via Sports Business Journal....

Former Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets coach Herm Edwards is the latest coach to sign on for the Coors Light team. Edwards, now an ESPN football analyst, will join the lineup of former NFL coaches whose press conference clips are used in ads touting the NFL’s official beer. Other coaches in the series have included Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh and Brian Billick. Bill Cowher, another Super Bowl-winning former coach, turned down an opportunity to appear in the campaign. The campaign, from Draft FCB, uses actual press conference footage to construct fake exchanges between the former coaches and Coors Light fanatics posing as reporters.

I can't wait. Now if there was only a way to get a message to Coors that the douchebags in the crowd need to not be involved. Oh and just for old times sake, let's relive that wonderful moment in Jets' history....


Herm Edwards joining Coors Light’s ‘postgame’ press room (Sports Business Journal - $)

Isiah Thomas conducted his first major interview with ESPN this afternoon, and the former Knicks coach talked about everything from his Golf game, to chatting with Bob Knight, to his desire to "build something from the ground up". But the best part of the interview was by far Chris McKendry springing questions on him about the sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him, and even his supposed suicide attempt. McKendry even flat out asked him if it was a suicide attempt, and Thomas couldn't say that it wasn't. Here's the clip....

Well that was certainly awkward, but great job by McKendry in asking the tough questions. I still find it out that he didn't address the suicide thing when it happened, but if the man says he wants to live, you have to take him on his word. Oh and as far as him coaching, I guess building something from the ground up is much easier if you haven't spent years destroying it. There is something to hiring a big name like Isiah coaching in the College game though. I'm sure some kids would attend on name recognition alone.

Got a note from ESPN that I had to watch the start of PTI today, and they were not lying. Kornheiser and Wilbon are breaking the news that the John Calipari to Kentucky deal is reportedly of because Rick Pitino was completing a "backdoor" deal at the time of Calipari's press conference today. Check the video....

If you remember, PTI tried something similar last April, but the attempt at fooling people that they were replaying the end of an NCAA Tournament game didn't really work. I have to admit to all of you, that even though I'm not a fan of April Fool's Day, that one was pretty good.

Oh and I have to also admit that I fell for it too (bastards!).

Bob Knight has said recently, that he enjoys his analyst role at ESPN and that he wasn't itching to get back into coaching. Well, at least until the Georgia job came available. The original report came over the weekend from the AJC, but now even ESPN is commenting on the situation....

I don't know why Knight would want to take on a team that's a work in progress, and one that definitely won't be making the Tourney, but I guess you never forget your first love. Georgia would be crazy not to hire him and Dickie V certainly agrees....

"I don't even know if he would take a job but I know Georgia has a lot of positives going for it in the scenario there and I think he'd be interested, I really do, but I can't speak for Bob Knight," Vitale, who works with Knight as an ESPN college basketball analyst, said in a telephone interview.

"To me it's no contest, if Bobby Knight is interested in Georgia basketball it's no contest," Vitale said. "He's so good I'd come with him as an assistant. I'd be his chauffeur."

Bob Knight interested in UGA job (AJC)
Vitale says Georgia should hire Bob Knight (International Herald Tribune)

Herm Edwards was said to be taking a year off, but that will just be from coaching. The former Jets and KC Coach will be joining ESPN starting in mid-February, and will be under contract for one year. Via ESPN PR....

Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards is joining ESPN as a NFL studio analyst. Edwards will appear on NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPNEWS and other programs throughout the year in addition to contributing analysis on ESPN Radio and other platforms. He is scheduled to start in mid February.

A head coach for the last eight NFL seasons, Edwards coached the New York Jets from 2001-05 and most recently the Chiefs (2006-08). He led his teams to four playoff appearances, including 2004 when his Jets squad finished with a 10-6 regular season record and advanced to the AFC Divisional Playoffs. Edwards, who also guided the Chiefs to a Wild Card berth in 2006, is one of only four NFL coaches to lead two different teams to the playoffs in his first season as head coach with those teams.

“Herm is well-liked and highly respected throughout the league, and his insights and opinions as a former coach will make a tremendous addition to our year-round NFL coverage,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, production.

Edwards, who worked a brief stint at ESPN during the 2008 NFL offseason as a guest analyst, added: "I'm excited about the opportunity to join the ESPN team and offer my insight as a former player and head coach. I'm going to be truthful with my opinions on all the issues that take place on and off the field of play."

I wasn't a fan of Edwards' brief stint on ESPN in 2008, but that was mainly because current coaches and players are afraid to say anything controversial while still in the league. Hopefully Herm can provide a little bit more this go around, and the addition of another NFL analyst can mean the eventual dropping of a current someone who doesn't belong on the network (*ahem* Emmitt *ahem*)

It's not unusual for reporters at any level to get into tiffs with certain teams, but it's rare that it happens with the same team multiple times in a season. The Raiders gotten into it with Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, and ESPN a few times, during the 2008 season, but their latest feud with Chris Mortensen is getting really interesting.

