During the heat of competition, the passion that courses through combatants can sometimes take a turn into uglier territory.

The brawl between Cincinnati and Xavier back on December 10 demonstrated an example of athletes allowing their pride and passion to overcome common sense and respect for the game, their organizations, their teammates and obviously, their opponents.

Photo by: Frank Victores | Presswire

Nine days later, Arizona State and Southern Miss had a skirmish between players on court – including a punch thrown – as a result of a battle for a rebound.

Sometimes, however, athletes and sports figures fight for the same reasons that anyone else fights – someone pissed them off or they don’t like someone.  Plenty of bad blood exists between players, coaches, commissioners and even officials, and while it doesn’t always end in fisticuffs, it can be very entertaining when it does.

Although it’s not very “Tebow” of me, I will admit that I treat fights – especially those between wealthy, famous people – like a car crash; I just can’t look away.

Here are some sports feuds that deserve to have a resolution, and I think that the most fascinating way for that resolution to come about is a pay-per-view style mixed martial arts event featuring all of the sports figures who despise each other.  In my dream fight scenario there would be a referee so that things would remain safe (for example, we wouldn’t want an enraged James Harrison to actually tear Roger Goodell’s head off were they to wage war in the octagon) and standard UFC non-title fight rules would apply (three 5-minute rounds).

Here are some battles I would definitely pay to see:

Yancy Gates vs. Kenny Frease (the rematch)

• Height: Gates – 6-9 / Frease – 7-0
• Weight: Gates – 260 / Frease – 275
• Age: Gates – 22 / Frease – 22 (Gates is 3 days older)

Since Gates landed sort of a sucker punch the first time, I’d like to see him face off against Frease again.

Both of these guys are huge, but Frease is truly a behemoth.  Gates obviously has knockout power, however, as we saw during the infamous brawl on December 10.  It would be interesting to see if he can go all LeGarrette Blount on Frease without the distraction of a benches-clearing brawl interfering.

Rex Ryan vs. Brandon Jacobs

• Height: Ryan – 6-3 / Jacobs – 6-4
• Weight: Ryan – A LOT / Jacobs – 264
• Age: Ryan – 49 / Jacobs – 29

Following the Giants’ 29-14 thrashing of Ryan’s Jets on Christmas Eve, Brandon Jacobs had some words for Ryan.

Of course Ryan is no stranger to trash talking, whether it be about football or fighting.  He famously taunted former Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder in the media, and he is known for his boastful declarations about the Jets’ on-field prospects.

Jacobs may be much younger, but I have a feeling that Rex’s mouth has gotten him into plenty of brawls before, and he seems like a pretty confident fella.

 Nyjer Morgan vs. Chris Carpenter

• Height: Morgan – 6-0 / Carpenter – 6-6
• Weight: Morgan – 175 / Carpenter – 230
• Age: Morgan – 31 / Carpenter – 36

T-Plush and Carpenter had a dust-up back in September as the NL Central race was heating up.  Plenty of trash talking from Morgan and Carpenter ensued, and since-departed Cardinals Albert Pujols and Tony LaRussa even got involved.

Morgan and his flamboyant alter-ego Tony Plush did little to squelch the flames of the rivalry, taunting the Cardinals by bragging over the Brewers’ standing atop the division, but the Cards ended up with the last laugh by improbably winning the World Series a few weeks later.

Baseball feuds can run for years, so it will be interesting to see if 2012 delivers another chapter in this feud.  For now I can only wish for a score-settling face off between the smaller, quicker Morgan, and the towering Carpenter.

Kyle Busch vs. Kevin Harvick

• Height: Busch – 6-1 / Harvick – 5-10
• Weight: Busch – 160 / Harvick – 175
• Age: Busch – 26 / Harvick – 36

When NASCAR VP of competition Robin Pemberton issued the statement “Boys, have at it” in 2010, fans of old-school contact racing and the fisticuffs that sometimes follow were elated.

In May 2011 at Darlington, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick’s growing feud came to a head, with Harvick throwing a punch at Busch after what he deemed over-zealous driving by Kyle.  Later, Harvick’s car owner, Richard Childress, reportedly tried to physically fight Busch as well.

