Did I see what I thought I saw? Did Auburn (who has a quarter the talent Tennessee does) come from 14 down last night to beat the Vols? Talk about painful! And here’s the deal. Now we’re heading toward bubbleville. A team once 13-2 is now in moderate postseason trouble. We lost in a half full barn in a place that doesn’t care. There were more stalactites coming out of the ceiling then fannies in the seats last night. That was a terrible loss. Just TERRIBLE. You can’t lose that game. How these guys respond will be interesting. Needless to say, the South Carolina game will be huge. And BTW how huge will our Pearl Patrol game be in Athens? We may need that one to get off the bubble. You can register tomorrow at the Hardee’s on Clinton Highway right across the street from Wal-Mart.

Vols see 14-point lead disappear
Pearl technical ices Auburn win
There was no last-second heartache this time.

This time it was a total meltdown, and even Coach Bruce Pearl got into the act.

Tennessee, by going nearly seven minutes without scoring, gagged away a 14-point lead in the final 10 minutes and lost its third consecutive game, 83-80 to Auburn on Wednesday night at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

The 22nd-ranked Vols (13-5, 1-2) missed 11 consecutive shots during their drought, as Auburn clawed back from a 66-52 deficit with just under 10 minutes to play.

"I don't know if it was our composure we lost. We missed a lot of shots and didn't get to the foul line," Pearl said. "When we had a lead, our shot selection was so bad and obviously we didn't get stops.

"As far as losing it, yeah … we lost it as it related to our shot selection. I thought we kind of panicked offensively instead of executing our stuff."

Pearl also lost it.

He was hit with a costly technical foul with 21.7 seconds to play that didn't help matters for the Vols.

Pearl was upset that officials awarded Auburn a timeout when it appeared that Auburn's Frank Tolbert and Tennessee's Dane Bradshaw were wrestling for a ball underneath the basket with the Tigers leading 78-75.

An irate Pearl ripped off his jacket, stormed out close to the midcourt stripe and was popped with the technical by official Tom Lopes.

"It was a 50-50 ball, and you've got to have possession to get a timeout," Pearl said. "Everybody's tied up. Everybody's holding the ball. You've got to have possession. That's what I was upset about."

After the technical, the Tigers (12-7, 2-2) salted the game away at the free-throw line. Quan Prowell hit both technical free throws and added two more a couple of seconds later to give Auburn an 82-75 lead with 19.7 seconds left.

Pearl refused to second-guess the timing of the technical.

"That's easy to write, easy to say, easy to talk about," said Pearl, who never lost three in a row during his first season at UT. "I'm going to stand up for my kids. I'm going to fight until the end."

Pearl was equally upset that the Vols shot just three free throws in the second half and that Chris Lofton went the entire game without shooting a free throw.

"They go to the line 23 times in the second half and we go three," Pearl said. "It's hard to win games when you can't get there."

Lofton led the Vols with 22 points, but was quiet in the second half until the final few minutes of the game. He had several shots blocked and was also unable to finish drives that he typically makes.

"I don't think I was the aggressor," said Lofton, who was 6-of-12 from 3-point range. "They were the aggressor, the more aggressive team, and that's why they won."

Tolbert led Auburn with 24 points, while Prowell added 21. The Tigers snapped their 15-game losing streak to nationally ranked teams.

"The team finally found a way to get over a hump, which was nice," Auburn Coach Jeff Lebo said. "We were hoping this day would come sooner or later. Finally, we got there."

Pearl has first 3-game slide
For the first time since Bruce Pearl arrived at Tennessee, the Vols have lost three consecutive games.

Senior forward Dane Bradshaw, though, said nobody's panicking after falling 83-80 to Auburn on Wednesday.

"We knew coming into the year that there was going to be some inconsistency this season," Bradshaw said. "That doesn't mean we accept it, but we have to improve on it.

"If anything, we were reaching our peak around this time last year and went downhill toward the end of the season. Hopefully, it will be reversed this season."

The Vols' latest loss came after they blew a 14-point lead in the final 10 minutes and went nearly seven minutes without scoring.

