Tuesday Night Update

I've been inexcusably sidetracked by the day job to comment on the doings in the National Football League, so let's catch up.

Tuna Retires

When all signs, and media reports, were pointing to Parcells returning to the Dallas Cowboys sidelines in 2007, the Tuna threw a curve-ball and abruptly retired as an NFL head coach...again. This is hardly the first time Parcells has retired, and once again, he did so with one season remaining on his contract.

Parcells took the Cowboys to the playoffs twice in his four years as head coach, with both trips ending in road losses.

Mac's Take: This isn't a surprise to me. When Jerry Jones signed enigmatic WR Terrell Owens in the off-season, without Parcells' input, he inadvertently created a situation that could've prompted Parcells to "retire". Owens and Parcells never saw eye to eye, and his one season of dealing with the circus that is Terrell Owens was enough to leave Parcells longing towards spending his days at the track up in Saratoga Springs, New York.

No candidates have been named, but the Tennessee Titans reportedly refused to grant permission for Dallas to talk to their head coach, Jeff Fisher. Rumors have linked New England head coach Bill Belichick to the post, but there's little chance Bob Kraft will allow him to permission to speak to Jerry Jones. It's also unlikely that Lord Belichick will be interested in riding Parcells' coat-tails, though many in the media still perceive that's the nature of Parcells and Belichick's relationship.

Pittsburgh Hires Mike Tomlin

In 1969, the Pittsburgh Steelers hired 37-year old Chuck Noll to be their head coach. Four Lombardi trophies, and 23 seasons later, Noll retired and was replaced by 34-year old Bill Cowher. One Lombardi trophy and 15 seasons later, Cowher retired.

Enter Mike Tomlin, the 34-year old defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings.

Mac's Take: This was a solid, and slightly curious, hire by the Steelers. The top two candidates were thought to be Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm, two in-house candidates from the Cowher regime. When Whisenhunt accepted the head coaching job in Arizona, Grimm appeared to be the top candidate.

On Sunday, the Steelers made it official and announced that Mike Tomlin was their guy. Tomlin ran a 4-3 defense in Minnesota, but the retention of defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau indicates that dramatic changes aren't likely to occur in '07.

Hope in the Desert?

As mentioned above, the Arizona Cardinals hired Ken Whisenhunt to a 4-year contract to be their head coach. Today, Whisenhunt made a huge hire when he added Russ Grimm to be the Cardinals offensive line coach.

The main problem in Arizona hasn't been a lack of offensive talent, it's been the offensive line. Russ Grimm is the caliber of coach that can make an immediate impact on his charges. If Arizona can protect Matt Leinart and open holes for Edgerrin James, the notion that the Arizona Cardinals can win the NFC West isn't so far-fetched.

Another Bengal Earns His Stripes

Rookie cornerback Johnathan Joseph has finally showed his teammates that he's one of them. Joseph was arrested for possession of marijuana, making him the 9th Cincinnati Bengal to ride in a cop car in the last 9 months.

And Carson Palmer isn't happy about it.