Harvick is known as an instigator, and over the past few years he has been involved in incidents and trash-talking with Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Busch and others.  But given how close Harvick and Busch always seem to run, the potential for an explosive fight is always present.

Shaquille O’Neal vs. Kobe Bryant

• Height: Shaq – 7-1 / Kobe – 6-6
• Weight: Shaq – 325 / Kobe – 205
• Age: Shaq – 39 / Kobe – 33

What can I say about this feud that hasn’t already been said?

Shaq and Kobe feuded publicly for years, and even though they have played nice on camera in recent years, there is no doubt that some lingering animosity is shared by both.  Their sparring was so prevalent that there is an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to the feud.

I would imagine Shaq would be a difficult guy to beat up no matter who you are, but if anyone has the tenacity and killer instinct to do so, it is Kobe.  To see Shaq come into the octagon joking and playing around, maybe rapping “Kobe tell me how my ass tastes,” only to see Kobe enter with that scowl of his would be magical.

Would’s O’Neal’s “Shaq-Fu” be enough to take down the “Black Mamba?”  We’ll probably never know, but I would pay a decent chunk of money to know for sure.

Roger Goodell vs. James Harrison

• Height: Goodell – 6-0 (est.) / Harrison – 6-0
• Weight: Goodell – unknown / Harrison – 242
• Age: Goodell – 52 / Harrison – 33

I hinted at it in the opening, but this fight would definitely need to be governed by strict UFC-style rules.

The size differential isn’t alarming, but one would have to figure that Harrison is the stronger man.  Still, l can’t help wishing that the NFL head honcho, who also performs duties of judge, jury, and executioner in all things disciplinary for the league, would agree to physically brawl with his most troublesome employee.

And who knows?  Maybe Goodell is some sort of secret martial artist, and his whole reign of tyranny over the NFL is unimpeded because most players, coaches, and executives are terrified of him.  If that is the case (and I certainly hope it is), then I would love to see him go at it with this guy:

Mike Piazza vs. Roger Clemens

• Height: Piazza – 6-3 / Clemens – 6-4
• Weight: Piazza – 200 / Clemens – 205
• Age: Piazza – 43 / Clemens – 49

No catcher ever hit for power like Mike Piazza, and few pitchers during the era spanning the 1980s-2000s instilled as much fear in opposing hitters as Roger Clemens.

The two became enemies when Clemens drilled Piazza in the head with a pitch in an interleague game in 2000.  Later that year, in the 2000 “Subway” World Series, Piazza broke his bat while hitting a grounder off of Clemens, and in a bizarre sequence, Clemens picked up the splintered bat and threw it back in the direction of Piazza, who had begun running the bases.

Four years later, Piazza caught for Clemens during the first inning on the All-Star game, and Clemens allowed six runs.  It was alleged that Piazza was tipping Clemens’ pitches to American League batters as a way of retaliating for the previous incidents.

I would like to see these two settle their old score, and just in case, I’ll allow PEDs for these two fighters only.  You know, just for old times’ sake.

Jim Harbaugh vs. Jim Schwartz

• Height: Harbaugh – 6-3 / Schwartz – 6-0 (est.)
• Weight: Harbaugh – 215 / Schwartz – unknown
• Age: Harbaugh – 48 / Schwartz – 45

Back in October, head coaches and Jims Harbaugh (49ers) and Schwartz (Lions) got into a bit of a scuffle following the 49ers win in Detroit.

Harbaugh’s exuberance in the aftermath led to some (probably) over-enthusiastic celebrating and a pretty firm handshake with Schwartz.  Schwartz, obviously upset about losing the game, became enraged by the handshake, and chased Harbaugh down, yelling at him all the way.  Schwartz had to be restrained by players and team personnel.

Since these two teams could meet again in the postseason, we can only hope for more fireworks, but what I truly hope for is being able to watch them compete in an actual fight.

Tim Duncan vs. Joey Crawford

• Height: Duncan – 6-11 / Crawford – 5-8 (est.)
• Weight: Duncan – 255 / Crawford – unknown
• Age: Duncan – 35 / Crawford – 60

Duncan and Crawford have some history, most notably in 2007 when Crawford ejected Duncan for laughing at a call from the bench.  As ridiculous as the ejection was, things became even more strange when the typically reserved Duncan said Crawford challenged him to a fight, and different accounts reported that the two exchanged profanities.  Crawford was suspended for the remainder of the season and the playoffs (breaking a 21-year streak of working NBA Finals games), and Duncan was also fined.