"All year long, we've been unable to have that final knockout blow, and it almost caught up to us a couple of times," Bradshaw said. "(Wednesday night), it got us."

Pearl said it's paramount that Tennessee get more points inside. Freshman centers Duke Crews and Wayne Chism were a combined 5-of-16 from the field and struggled to finish shots in the lane.

"We've got to continue to try to go inside and have a balance," Pearl said. "It's like football. You can't throw every down. We can't shoot the 3-ball every possession."

Getting technical: Even though Pearl ripped off his jacket in anger and was near the mid-court stripe, he didn't think he deserved the technical foul from Tom Lopes with 21.7 seconds to play.

"I didn't think he had to give it to me in that situation, and I think you have to have possession of the basketball to get a timeout," Pearl said.

The timeout the officials awarded to Auburn was costly to the Vols, because the possession arrow was pointing Tennessee's way.

Lofton's plight: Chris Lofton has been to the free-throw line so few times the last three games that he's probably forgotten what it looks like.

Lofton, the SEC's leading scorer, didn't attempt a free throw on Wednesday. He attempted just one in the Ohio State loss and two in the Vanderbilt loss.

That's after getting to the line 85 times in the Vols' first 15 games.

"I need to drive to the hole more, get some calls and try to get fouled," Lofton said. "We had bad shot selection, myself included. I settled for some 3-pointers when Coach had called some plays for me to drive to the hole."

Changing it up: Crews and Lofton didn't start the second half, because Pearl said he made a decision before the game to change up the lineup.

"I had decided before the game that both Josh Tabb and Wayne Chism would start the second half because we had started the second half so poorly," Pearl said. "We had been getting off to such bad starts, so I made the adjustment."

Career high: Freshman point guard Ramar Smith had a career-high 19 points and was 2-of-2 from 3-point range.

SEC road tough: Life on the road in the SEC has been tough this season.

Road teams are now just 4-17 through Wednesday night's games. Both of the Vols' two conference losses have come on the road.

"There's only one thing we can do, win on Saturday at home (against South Carolina) to get out of this hole," junior guard JaJuan Smith said.

Tech recruit says Gailey may settle status Thursday

By MATT WINKELJOHN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 01/18/07

Chan Gailey's coaching future could be settled today, according to one of Georgia Tech's most prized football recruiting prospects.

Morgan Burnett, who committed to Tech last week, said the Yellow Jackets' coach "just told me about the whole situation" involving his candidacy for the Miami Dolphins' job and suggested there should be some resolution "sometime around Thursday."

Read This Without Shaking Your Head:
Jackets' commitments holding
Burnett, the North Clayton senior safety, said he plans to keep his commitment to the Yellow Jackets, for now, at least. Coaches from some of the other schools that recruited Burnett before he committed to Tech, chiefly Tennessee, have called again recently to recruit anew. He apparently is keeping those schools in mind.

"I just tell them right now I'm looking into it with my family," Burnett said. "Right now, I'm sticking with Tech and I'm going to see what's going to happen."

Burnett, whose brother Cap Jr. played for Georgia, said there are no guarantees he'll leave Tech if Gailey leaves, and none that he'll stay.

"Not right now," he said. "I'm looking to sit down with my family and talk about it. Right now, I'm just probably sticking to it and waiting to see what happens with the coaching staff."


Coaching news

• Florida State coach Bobby Bowden rehired former longtime assistant Chuck Amato, completing the biggest realignment of his coaching staff in more than three decades. Amato, who was fired as N.C. State's head coach in November, spent 18 seasons with Bowden through the 1980s and '90s. Amato, 60, succeeds Kevin Steele as executive associate head coach and linebackers coach. Steele left to become Alabama's defensive coordinator.

• Dallas Cowboys assistant David Lee has left Bill Parcells' staff to return to Arkansas as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Lee, who has been with the Cowboys since 2003, coached at Arkansas from 1984-88 under Ken Hatfield and in 2001-02 under Houston Nutt. Arkanas' previous coordinator, Gus Malzahn, left for Tulsa.