Recently, Mort reported that the the Oakland Raiders were negotiating with a controversial investor, and the Raiders issued a statement that the story was completely false. Mortensen then decided to naturally do what any good reporter would do. He said that taking to him is a "privilege" and that the Raiders have lost said "privilege". Via the Associated Press....

"The Raiders have lost the privilege with me of running stories past them for comment," the e-mail [from Mortensen] stated. "This stems from their history of denials to most stories I have reported -- as well as others in the media -- when those stories have eventually proven to be true. The latest example is I reported that Al Davis planned to interview Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and, of course, the story was trashed by a team spokesman."

Mortensen has since clarified that privilege was the wrong word to use, but also added that the team, "repeatedly diminished and discouraged efforts to reach out for an official comment based on the repeated denials of prior stories."

While I also agree that the word privilege was the wrong word to use, his statement about the team is certainly true. Certain teams will never regain prominence, or attain it for the first time, until their Owners are ousted. Al Davis is unfortunately one of those at the top of the list.

Raiders talk with Gilbride about coaching opening (AP)

I know I overuse the words seriously and apparently, but I can't stress that above seriously enough. Marshall Faulk honestly and truly (new words!) wants to be the Rams next head coach. Seriously....no joke. Via PFT....

In an excellent Monday Night Countdown segment in which ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reviewed the status of various embattled head coaches, Mort mentoned that former Rams running back Marshall Faulk wants to be the next head coach of the team.

Seriously. [Ed note: Sweet useage!]

Our take? The dude has been hanging around Deion Sanders too much.

As you might recall, Sanders tried a couple of years ago to throw his fedora into the ring for the Falcons job — with zero experience in coaching or personnel evaluation and/or management.

Faulk, like Deion, simply doesn’t have the credentials to be a head coach. He could be an assistant coach, and then he could gradually learn the side of the business he never saw while he was a player. And then after working his way up the ladder and gaining some experience he might be ready to become a candidate for a head-coaching job.

I missed the segment last night, and no other source has picked up on this besides PFT and Rotoworld, soooooo we might be looking at another Chris Mortensen "exaggeration" here. Obviously I agree with Florio's statement above, but really anyone could probably do better than what Linehan and Jim Haslett combined to do this year.

Plus, anything that can be done to make sure I never have to endure Deion Sanders and Faulk calling a game again is definitely a good thing.

What The Faulk? (Pro Football Talk)

Charles Barkley has said and done a lot of controversial things in his days, but his latest comments might bring about the most change. Contrary to popular belief, I don't agree with everything Barkley says, but on this issue I don't see how you can't. Barkley stirred the pot recently and he went on the Dan Patrick Show to apologize to new Auburn Head Coach, Gene Chizik, and to reiterate the need to hire Black Coaches....

Look....it's OBVIOUS that College Football programs aren't hiring Black Coaches. It's even more OBVIOUS that Turner Gill needs to be picked up somewhere and soon, but until either someone at a large University makes a stand or players boycott places like Auburn, nothing is going to change. And that's pretty depressing if you ask me. Your grand total of Black Coaches in Division 1-A is four....four people out of one hundred and twenty. Unbelievable.

Oh and be sure to listen to the rest of the interview, and especially the part when Barkley explains how he was kicked off the Auburn Basketball coach search committee. Hilarious story.

Barkley upset at colleges' racial bias (Dan Patrick Show)

The reaction of the Auburn faithful to the hiring of Gene Chizik as head coach has been nothing short of an overwhelming tide of bile directed at athletic director Jay Jacobs. Track 'Em Tigers has been in shock and the commenters at the Birmingham News sports section are livid.

Jacobs even got heckled at the airport as he walked over to take some questions from a reporter.



See you tomorrow for the day in the NFL and more.

"EPIC FAIL" does not begin to describe a coaching search that should never have existed, yet ends in the hiring of your school's former defensive coordinator, who has been an absolute joke of a head coach in the red-headed stepchild of a division that is the Big XII North.

This is what you parted ways with Tommy Tuberville for, Auburn? Gene Effing Chizik? Seriously?

Turner Gill was there for the taking after leading Buffalo to a MAC championship and an 8-5 record, beating the previously undefeated Ball State in the process. Mike Leach could have been money-whipped away from Texas Tech after his 11-1 season. Charlie Strong has been running the defense at Florida for YEARS, dying for a crumb and a shot at a respectable head coaching gig.