As any avid NBA fan knows, Crawford is a particularly animated referee, and he has been criticized (by me and others) for being too showy while making calls and for being contentious with players.

I would like to see this fight for a number of reasons, chief among them the hilarious spectacle that the age and size differentials would create and the fact that Crawford deserves some comeuppance for his antics over the years.

Reggie Bush vs. Miles Austin vs. Kris Humphries with Special Guest Referee Ray J.

• Height: Bush – 6-0 / Austin – 6-2 / Humphries – 6-9
• Weight: Bush – 203 / Austin -215 / Humphries – 235
• Age: Bush – 26 / Austin – 27 / Humphries – 26

As far as I know, none of these guys has any problem with the others.  But the fact is that they are all jilted exes of one Kim Kardashian.  So what would be more fun than a three-way dance in which the winner gets to reclaim Kim’s heart?

Since Ray J. is the co-star of a certain X-rated home video that broke Kim’s career, he can officiate the brawl.  Given the Kardashian clan’s penchant for cashing in on ill-advised television programs, this would seem to be right up their alley.  Of course, given the success that Bush, Austin and Humphries have experienced, they might not be too excited about this.

This one might have to wait until they are all retired.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao

• Height: Mayweather – 5-8 / Pacquiao – 5-6.5
• Weight: Mayweather – varies / Pacquiao – varies
• Age: Mayweather – 34 / Pacquiao – 33

While we’re on the subject of dream fights that will probably never happen, we might as well throw in the boxing superfight that everyone seems to want except the two guys who would be fighting.

Pac-Man v Mayweather has been speculated about for years, but as of now there are no indications that they will fight any time soon.  I would surely pay for this fight, as I’m sure millions of other sports fans would, so hopefully they find a way to make it happen before the two fighters get much older and have their substantial skills deteriorate.

What sports figures would you like to see fight each other?  List them in the comments below!

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Follow me on Twitter @keithmullett

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Image Credits: usatoday.com, blitzsportsnetwork.com, sportsgrid.com, sbnation.com, nydailynews.com, nbaloud.com, hiphophoney.com

It’s not often that we see a coach react to a win as exuberantly and – some might say – disrespectfully as Harbaugh did. Likewise, it’s not often that we see a coach react as angrily and physically as Schwartz did.

All in all it was a pretty shocking display from both coaches, especially in a league where every effort is made to remove any and all individual expressions of emotion.

That, in addition to a few other reasons, is why everyone was a winner in Harbaugh v Schwartz – assuming the NFL does the right thing and rebukes both coaches (hence the asterisk in the title).

Just in case you haven’t seen it or want to see it again, here you go:

I’ll get to my reasoning for thinking a rebuke is called for in a second. First, a few thoughts on why Harbaugh v Schwartz, despite being viewed and discussed in a negative context, is actually a positive.

From a fan’s perspective, we watch the NFL for the same reason we watch all sports: for entertainment. Some people are football purists, some merely love to gamble, and some are just attracted to shiny objects. But ultimately we watch to be entertained.

The Harbaugh-Schwartz kerfuffle was entertaining while toeing, but without crossing, what is appropriate on a football field. Had punches been thrown or injuries occurred, that line would have been crossed. Ultimately we just saw a couple of emotional, arrogant, not-in-their-right-mind men jaw at eachother after a thrillingly physical and passionately played game. No harm, no foul as far as I’m concerned.

And others clearly agree. Consider this T-shirt from our friends at Alternative Hero, already up and available for sale less than 24 hours since one Jim tried to use the Schwartz on the other Jim.

Would I want to see this kind of display after every game? No, of course not. In fact, part of what made this such a spectacle was the reality of its rarity. You never see coaches go after eachother like this in a league that tries to make itself as vanilla as possible. This overall scarcity of postgame pugilism is good, but unbridled emotion trickling out from time to time is also good.

