Some sports experts say “something’s fishy” about the Seattle Seahawks signing of Pete Carroll. It’s nothing against Pete, it’s more about how the Seattle Seahawks seemed to bypass, circumvent or completely ignore the Rooney Rule when signing their new head coach.

In 2003, the NFL implemented the Rooney Rule which requires National Football League teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior operations opportunities. The rule is named for Dan Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the chairman of the NFL’s diversity committee.

There is considerable debate about whether the Seahawks already had decided that Pete Carroll would be the new head coach before they fired Jim Mora Jr. The Seahawks hired Pete Carroll on Monday, four days after firing Jim Mora Jr. They interviewed Minnesota Viking defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who is black, for the job over the weekend.

But the speed in which Seattle first fired Mora without a GM in place, and then lured Carroll away from USC led to questions, most notably from former head coach Tony Dungy, about whether the Seahawks interviewed Frazier merely to satisfy the Rooney Rule.

“That is not what the Rooney Rule is supposed to be, (that) you make up your mind and then interview a candidate for it anyway just to satisfy the rule,” Dungy told the Associated Press.

The head of the group that monitors NFL hiring practices believes strongly in the effectiveness of the “Rooney Rule,” which is supposed to provide more opportunities for minorities.

“I think it has done wonders in the NFL,” John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, said Monday. “They’ve put a new face on the National Football League. I think the integrity and commitment are there. It’s outstanding, and that’s why it’s worked.”

Wooten said he recommended to Frazier that he interview for the job in Seattle after getting assurances from the Seahawks and Carroll last Saturday that a deal had not yet been reached with Carroll — contrary to what ESPN had reported that morning.

“I feel comfortable that Seattle approached it the right way,” Wooten said.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said that the Seahawks have not violated the spirit of the Rooney Rule.

There is no doubt that the Rooney Rule has had a positive effect on the number of minority coaches in the NFL. In fact the 2006 Super Bowl had two African-American head coaches in Dungy and Lovie Smith. And in 2008, Mike Tomlin lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a Super Bowl win.

Regardless of what Wooten and Roger Goodell say, Tony Dungy may know a lot more about the truth. ESPN is reporting that Seattle contacted Tony Dungy last month about their open GM position.

“They called Tony about three weeks ago to see if he would seriously consider becoming their president. He told them he wanted to pray and sleep on it but the next day he called them back and said he wanted to stick with everything he was doing now. He would have been the guy, I believe, if he had wanted to do it.”

ESPN reported that Dungy said last month that an NFL team asked him to consider a front-office role, but he wouldn’t reveal the team.

One could argue that the Seahawks met the requirements of the Rooney Rule by interviewing Leslie Frazer. But why would Tony Dungy express his concerns about the apparent disregard of the Rooney Rule by Seattle. After all, don’t you think the Seahawks front office discussed their “plan” for Seattle’s future with Tony three weeks earlier?

Something is fishy in Seattle!

According to the AP, Federal prosecutors are urging a judge to sentence former National Football League player Dana Stubblefield to probation for lying to sports doping investigators about his drug use. 

They say the lenient sentence is warranted because he provided names of players, trainers and others associated with the NFL who he says used and distributed performance-enhancing drugs. Prosecutors say that NFL officials have interviewed Stubblefield and are investigating his claims.  It is expected that Stubblefield will receive 2 years probation when he is sentenced in San Francisco federal court later today.

Stubblefield’s played defensive line for the San Francisco 49ers (1993-1997 and  2001-2002), Washington Redskins (1998-2000) and Oakland Raiders (2003).  He was the NFL defensive player of the year in 1997 while with the 49ers.

Stubblefield’s name and those of several of his Oakland Raiders team members were found on the list of clients of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative that had given performance-enhancing drugs to Marion Jones, Barry Bonds and others.

On January 18, 2008, Stubblefield admitted lying to Federal Investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

The New York Jets are actively seeking a new head coach to replace Eric Mangini.  Many reports put the Jets ofensive coordinator Brian Shottenheimer as the early favorite.  But it won’t happen!  The best choice to take over the Jets hasn’t even had an interview yet, and his name is currently on the bottom of the list - Brian Billick.

Brian Bilick was the Baltimore Ravens Head Coach from 1999 to 2007 and lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl championship against the New York Giants in 2000 by a score of 34-7. 

On December 31, 2007, Billick was fired from his position as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. This came after a season in which the team went 5–11, including 1–5 in the division, and lost to the otherwise winless Miami Dolphins. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti described the decision to fire Billick as the toughest decision he has ever had to make. Billick, in a short statement, said Bisciotti did what he believed was best for the Ravens, and asserted that the two men are and will remain friends.

But why would Billick be the best choice as head coach for the New York Jets? Her are 12 reasons:

1. He is and experienced NFL head coach. He coached the Ravens from Jan 199 through December 2007 with a 85-67 record
2. He coached in the AFC, the same conference as the Jets
3. He is refreshed. He did not coach in the 2007 NFL season
4. His previous experience with previous Front Offices have been good. He should be be ok with General Manager Mike Tannenbaum making personal decisions
5. He  has won a Superbowl (against the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV)
6. The Jets Fans won’t stand for another “newbie” - any assistant coach without head coaching experience
7. The Jets Fans want to distance themselves with the leadership that lead to this year’s collapse
8. He is an offensive coach. He started out as a Tide End coach with the Vikings in 1992 then was promoted to offensive coordinator. He quickly created one the most explosive offensives in the league. Something you wouldn’t have expected with his defense in Baltimore
9. Owner Woody Johnson wants a winner
10.Woody Johnson wants an experienced head coach
11.The last three Jets head coaches were defensivehead coaches -Al Groh, Herm Edwards and Eric Mangini
12.He could work with Brett Favre (if Brett decides to return)

There are other candidates for the job, including:

• Brian Shottenheimer, the current New York Jets Offensive Coordinator. But links to the team leadership in the Jets collapse, combined with his inexperience as a head coach, don’t bode well with fans.
• Steve Spagnolo, the New York Giants Defensive Coordinator. He is being courted by three other teams - the Browns, Lions and Broncos. And according to reports of his interview with the Jets front office, he was ill prepared.
• Rex Ryan - Ravens Defensive Coordinator.  No head coaching experience.
• Russ Grimm, Cardinals Assistant Head Coach. He was turned down as head coach by the Chicago Bears in 2004, they opted to go with Lovie Smith.
• Ron Meeks, Colts Defensive Coordinator.  Defensive coach and no head coaching experience.
• Jeff Jagodzinski - Boston College Head Coach. Rumor has it his job security was in danger if he decides to interview with the Jets.  Besides, the Jets fans won’t buy into the idea
• Leslie Frazier -Viking Defensive Coordinator.  Just got a one year extension from the Vikings and he is a defensive coach with no head coaching experience

The question is - would Brian Billick be willing to come back into the limelight and play in New York?

The answer is: He’d be crazy not to!