Kissing Daddy’s ring is one thing, but this?
The latest candidate to emerge for the Miami Dolphins' coaching job has a big edge in name recognition: He's a Shula. Mike Shula interviewed Saturday, a person familiar with the team's search said Tuesday. His dad, Don Shula, coached the Dolphins for 26 years and holds the NFL record with 347 victories. Hiring the younger Shula would mean a swap of coaches with Alabama. He was fired in November and replaced by Nick Saban, who left the Dolphins on Jan. 3 after two seasons. Two other candidates have interviewed with Miami twice: former Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora Jr. and Georgia Tech Coach Chan Gailey. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that defensive coordinator Dom Capers is still in the running for the top job even after signing a three-year contract last week.


Peace

Lammy

Tough Sledding For Vols Tonight On The Road
Home teams are

14-2 in SEC play this season. Only Florida (at South Carolina) and Kentucky (at Ole Miss) have managed road victories. Western Division teams are 0-9 in SEC road games.


Ready to play again

It's a close race between Lofton and Smith as to who's more eager to get back onto the court tonight against Auburn (11-7, 1-2) at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

The 22nd-ranked Vols (13-4, 1-1) have lost two straight games in the final seconds. Coach Bruce Pearl has never lost three consecutive games in his 15 years as a head coach.

"You're not going to win every game," Smith said. "But when you're losing, you've got to hurry up and put it behind you. You're anxious to play and get that taste out of your mouth."

Keeping the faith

One of the best athletes on the team, Smith is capable of impacting games even when he's not shooting well. He's a disruptive defender, rebounds well for a guard and is explosive enough to get to the rim and score.

Pearl would like to see Smith be more selective about some of the deep 3-pointers he takes. At the same time, he doesn't want to shackle Smith, either.

They were jawing with each other during the Vanderbilt game a couple of times after Smith came out of the game. Pearl, though, said he hasn't lost any confidence in Smith.

And neither has Lofton.

"We're not worried about JaJuan," Lofton said. "We know JaJuan is going to be there. We don't get disappointed in each other. We know everybody doesn't play well every game. That's just basketball. Even in the NBA, people have off nights. You just bounce back and live for another day."













Prince eligible for Vols in 2008
J.P. Prince can't wait to get back onto the basketball court.

The former Arizona guard will begin classes today at Tennessee and start working out with the Vols, although he's not eligible until the mid-term of the 2007-08 season.
"It's time to get back to work," said the 6-foot-6 Prince, who was admitted into school at UT on Tuesday.

"Tennessee had everything I was looking for. I like the coaches and the players, and I especially like the freedom that Coach (Bruce) Pearl's system allows his players."

Prince, who played at White Station High in Memphis, visited the UT campus last week. He was a high school teammate of Tennessee senior forward Dane Bradshaw and had talked at length with Bradshaw about the Vols program.

"Dane was one of the first people I talked with when I first started looking at Tennessee," Prince said. "It was great to have somebody you trusted and somebody who's been such a big part of that program filling you in with all the details. I think I'll be able to help there, positions one through four. But I'll play anywhere Coach Pearl wants me to and thinks I can help the team."

Prince declined to discuss why his career never flourished at Arizona.Prince had planned on transferring to Vanderbilt. But there was a snag with Vanderbilt's admissions office concerning what Prince has said was the school's reluctance to accept a mid-term transfer.

Rivals.com rated Prince the No. 21 prospect in the country coming out of high school in 2005. He has two full years of eligibility remaining and plans to petition the NCAA for a full third year.

A point guard at Arizona, Prince announced his decision to leave the Wildcats' program on Dec. 20 after playing just 17 minutes in three games this season. A virus last spring stunted his development, and he didn't recover until this fall. As a freshman, he played in 28 games and averaged 2.2 points and 1.8 assists.


Auburn moving ahead with plans for basketball arena
Plans for a new on-campus arena at Auburn University will take another step forward today when the school's trustees are expected to approve the hiring of an architect for the project.

The trustees' property and facilities committee will also discuss the site of the new arena, which will replace the aging Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum as the home of Auburn's men's and women's basketball teams.