But no, ESPN reports AD Jay Jacobs will hire a man who is 5-19 in his head coaching career to run an SEC program -- please put the necessary emphasis here, because the piece is based on "sources", not any official word, and I'll happily revoke and apologize for this post if the article it's based on turns out to be complete bunk. But even the mere rumor of hiring Chizik for anything more than D-coordinator is utterly laughable, and will provide nothing but unwanted guffawing from the fans of all other SEC teams -- especially considering that he's a defensive guy! Defense is not the problem with Auburn.

Auburn fans don't get to laugh at Tennessee for hiring Lane Kiffin after this is made official. At least there is a semblance of upside for Kiffykins. I don't know how Auburn can spin this, and let's set the O/U on Jacobs and booster Bobby Lowder trying to secretly lure another coach a la the Petrino jet scandal at 2 years.

Update: Read Auburn Undercover's Philip Marshall for more on this. If I were Gill, I'd be furious -- and I'd be thinking I got passed over because I was black and I didn't coach at Auburn previously, not because of actual credentials or record.

Auburn Tigers hire Gene Chizik [ESPN]

I think most Philly fans probably saw it coming with a 9-14 record to start the season after making a major coup in free agency by signing Elton Brand away from the Clippers, but coach Maurice Cheeks got the ax today. Somewhat sad because there's no better story than a former franchise PG who won a 'chip leading the guys back to respectability, but the expectations are much higher than that with Brand in town and the Eastern Conference in flux if you're not the Celts, Pistons, or Cavs. Tony DiLeo, one of the Sixers' front office guys, will take over on an interim basis.

What's interesting to see is how the 76ers are the latest team to can their coach with about a quarter of the season down, as the Minnesota Timberwolves axed Randy Wittman from his thankless job (he could have been a miracle worker and he wouldn't have gone to the playoffs with that roster). Kevin McHale, once again avoiding blame for the T'Wolves failures in a way Matt Millen would envy, is on the bench for the rest of the season -- and hopefully owner Glen Taylor made an Isiah-like bargain with him. Eddie Jordan wasn't long for the Wizards, and he got canned as soon as it was clear the team was still struggling with the concept of defense.

The power battle between Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo and coach Sam Mitchell came to a head long ago; Colangelo was just waiting for an excuse to fire Mitchell and bring in his own coach -- a subpar start provided good ocver. This is practically a hockey-like ratio that's appearing in pro basketball right now, and I'm trying to figure out personally why this is the case. A lot of it in hockey has to do with GMs who have coached or played before and know the sport, and maybe we're seeing more and more of that in the NBA, with the impatience coming from the "win now" demand.

Well, back to Mo, though, and we should all remember him, at the very least for being a class act and helping someone with the National Anthem during his tenure. Still a cool thing to do.



Sixers coach Mo Cheeks fired [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Could it be possible that ESPN has two....count them....two employees who only work on-air for Hockey segments? Well according to the Dallas Morning News, via Going Five Hole, that's exactly what the "Leader" will do when they decide to give Barry Melrose his job back following his recent firing from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Looks like Barry Melrose, fired after 16 games in his return to coaching this season, is moving back to Bristol. I think this is breaking news. I don't know because I seldom recognize it.

Melrose worked 12 years as an ESPN hockey analyst after coaching the Los Angeles Kings. The Tampa Bay Lightning thought so much of his work, it hired him to coach the team this season. That gig lasted about one-fifth of a season. Melrose's new ESPN deal is for three years.

Well that's nice that in this economy, Melrose has a spot reserved for him at his former employer. In all seriousness, if anyone is going to work with new hire Matthew Barnaby on the network, it has to be Melrose. He's an ESPN staple at this point, so welcome back, Barry.

In other hockey news, Sean Avery has issued an apology for his remarks, but will unlikely be staying with the Stars. Here is his statement on the matter....

"I would like to sincerely apologize for my off-color remarks to the press yesterday from Calgary. I should not have made those comments and I recognize that they were inappropriate. It was a bad attempt to build excitement for the game, but I am now acutely aware of how hurtful my actions were. I caused unnecessary embarrassment to my peers as well as people I have been close with in the past. I apologize for offending the great fans of the NHL, the Commissioner, my teammates, my coaching staff and the Dallas Stars Management and Ownership. As many of you know, I like to mix it up on and off the ice from time to time, but understand that this time I took it too far."

Sean Avery Apologizes (Dallas Observer)
Barry Melrose headed back to ESPN (Dallas Morning News)
Barry Melrose Headed Back to ESPN (Going Five Hole)

I've seen some crazy coaching moves over my years, but this one takes the cake. Shutdown Corner wrote yesterday about how the Raiders called timeout with one second left in the first half to attempt a 76-yard?!?! field goal and we now have the video evidence. Lane Kiffin actually had timeouts left in the first half of yesterday's game against the Chargers. With :20 seconds left in the stanza, Jamarcus Russell hit Michael Bush over the middle to get to the Oakland 42. Much to Jim Nantz and Phil Simms surprise, Kiffin decides against a spike, or calling a timeout right away, just to then decide to use a timeout with :01 left so Janikowski could attempt this ridiculous kick....

