Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
Sometimes it’s speculation. Sometimes it’s a rumor. Sometimes it’s a fact.
Always it’s a distraction.
The bigger the name, the bigger the distraction.
Jim Tressel, whose Ohio State team will face LSU in the BCS championship, is a big name.
“I’ve been through that many times,” Tressel said. “That’s just probably the least fun times you can have.”
Chuck Neinas, who heads a search firm for schools looking for new coaches, said his advice to a coach who might be eyeing another job is: “The less said the better.”
That, however, creates its own set of problems.
Miles was compelled to shoot down a report he was heading to Michigan about two hours before the Tigers played Tennessee in the SEC title game.
Of course, coaches bring some of these situations on themselves.
When Miles, who played and coached at Michigan, came to LSU from Oklahoma State three years ago, LSU was concerned enough about him bolting for the Wolverines it put a specific clause in his contract to make it an expensive move.
Even before Michigan’s Lloyd Carr said he was retiring, Miles was being mentioned as his replacement.
Then, when Martin asked LSU athletic director Skip Bertman for permission to meet with Miles after the SEC title game, the coach didn’t turn it down.
Foley said he believes some agents will leak a client’s name to the media with the hope of raising a coach’s profile and maybe getting the guy a raise from his current employer.
Also, a school searching for a coach might want to float a name to see how its fans reacts.
Bob LaMonte, an agent who represents Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis and newly hired Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman, said his agency prides itself on keeping quiet.
“You have leaks that really destroy any chance of negotiations,” LaMonte said. “What you don’t want to do is come forward with something before it actually happens.”
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville was talked about as a candidate for both the Texas A&M and Arkansas openings. Arkansas was also reportedly interested in Clemson’s Tommy Bowden.
Both Bowden and Tuberville stayed put and got contract extensions. Arkansas hired Bobby Petrino away from the Atlanta Falcons.
LSU gave Miles a raise after Michigan came calling, though Bertman said he was comfortable with how the Miles-Michigan episode played out and did not feel the coach was trying to use the interest as leverage. Miles’ annual salary will be around $3.5 million if he wins the national title and $2.8 if he does not.
“For LSU it worked out well because we have a noble coach and his agent’s a good guy,” Bertman said.
As long as everyone involved — coaches, ADs, agents — goes about their business honestly, Bertman said, being a player in the coaching-change season is manageable.
Though it certainly can be a distraction.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.