John Mouton, the special assistant to the president who oversees building projects at the university, said four design firms were interviewed during half-day sessions last month. Two finalists were selected and invited back for more interviews. Auburn President Ed Richardson selected a winner, and his recommendation will be presented to the trustees' committee today.

A final decision could be ready for the trustees' next full meeting in February.

Meanwhile, the winning design firm is already at work on the new arena. No preliminary designs will be ready for several months, but officials have said they want a modern, intimate arena, with seating for about 9,000, including luxury suites and club seats.

Built in 1968 and renovated in 1997, Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum has been criticized for its poor lighting and acoustics. Attendance has been low for several years.

Estimates place the cost of the new arena at roughly $100 million, which Athletics Director Jay Jacobs has said would be paid for by private donations and a bond issue.

Mouton said a firm cost and a funding plan would be presented to the trustees when a "schematic design" of the arena is ready, probably in June.

Pretty Good Game In Big 12 Last Night:
Okla.St.-Texas game a triple OT thriller
Texas phenom Kevin Durant walked through a set of doors, turned the corner and found Oklahoma State's Mario Boggan surrounded by a huddle of reporters. He stopped, gave Boggan a brief hug and went on his way. After dueling for 40 minutes and then three overtimes after that, there was nothing left for the Big 12's top two scorers to say.

Boggan set career highs with 37 points and 20 rebounds and hit the winning 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds left in the third overtime to lift No. 12 Oklahoma State to a 105-103 win over No. 21 Texas on Tuesday night.

After Durant put Texas ahead with a three-point play with 10.5 seconds left, Boggan took an inbounds pass near midcourt and fought through defenders to launch the winning 3 from the left wing.

The senior forward, who is 6-for-37 from 3-point range this season, fell to the floor and was joined by celebrating teammates after Texas' A.J. Abrams was called for traveling with 0.2 seconds left to clinch the win for the Cowboys.

In a rare occurrence at Gallagher-Iba Arena, fans stormed the court in celebration of Oklahoma State's second multiple-overtime win against a ranked opponent this season. The Cowboys beat then-No. 7 Pittsburgh 95-89 in double overtime on Dec. 21 in Oklahoma City.

Another Guy With Links To Bonds Was Juicing? Say It Ain’t So!
Sheffield book details split with Bonds, Yankees

By BEN SHPIGEL
New York Times

In an autobiography to be published this spring, Gary Sheffield, a former Braves player known for voicing his displeasure, describes his relationship with Barry Bonds, his link to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroid distribution case and his three turbulent seasons with the Yankees, culminating in his trade to Detroit last November.

A bound proof of the autobiography, "Inside Power," was mailed to The New York Times by Crown Publishing. It does not appear to contain any bombshells, but its candor and insight into baseball's steroids controversy and its most recognizable franchise have again catapulted Sheffield into the headlines.

During his three seasons with the Yankees, Sheffield was regarded as combative and outspoken, known as much for his chronic complaining about contracts as his bat waggle. He developed a reputation as a superb clutch hitter and as someone who would play hurt.

But Sheffield repeatedly found himself linked to the steroids scandal that engulfed the sport. He has said he unknowingly used a testosterone-laced cream."I've never touched a strength-building steroid in my life — and never will," Sheffield said in the book. "The proof is in pictures and stats."

According to the book, after agreeing to train with Bonds in Northern California after the 2001 season, Sheffield grew tired of Bonds' uncompromising control over their workout routine. He nevertheless agreed when Bonds said he would give him "vitamins" from the BALCO founder Victor Conte Jr. Sheffield said that Conte gave the vitamins to Greg Anderson, Bonds' trainer, who gave them to him.

As he acknowledged during testimony before the BALCO grand jury, Sheffield said that he rubbed cream on his knee after surgical stitches popped out while working out. Sheffield said that Anderson gave him "some cream that'll heal you up in a hurry," but he went to a doctor anyway.

"My understanding was that the cream was no different from the Neosporin you buy at Rite Aid," Sheffield said. "Only it worked quicker. It did work fast. It healed me in about a week."

