THE CHANGE IT HAD TO COME, WE KNEW IT ALL ALONG…WE WERE LIBERATED FROM THE FOLD, THAT’S ALL ~ Since the Tuesday morning press conference during which Steve Bisciotti dressed down Brian Billick in public, there’s been much debate over whether Bisciotti was right to publicly evaluate his head coach.  It almost seems as if the pendulum called the court of public opinion has swung in favor of Billick.  Our own analyst Bill Pisano has suggested that this may in fact be the exact response that Bisciotti hoped to inspire.  It’s certainly something to consider – a head coach that has been criticized often by the fan base and now after the humiliating flogging, those that criticized are now compassionate.  Clearly this was a well thought out press conference.  Is it beyond reason to think that part if not the majority of the conference was staged?

I wonder what Art Modell thinks of all this drama?

THEY CALL ME THE SEEKER…I’VE BEEN SEARCHING LOW AND HIGH…I WON’T GET TO GET WHAT I’M AFTER…TIL’ THE DAY I DIE ~ Many here in the Land of Pleasant Living believe that Jim Fassel will not return to the Ravens next year and instead, he will work the sideline of some NFL team as their head coach.  I’m not one of them.  Not that I doubt his capability, I just think that the "in vogue" approach is to seek out a fresh perspective on coaching and the origins of such perspective lies in the college coaching ranks or in capable coordinators working for successful NFL teams, none of which have NFL head coaching experience (although exceptions would be made for Pete Carroll.) 

During the Tuesday press conference, Steve Bisciotti labeled coaches like Jim Fassel as “re-treads” – coaches that have been head coaches in the NFL but are now coordinators looking for a second opportunity.  I don’t think that was a term of endearment and you have to wonder if Bisciotti’s opinion is shared by other NFL owners.  Fassel has been linked to KC – ain’t happening!  Herm Edwards appears to be ready to fill that vacancy left by the retired Dick Vermeil.
 

Ah, but that opens up the Jets’ job, right?  Not for Fassel.  It’s doubtful that the Jets can sell Fassel to the Jets’ fan base given Fassel’s experiences with the Giants.  Besides, a departing Edwards should leave a gaping hole for Donnie Henderson to fill.  What about Minnesota whose owner enjoys a cordial relationship with Fassel?  Not so fast.  Fassel said he received interview requests from "more than one team," but Minnesota isn’t one of them.

Which is interesting because of the remaining teams in search of a coach, Fassel only shows up on one radar screen – Oakland's.  And while Fassel has a pleasant history with the Raiders dating back to 1995 when he tutored Jeff Hostetler for the Raiders, my bet is that Fassel will be viewed as being very similar to Norv Turner.  Should the Raiders keep Kerry Collins, it could boost Fassel’s chances in Oakland.

None of this seems to have tempered Fassel’s enthusiasm: "I think it's time for me to become a head coach again," Fassel said recently.  “Nothing opened up last year that interested me. But I'm ready this year. In my mind, the only thing left undone is winning a Super Bowl, because I've already gotten to a Super Bowl."  Nothing opened up that interested me?  Hmm, don’t know if I buy that one.  There is a chance that the Bills job could open up but then again, Fassel interviewed for that job previously and was shot down.  What has he done since 2003 that might change their opinion?

HOW DO YOU THINK HE DOES IT (I DON’T KNOW)…WHAT MAKES HIM SO GOOD? ~ Ok, like everyone else in the civilized world, I too marveled at the skills and poise of Vince Young last night in the Rose Bowl which led the way to Texas’ first national championship in 35 years.  Not once did Young ever seem rattled or have his confidence shaken and I couldn’t help to think about two things: 1) he reminds me of Randall Cunningham in his prime playing against college talent and; 2) My oh my would he look sweet in Kordell Stewart’s old purple jersey.

DIZZY IN THE HEAD AND I’M FEELING BLUE…THE THINGS YOU’VE SAID WELL MAYBE THEY’RE TRUE ~ The always notable and quotable Bengals receiver Chad Johnson recently suggested the Steelers' dominance of the AFC North came to a crashing halt when the tiger stripes beat Pittsburgh at Heinz Field on December 4, 38-31.  According to Johnson, "It's time for a change.  It's like going from a black and white TV to a color TV. It was Pittsburgh; it's Cincinnati now, and it'll probable be that way for a while now."