I also think that some of the context of the game is being lost on people. If you didn’t watch the whole game, you didn’t see how physical and hard-fought it was. These were two up-and-coming teams, led by up-and-coming coaches tasked with changing losing cultures, trying to prove themselves on a big stage. San Francisco ultimately won, and deserved to win, and Harbaugh was basically just channeling his entire fan base with his post-game emotion. I know. I watched the whole game with a bunch of 49ers diehards.

For a Belichick, a Mike McCarthy, or even a John Harbaugh to react so passionately would have been a mistake. Those teams have been consistent winners and have bigger fish to fry. The 49ers are trying to get back to that point after years of losing and two straight seasons of playing for a coach in Mike Singletary who had clearly sapped the energy and life out his talented, underachieving roster. One of the ways Harbaugh has turned the 49ers around is by reminding them that it’s okay to have fun and be emotional while you’re focused and playing your ass off. This was a huge win for San Francisco, especially how it was won (on the road despite a gargantuan amount of penalties), and Harbaugh knew it. Plus, he was likely a salty at Schwartz for mocking his dumb rookie challenge mistake in the first half.

Point: Harbaugh needs to start reacting more calmly and composed to victories, but I give him a pass on this one, all things considered.

As for Schwartz, I think his reaction was a bit hypocritical as he’s not exactly always been known for humility or emotional understatement. Still, I give him a pass too. His task when he took over in Detroit was monumental, even moreso than Harbaugh’s in San Fran. Schwartz had to turn around the most pervasive losing culture in football, maybe in sports. Being humble and taking crap from people isn’t/wasn’t going to get it done. And Schwartz clearly wasn’t going to take crap from the new kid on the block on Sunday, especially in his own house. Nor should he.

So though I chastised Schwartz a bit yesterday on Twitter, I don’t feel so strongly in that direction anymore. I can understand his reaction a bit more after putting myself in his shoes, just as I can Harbaugh’s.

Image credit: Leon Halip/Getty Images North America via Urban Christian News

So, to everyone who thinks this is such a bad thing, I’ll channel the immortal words of Pete Carrol and ask: what’s your deal? I’m glad these two coaches indulged their emotions while also being glad that it doesn’t happen often. Not everything has to be black or white, all or nothing. No one was hurt, NFL fans were entertained, players and fans of the Lions and 49ers were given more reason to rally around their leaders, and now the NFL has a chance to use Harbaugh and Schwartz to set an example.

Ah yes, this point. The reason for the asterisk in the title.

As was stated, correctly I think, by Mike Florio on Football Night in America last night, the example set at the NFL level trickles down to lower levels of football. From schemes and strategies to players’ on-field celebrations and conduct, the NFL leads the way for all levels of football. This certainly extends to coaches. The NFL will now have the chance to rebuke and possibly fine Harbaugh and Schwartz, which I’m okay with. And while that may sound hypocritical considering my position on their spat, it’s really not.

As I said, part of what made this entertaining was the rarity of it. The NFL laying down the law will ensure that it continue to be rare, not the norm, and that classy sportsmanship is adhered to 99.9% of the time from coaches during postgame handshakes. This is a good thing overall.

But so is emotion. So is passion. And so is, every now and then, inching ever so closely to the edge of the cliff for what is appropriate conduct. Harbaugh and Schwartz definitely skidded to the edge of that cliff Sunday. Many think they fell off of it. I don’t really think it matters. A whole host of unique and compelling storylines converged in Detroit on Sunday to make that moment possible, and it happened. Big deal. Let’s move on. It’ll be a long time before it happens again.

Besides, lost in all the talk about Harbaugh and Schwartz is the fact that the 49ers and Lions are a combined 10-2, both a game behind Green Bay for home field advantage in the NFC playoff race.

Let that sentence sink in.

For the first time in a long time, the NFL does not stand for “No Fun League” in Detroit and San Francisco. It’s about damn time.

Let’s kick it off this week with the Detroit Lions.

As you may remember, last year on September 27th, the Detroit Lions held on for a 19-14 victory over the Washington Redskins. This win snapped the franchise’s pitiful 19-game regular season losing streak.

It was like a guy, on the longest dry spell of his life, finally getting lucky again on a drunken, kamikaze shot-infused night – meaning it was sloppy, anything-but-comfortable, and probably enjoyed a little too much afterwards.