His relationship with Bonds deteriorated soon after. He said Bonds told reporters in San Francisco that Sheffield could not handle the training regimen. They have not spoken since, although Sheffield said Bonds told BALCO to send him an invoice for about $400 for thecream.

Sheffield said that he started plotting his signing with the Yankees after the 2003 season with Atlanta. He planned a lunch meeting with Braves officials at a restaurant in Tampa, Fla., where the Yankees' principal owner, George Steinbrenner, often ate with the hopes that Steinbrenner would intensify his interest in signing him.

The negotiations that followed provided a backdrop for his history of moping about contracts. Sheffield said that Steinbrenner altered their initial three-year, $39 million agreement with a team option to include deferred payments.

Sheffield called manager Joe Torre "an enigma" and recalled how, in 2004, his first season with the Yankees, he grew infuriated that Torre had said he wished the team had signed the slugger Vladimir Guerrero.

During a meeting in Torre's office before a May game in Baltimore, Sheffield told him: "I'm tired of hearing you talk about how much you love Guerrero. That disrespects me."

The next season, Sheffield recounted, he and Torre had an argument in St. Louis the day after Torre called him out during a team meeting for his uneven defensive play. Sheffield said they quickly patched things up once Torre explained how he viewed him as a team leader and as someone who could handle the pressure.

After the Yankees crumbled to a first-round playoff defeat against Detroit, Sheffield said he knew his days with the team had ended.

"Up in New York, it became clear that the Yankees had no more use for me, other than as a pawn in a trade," he said. "But after a lifetime in professional ball, I wasn't about to be a pawn. That's not my style."

UGA's Martinez spurns Rice coaching bid
Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez was contacted by Rice University officials about their head coaching vacancy, but said Tuesday night he declined to become a part of that process.
Rice is the second program known to have contact Martinez about a head coaching opportunity.
In December, he met with Florida International officials about their opening, but pulled out after he said talks became "serious."
Martinez has been Georgia's defensive coordinator the past two seasons. In each of those seasons, the Bulldogs have finished in the top 20 nationally in overall defense.

That’s Your List?
Mike Shula a candidate for Dolphins job
The latest candidate to emerge for the Miami Dolphins' coaching job has a big edge in name recognition: He's a Shula. Mike Shula interviewed for the job Saturday and is one of at least five candidates still under consideration, the Dolphins said Tuesday. Shula's dad, Don, coached the Dolphins for 26 years, holds the NFL record with 347 victories and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"Mike is a very, very highly qualified person," Dolphins chief executive officer Joe Bailey said on his weekly radio show. "He's got a lot of his dad in him - very, very smart, very assertive, very firm."

Hiring the younger Shula would mean a swap of coaches with Alabama. He was fired by the Crimson Tide in November and replaced by Nick Saban, who left the Dolphins on Jan. 3 after two seasons.

Other remaining candidates to replace Saban: former Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora, Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey, Dolphins defensive coordinator Dom Capers and San Diego offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.














It's a great tale -- but still incomplete: Mitch Albom On Chris Webber
I would like to write a glowing column about Chris Webber, one that celebrates him home. But it's not that easy.

I would like to cheer his return, talk about winning a title with his hometown team in the autumn of his career. But it's not that simple.

I would like to share only positive things about Chris Webber as I have been privileged to know many of them, his family, his intelligence, his grace. I once liked this kid as much as I've ever liked any young athlete in Detroit.

But that wouldn't be the whole story.

And so, at a news conference Tuesday where, for the first 10 minutes, the questions were basically light, bright and easy, I asked what I felt, as a journalist, needed to be asked.

I asked about Michigan. And booster Ed Martin. And money. Because, when given a chance to embrace the past Tuesday, Chris Webber did so quickly. But when given a chance to explain it, he ducked.

"Today, I'm talking about being a Detroit Piston," he said. "I don't think this is the forum to talk about something that happened 15 years ago. ... I'm just really happy. So to talk about anything else that's not about this would be a waste of my time."

A waste of his time? Too bad U-M couldn't say that, or his former teammates, the FBI, a grand jury, or Ed Martin -- before he died.

So when will the right moment arrive?