The Steelers prefer to see Johnson on TV.  They can always change the channel.  Too bad Johnson can’t play defense.  Unfortunately I see the Steelers landing a 24 carat gold punch in the mouth on Cincinnati Sunday night.  Better put the gold caps away Chad!

I’M GETTING IN TUNE…RIGHT IN TUNE…I’M IN TUNE…AND I’M GONNA TUNE…RIGHT IN ON YOU ~ And "you" in the case of the Maryland Terrapins is the ACC.  After defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and improving to an 11-2 record behind Nik Caner-Medley’s 23 points and Chris McCray’s 16 points, the Terps will now brace themselves for the rugged terrain of Tobacco Road.  Fifteen of their next 16 games will be against ACC teams beginning with this Saturday’s game at Miami.  According to D.J. Strawberry, "This is what you come here for. You come to play in the ACC."

OUT HERE IN THE FIELDS, I FIGHT FOR MY MEALS…I GET MY BACK INTO MY LIVING ~ And in the end, Jeremy Burnitz will not make his living on any fields here in Baltimore.  Hiding behind the excuse of stringent contractual language addressing player physicals, Burnitz and his agent backed away from a verbal agreement with the Orioles. 

So what?  Mickey Mantle in his prime could play for the Orioles and it wouldn’t matter.  But do these things happen to anyone besides the Orioles?  They have become the laughing stock of Major League Baseball and you know what, the owner doesn’t care because he laughs all the way to the bank.  Whether you go to the games or not, he doesn’t care because he snookered Bud Selig into a cash cow that will yield golden milk for Angelos until he sells the team which can’t happen soon enough. 

And all this should make Miguel Tejada happy, right?  This team is a sitcom but not by their own design which makes the situation either that much funnier or that much sadder depending upon your perspective.  The Boston Herald is reporting that the Orioles would like to decide the fate of shortstop Miguel Tejada within the next several days. .I can already tell you what Miggy’s fate is – last place.  Although trade rumors are swirling and one rumored deal suggests Manny Ramirez and pitcher Matt Clement in exchange for Tejada and an outfielder, who could be 22-year-old prospect Nick Markakis.

Now that’s a joke!  Is the Herald forgetting about Angelos’ Greek Heritage and his affinity for the prized prospect?  Moreover, if Miggy isn’t happy here, just imagine how miserable Ramirez will be. 

But back to Burnitz for a moment, his agent Mr. Simon something or other stated that his client bailed on the Birds because, "There was harsh, intimidating language that appears to be very subjective and open-ended. ... The club almost has the right to do whatever it wants, at its option. That's how complicated the language is. The other clubs simply have one line that states it is subject to the player passing a physical. That's what Pittsburgh's document has."

Maybe there was fat farm language in there after the O’s experiences with Sir Sidney who never had to fight hard for his meals.

I ASKED BOBBY DYLAN, I ASKED THE BEATLES, I ASKED TIMOTHY LEARY BUT HE COULDN’T HELP ME EITHER ~ But maybe Herm can…According to a source of the USA Today speaking on the infamous condition of anonymity, The Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets discussed a compensation package for Coach Herman Edwards on Wednesday.  The Chiefs, rumored to be interested in Edwards for the last two months, would have to give up draft picks to hire Edwards because he is still under contract with the Jets. .Now I can’t wait to see what the head coach of a 4-12 team yields in a trade.  This could go down as the best Jets’ offseason move of 2006.

YOU BETTER, YOU BETTER, YOU BET ~ You better bet that Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams isn’t too eager to leave the District.  Williams just signed a record-breaking contract for an assistant to prevent him from interviewing for a head coaching post elsewhere this year. The deal is worth nearly $8 million.  Now that’s what I’m talking about -- Head coaching money without the head coaching pressures!  Most believe this deal to be the precursor to Williams eventually succeeded Joe Gibbs.

SEE ME, FEEL ME, TOUCH ME, HEAR ME?  Huh?  What’s that you say Sonny?  Pete Townsend is making the news today and it has nothing to do with sinister web sites or another Who farewell tour.  It has to do with iPods.  According to Townsend, “I have unwittingly helped to invent and refine a type of music that makes its principal components deaf," he said on his website. "Hearing loss is a terrible thing because it cannot be repaired. If you use an iPod or anything like it, or your child uses one, you MAY be OK ... But my intuition tells me there is terrible trouble ahead."

The 60-year-old axe man for The Who claims his hearing was irreversibly damaged by years of using studio headphones and that he now is forced to take 36-hour breaks between recording sessions to allow his ears to recover.