Even ending up on the victorious side of a football game should not have been that straining.  (Females, of course, are a different story…)

And I’ll be honest: I was rooting for this torrential shitstorm in Detroit to continue for as long as possible (I was especially rooting for it during this game, which would have been awfully embarrassing had it gone the other way). It was fascinating to watch something so bad, so seemingly destined for nothing but awfulness and with no real end in sight march onwards.

It’s the same reason Detective Jimmy McNulty’s drunken exploits on “The Wire” were so engaging. You expected them to happen, you probably knew the telltale signs, but you always wanted to see exactly how we would finally get there and how far into the depths McNulty would plunge.

It felt as though a Lion victory would have required something otherworldly to reverse all of the bad luck and shoddy play delivered both to and from this team. We didn’t know when Detroit was going to finally hit rock bottom, or if they would ever recover.

Turns out, all it needed was the Washington Redskins, caught in the midst of their own, albeit more expensive, pathetic season.

Detroit would later win their second and final game of the season in a memorable Week 11 shootout with the Cleveland Browns, which ended 38-37 when rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford outdueled Brady Quinn (remember, we’re taking baby steps here) with a bum throwing arm. In two seasons, this was the most exciting moment for the Detroit Lions.

Heading into the 2010 campaign, the Lions seem to be putting more distance between where they are now and where they were not so long ago, a credit to the new brain trust of general manager Martin Mayhew and head coach Jim Schwartz.

A young offensive core of Stafford, running backs Kevin Smith and Jahvid Best, and freakish wideout Calvin Johnson, along with a stronger supporting cast around them, should continue to grow into a potentially dangerous unit.

The defense, meanwhile, is still under construction from the defensive line back, as was the way in Schwartz’s tenure as Tennessee defensive coordinator. Kyle Vanden Bosch, Corey Williams, and top pick Ndamukong Suh will provide a solid foundation for this plan, which is in place and clearly progressing. The Lions are ready, now more than ever in the recent past, to move forward.

But – and with Detroit, there is usually a but – um, look at the schedule leading up to their Week 7 bye:

Week 1: At Chicago
Week 2: Vs. Philadelphia
Week 3: At Minnesota
Week 4: At Green Bay
Week 5: Vs. St. Louis
Week 6: At New York Giants

Whoa. After the bye, they host games against the new-look Redskins and fashionable New York Jets. Later in the year, on Thanksgiving Day, or what is known as the Lions’ very own melancholy Super Bowl, they play the New England Patriots.

Someone on that schedule-making decision team, undoubtedly tucked away in a shadowy, sound-proof conference room at NFL headquarters, had a pretty perverse sense of humor when they drew this up. It seems they enjoyed the Lions’ struggles and wanted to make the franchise earn its way out of this mess. I guess that would make them like me.

So, the real question: measured improvements and tapered optimism aside, where will the concrete signs of an upswing – the wins – come from?

That schedule is a hell of a way to start a season for any team, especially for a franchise that doesn’t just want to start, but wants to start over. A slow beginning to the year could bring nasty memories and bad habits back to the forefront. For a team that could’ve used a few warm-up shots, it’s like they’re going into a shooting contest cold against Steve Kerr.

Alas, in the end, they don’t have a say in the matter and though it might be harder to see, the play should be better. The concrete rewards may have to be replaced for the time being with the dreaded Moral Victories and Baby Steps, but I don’t see how this team doesn’t at least look improved this year. They still have a lot of questions, especially on defense, and well, that schedule will be quite the barometer.

Detroit can, however, be pretty sure of one thing: they will not be sniffing around 0-16 again anytime soon. Eventually, talent and smart decision-making skills should trump whatever dark clouds have hung over this franchise; and they are beginning to assemble both.

The Lions have hit rock bottom, and they are trying to move up. This year is not going to make the move easy. With the Lions, nothing ever is.

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Photos courtesy of the Detroit Lions and whatsontv.co.uk.

Twitter: twitter.com/griffingotta Email: griffingotta@gmail.com

There were a few new developments today, so let’s run them down real quick.