Look, I understand why Chris wanted this to be a fireworks moment. It's nice that he's back. It's a great story. And as someone who spent the better part of two years all but living around Webber and the Fab Five, I really hope it works out.

But Chris is too smart for this. A waste of his time? That's insensitive to his old school and its fans, who saw their basketball program trashed by probation due to the actions of Webber and others.

It's insensitive to his old teammates, who had their records "erased" with Webber's.

It's insensitive to his old coach, Steve Fisher, who always insisted he believed Chris when he said he never took anything that violated NCAA rules. And it's insensitive to a general public that witnessed FBI investigations and grand jury indictments -- months and months of taxpayers' time and money.

This wasn't 14 years ago. It's a 14-year shadow. The grand jury stuff was in 2003. Michigan only came off probation last season (and still will lose a scholarship next season).

Look, nobody wants to fry Chris Webber. But he has been saying "it's not the right time" for years. He has said he'd explain after a season. He has said he'd write a book about it.

Enough. He came home Tuesday, the first time the Detroit media assembled en masse for him since the night he was drafted in 1993, at the very same Palace. It was a perfect chance to put it to rest. All he needed to say was, "I was young. I did some things I regret. I took some money that was against the rules, and I am sorry for what happened later. I'm older and smarter and look forward to moving on."

Would that have been so awful? He must write the final chapter

Instead, he sadly leaves many questions unanswered -- questions about the alleged $280,000 Ed Martin gave him over the years, about lying to a grand jury. These are not niggling details. They cost people a lot. No, Chris isn't the only player involved. But he's the bull in the china shop. He can't pretend there aren't broken dishes all over the floor.

And please understand something. This isn't about journalists "having the right to know" -- at least not for me. For me, it's more about Chris Webber, now 33, being what he was born to be, a standup person, a leader. Chris is not a thug. He was raised in a loving family that was so tight, neighborhood kids used to call them "the Waltons."

The Chris Webber I knew didn't duck. The Chris Webber I knew once showed me his No. 4 Michigan jersey selling in a store window, while he had to put cafeteria food back that he couldn't afford. I got his point. It was -- and is -- a ridiculous system. But what I admired most about that moment was Chris' honesty.

And I would love to celebrate that Chris again; I told him as much after the news conference. But I am not controlling Chris Webber's story these days.

He is.

Gotta Love National Public Radio!
Doesn't it seem appropriate that a National Public Radio host (Michelle Norris) said: "If you follow college football, you know there's a big game tonight in Glendale, Ariz. It's between the Florida State Gators and the Ohio State Buckeyes." Nice try, Michelle.



TB

Great News For The Hoops Vols!
Howell back at practice
Vol has missed six games with injury
Tennessee point guard Jordan Howell returned to practice Monday on a limited basis and hopes to return to game action this week.

Howell, who's been out with a broken bone in his right (shooting) hand, said the plan is to get back in time for the South Carolina game on Saturday. But he's not ruling out Wednesday's game at Auburn in an emergency situation.
Howell, who's wearing a soft splint on his wrist, did most of the non-contact work during practice and took several shots. He said the wrist still hurts, but thinks he can still be effective during limited minutes.

Prior to his injury, Howell was the Vols' starter at point guard.

He's missed the last six games.

Maybe I don’t understand the coaching profession. But how is Chan Gailey interviewing with the Steelers and Dolphins in the NFL while recruiting players to Ga Tech? And furthermore, how can Ga Tech just sit there and take it? Did I miss something here? About the Miami opening, it says below that Miami-area newspapers have reported, and the Dolphins might be interested in speaking with Brian's father, Marty Schottenheimer, if he loses his job as coach of the Chargers. Maybe we can get Marino out of retirement and put the 10-6/11-5 regular season machine back together. You won’t have to worry about advancing in the playoffs with those guys at the helm.

Gailey doesn't make cut with Steelers
Pittsburgh whittles list down to three
Chan Gailey might still leave Georgia Tech for the NFL this offseason, but it won't be to go to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers narrowed their list of head coaching candidates on Monday to Steelers assistant head coach Russ Grimm, Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin. Gailey remains a candidate for the Miami Dolphins job and was scheduled for a second interview.