"The wind is in his face."- Phil Simms
"Unimaginable."- Jim Nantz

I still can't stop laughing. After adding seven yards for the snap, the ball was spotted just shy of Oakland's 35-yard line! That's further than an f'ing kickoff!!! Either Lane Kiffin absolutely had no idea where they were on the field, or he was just completely trying to piss off Al Davis. Either way, the result was awesome. Janikowski didn't even get it to the goalline and with Cromartie back there, that just heightened the idiocy of the decision. Unbelievable.

When Norv Turner is out-coaching you on the other sideline.....it's time to just quit.

I passed the story along to you back at the end of May, but it's now official (and you doubted me...tsk tsk). Barry Melrose is leaving ESPN to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning and ESPN is giving him a heroes departure. Every Sports Center anchor is praising his work as they talk about the story and here is a little clip they put together that they've dubbed "The Best of Barry"....

I know that Hockey has taken a backseat over at ESPN as of late but the best thing they ever did was keep Melrose around. He loves the game and did so even when the network he worked for didn't. Good for you Barry and good luck.

Barry Melrose Could Be Leaving ESPN For Tampa Bay (Awful Announcing)

This whole Doug Collins to coach the Bulls was weird from the start and now the TNT analyst isn't going to be leaving the booth to coach Chicago. Reports surfaced yesterday that John Paxson was waiting on word from Jerry Reinsdorf to approve a deal, but Reinsdorf was upset with Collins for breaking the news of his trade to the media. Today Collins decided he's waited long enough.....

Doug Collins is a heart-on-his-sleeve type of guy, so when he and his wife, Kathy, sat down for breakfast at their Scottsdale, Ariz., home Friday morning, the obvious didn't need to be said.

Collins wouldn't be returning for a second coaching stint with the Bulls.

A 15-minute phone call with Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf later Friday afternoon confirmed what the longtime friends already knew: Reinsdorf had too many reservations about entering into another business association with somebody he might have to fire.

"I just knew over the last few days that Jerry was really struggling over whether or not to do this, and I didn't want Jerry to have those struggles," Collins said in a telephone interview. "I love him. And I didn't want him feeling that kind of angst.

So I guess that's that. We're stuck with Doug Collins for another season at TNT, but he's surprisingly gotten more tolerable these days.

Change of heart: Doug Collins will not return to Bulls (Chicago Tribune)

Sports by Brooks has a set of quotes from an interview that Tim Hardaway did with the Palm Beach Post expressing his displeasure with the Heat's Front Office for not making him a coach....

“For some reason, I don’t know why, I’m not able to be with them. … I don’t know what’s going on there....

I’ve talked to Pat (Riley) Had great conversations with him. Don’t know why I’m not there. I’ve been trying for three or four years now. Don’t know why I’m not there. It’s kind of frustrating to me because I know I can help them out with that type of stuff — scouting, helping out with the guys, making sure they understand what they need to do.

It’s kind of frustrating to have my expertise around and willing to help and they’re not calling.”

Okay that actually made me laugh out loud there. You don't know why Timmy? Really??? I'm all for giving people second chances, but if you can't figure out why a team won't hire a known homophobe (whether he still is or isn't) in a town with a rather large Gay and Lesbian Community....then I don't know if you deserve that chance. People continue to amaze me everyday.

Tim Hardaway Just Can’t Get That Coaching Job (Sports by Brooks)

Yet another analyst is going back to his coaching roots, but this time at ESPN. Hockey analyst Barry Melrose and his fabulous mullet are reportedly heading to Tampa Bay and will the new Coach of the Lightning....

Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - Barry Melrose will reportedly take over for John Tortorella behind the Tampa Bay Lightning bench within the next few days.

The Toronto Star reported Friday that the former Los Angeles Kings coach will be named as a replacement for Tortorella, who has yet to be fired by the Lightning.

Melrose, who is currently a featured NHL analyst for ESPN, has not coached a team since he left the Kings in the 1994-95 season. In the 1992-93 season, he helped guide the team to its first and only Stanley Cup Finals appearance, which the team lost in five games to the Montreal Canadiens. However, Los Angeles failed to make the playoffs in the next two seasons.

I'm sure Melrose has always wanted to Coach, but it's kind of bad timing as ESPN has decided to devote more coverage to the Sport as of late. I guess that leaves John Buccigross as the only Hockey guy left at the "Leader".

Melrose in, Tortorella out in Tampa Bay (Seattle P-I)