His competition so far on the second-interview list: fired Falcons coach Jim Mora. Another candidate scheduled for a second interview, New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, withdrew from consideration on Monday.

However, unlike the Steelers, the Dolphins haven't announced their finalists. San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron also might be called back for a second interview, Miami-area newspapers have reported, and the Dolphins might be interested in speaking with Brian's father, Marty Schottenheimer, if he loses his job as coach of the Chargers.

NFL rules bar Rivera from having a second interview with the Steelers or the Dolphins until the Bears are eliminated from the playoffs. The Bears play the New Orleans Saints in Sunday's NFC championship game.

Gailey, 55, has mastered the art of getting to the postseason, a feat he has accomplished 13 times in a row — four as a Steelers assistant, two as the Dallas Cowboys' head coach, two as the Dolphins' offensive coordinator and five as Tech's coach.

The Dolphins haven't been to the postseason since he left. Mora hasn't been to the postseason since the first of his three seasons with the Falcons, when they reached the NFC championship game.

Gailey is 37-27 with the Yellow Jackets, 61-38 in eight seasons as a college head coach. He was 18-14 in his two seasons as an NFL head coach, not counting his 0-2 playoff record. His last losing season: 1993 at Samford.

Gailey is under contract with Tech through 2011. The contract does not require Gailey to pay a penalty if he resigns.

College National Title Numbers Down:
Nationally, Florida's rout of Ohio State scored a 17.4 Nielsen rating, down from a 21.7 for last year's title game.

NFL RATINGS

Some 222 million Americans — almost three quarters of the U.S. population — watched NFL games on television at some point during the regular season, according to the league and Nielsen Media Research.

That's up from 195.8 million last year.

The NFL found a lot to cheer about in its regular-season TV numbers. Nationally, games on NBC, CBS and Fox averaged a 12.1 rating — higher, the NFL notes, than baseball drew for its World Series games last year, 10.1. (The rating is the percentage of TV households tuned in on average.) And in the NFL's local markets, the home team's game was the highest-rated television program of the week 80 percent of the time throughout the season.

Slob Nation At Work:
that the Dodgers are turning those seats into an all-you-can-eat section where fans can have unlimited "ballpark staples" such as hot dogs, pop corn and soda (but not beer). Fans will need a big appetite to justify the cost of the bleacher seats: $35 in advance and $40 on game day.

Is it me or is Florida Going Off?
First they win B-ball last spring then the Nat Title in football. Now they’re #1 in hoops (with the best team in the country)! But it doesn’t end there. Jabar Gaffney who was cut twice in the off-season, had 10 catches in a playoff game while Caldwell had a huge catch on that final drive. Is Gainesville the place to be? What’s next? A number one record for Tom Petty?

Gotta Love Your elected Officials
Looks like the Senate will follow the House by not allowing its members to accept free tickets for sporting events that have more than a $50 value. But our senators are nobody's fools -- they'll pass the rule right after the Super Bowl.

Philly Humor:
Eagles Coach Andy Reid chose to punt late in the game on 4th-and-15 and never got the ball back in the loss at New Orleans. The headline in the Philadelphia Daily News: "Puntius Pilot."

Pause With Me For A Moment Of Silence:
Quite Frankly With Steven A. Smith has been cancelled. We’ll miss that angry scowl. We really will.

Steve Serbey: New York Post On Peyton’s Place
PEYTON Manning is Patrick Ewing to Tom Brady's Michael Jordan. Brady is halfway to Jordan's six championships, Manning is halfway to a personal hell, a great player trapped in the wrong era, a Hall of Fame coach trapped inside his head and the insatiable reincarnation of Joe Montana, the proud keeper of a dynasty that threatens to again shatter his dreams and tarnish his legacy, forever in his way.

Manning is everywhere on television, hawking this and hawking that - 6-foot-5, 230-pound quarterback, laser arm - but he is nowhere when it comes to getting the better of Bill Belichick and Brady in the big game.

So until he beats the Patriots, Peyton's place is at the table where Ewing sits, contemplating all the times Belichick and Brady soared above the rim and rose to the occasion and left him with that dreaded monkey on his back that has never felt heavier than it will feel this week.

Because Peyton Manning knows that it is time for him to make a stand, it is time for him to exorcise all the demons and get Tony Dungy and the Colts to a Super Bowl, and take his chances in Miami against the Saints or Bears.

Such is Peyton Manning's Super Burden.

Because there will be no excuses for him this time. He's home, inside the friendly confines of the RCA Dome. He has Adam Vinatieri kicking for him, not against him. He won't have to worry about the elements in Foxborough, or the screaming fans mocking him. Only Belichick and Brady, which is plenty for him.

If he plays the way he has in the first two games of these playoffs, three interceptions against the Chiefs, two more against the Ravens, he won't have a chance.

If he plays the way he did in the divisional playoff against the world champion Steelers a year ago, he won't have a chance.

If he puts too much pressure on himself, if he starts pressing, if he doesn't have the mental toughness that Brady has from start to finish, no matter what has happened to him, he won't have a chance.

The notion that he is playing with house money because no one expected Manning and the Colts to get to the AFC Championship game is laughable. He got here.

Now win the game.

The same questions that have besieged Manning all these years will come flying at him again this week, and won't stop until the game starts. He will be asked why the devious Belichick is able to make him look more like his little brother Eli than a future Hall of Famer. He will be asked what makes Brady such a cool customer in the clutch, such a winner.

And if he doesn't get Brady and Belichick, if he walks off the field this time the way Ewing always walked off the floors at the Garden and at Chicago Stadium at the end of a series, he will again have to read and hear the cruelest word in sports written and said about him:

Choker.

It is a word some gleefully throw around much too often, and is a terrible insult to the kind of person and quarterback Manning is, and the career he has had. But we'll never find out whether Manning would already have been a champion if Belichick was on his side, scheming against Brady.

So what this Game of Games - a marquee matchup better than anything Super Bowl XLI will offer us - amounts to is a golden chance to change the perceptions about him. It is one thing to beat the Patriots in November, even in Foxborough, the way Manning has the past two years, and quite another to beat them in January when they smell the Super Bowl. Manning threw four picks, three to Ty Law before the Ty Law Rule was instituted, in the 2003 AFC Championship game loss in Foxborough, then couldn't find the end zone in a 20-3 loss the following January.

It took Phil Simms seven seasons and one Pasadena night to change the perception about him. It took John Elway 15 seasons before he won a Super Bowl. This is Peyton Manning's Super Bowl.

Brady is one ring away from talking about one for the thumb. Manning is one ring away from one.

UT Grad To Head Up The Giants:
Giants tap Reese as new general manager
Updated 1/15/2007 6:19 PM ET
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants hired Jerry Reese as their general manager Monday, making him only the third black GM in NFL history.
Reese, who served as the team's director of player personnel the last four years, was considered the favorite among the Giants' in-house candidates to replace Ernie Accorsi, who held the post for nine seasons before retiring.

The 43-year-old Reese will formally be introduced as general manager and senior vice president at a news conference Tuesday morning, the team said on its website.

The only other black general managers in the NFL are Baltimore's Ozzie Newsome and Houston's Rick Smith. There are several black men who have considerable say in front offices, notably Rod Graves of Arizona, whose title is senior vice president-football operations. Ray Anderson was vice president of the Atlanta Falcons for the last four years before moving to the NFL in August as senior vice president of football operations.

There were seven black head coaches in the NFL last season, the most ever. Two of them, Dennis Green of the Cardinals and Art Shell of Oakland, were fired after the season, although Shell will remain in the Raiders' front office.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, Reese first joined the Giants' scouting department in 1994 after working on the coaching staff at his alma mater.

As the Giants' player personnel director, he oversaw all aspects of college scouting and had most of the responsibility for the draft. Reese previously served as assistant director of pro personnel for three years.

Is it my imagination or did Ole Miss just hire John Thompson? The guy gets around more than Brittany Spears. When is Joe Lee Dunn going to join the staff?


Tonah, I Gots To Go!

Coach Dickey