First, the Plain-Dealer reported that Randy Lerner will also interview former Atlanta Falcons GM Rich McKay for the Browns GM position. McKay was fired in Atlanta after the Michael Vick debacle tore the franchise apart. Florio floated a few interesting hypotheses about the Browns’ “interest” in Rich McKay over at PFT. One of these hypotheses is that the Browns willingness to bring Rich McKay in for an interview may have more to do with a desire to gain leverage in negotiations with Scott Pioli than anything else. Seeing as how Rich McKay’s reputation took a pretty big hit after the Atlanta debacle, I’m not so sure Florio isn’t onto something here.

Either way, I want Scott Pioli. If we can get him for perhaps less money, more power to Randy Lerner. But just get him.

Second, word also broke today that the Browns will be interviewing both Eric Mangini and Steve Spagnuolo for the head coaching spot vacated by Romeo Crennel’s firing. As reported by Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns are also currently trying to get permission to interview Josh McDaniels, Jim Schwartz, and Jason Garrett. Cabot makes special mention of the fact that there has been no word regarding the Browns’ potential interest in recently fired former Denver head coach Mike Shanahan.

I will admit that I do not know a whole lot about Steve Spagnuolo and Jim Schwartz, except that they have both been very successful as defensive coordinators for the Giants and Titans, respectively. The Cleveland Frowns have endorsed Jim Schwartz for the job, and their reasoning is pretty sound.

I also do not know much about Josh McDaniels, but obviously his candidacy would seem to be strengthened greatly if Scott Pioli is ultimately the choice as GM. If Pioli were to choose McDaniels, a great possibility considering their familiarity with eachother in New England, based on Pioli’s sterling record as a personnel man, McDaniels would certainly have my endorsement. Of course, Pioli’s success has been with choosing players, not coaches; so perhaps any endorsement would be jumping the gun a bit. Oh yeah, and there’s that little thing about former Patriots coaches not doing so well after they leave Bill Belichick. Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini.

(And for the record, in that picture to the right, does anyone else think it looks like Mangini is ready for the ‘ol lean-in-and-hope first kiss technique? Ah the good old days, before Mangini became a rat and turned Belichick in for cheating).

What a nice transition into my main point.

I want to go on record right here, right now with a little memo to Randy Lerner: stay away from Eric Mangini. There are a few primary reasons why I say this:

1. Going to back to the point I just made regarding Josh McDaniels, former Patriots coaches under Bill Belichick have not done well once they leave. Eric Mangini only went 23-25 with the New York Jets, including this year’s total collapse after the team started 8-3. That’s not really very inspiring.
2. I do not think that Eric Mangini’s personality is a good fit for Cleveland. He is obviously a very smart guy, and some might even say too smart for his own good. He has that same arrogance and aloofness of Bill Belichick, but without the Super Bowl titles to back it up. I really believe that in the AFC North you need a fiery, intense guy to succeed and set the proper tone for the battles against the Steelers and Ravens. Bill Cowher, Mike Tomlin, Brian Billick, John Harbaugh…all are very fiery guys who were the emotional leaders for their teams. And in Baltimore, you have Ray Lewis and Ed Reed who are the true emotional leaders to supplement what comes from the coach. Well, the Browns don’t have any leaders on the field who set the tone with their attitude. And Mangini’s personality is not going to help that. Additionally, after four years of the laid back Romeo Crennel, I think Browns fans are starving for a coach who shows emotion and fire. Mangini’s arrogance may fly on the East Coast, but I don’t see it going over well in Cleveland unless he is going 14-2 every year.
3. I hate Eric Mangini’s facial expressions. Play after play this past weekend during the Jets loss to the Dolphins, Mangini would have this look of arrogant disgust on his face like, “If these assholes would just do exactly what my genius plan dictates, we’d never lose.” Who knows, maybe he’s right. But I wanted to smack him in the mouth.
4. Is there any lingering effect of the whole SpyGate thing? I suppose Eric Mangini did the “morally right” thing by turning in Bill Belichick for cheating. But it does raise the question of whether or not Mangini is a guy that you can trust. I think that Vinny Tresselini of Flash Sports Tonight summed it up best when reported “the real story” behind the Spygate Scandal:

Look, Eric Mangini is probably a very talented coach. From what I have heard, he is outstanding as a secondary coach and has a brilliant football mind. And the Browns apparently wanted Mangini back when they hired Crennel, but the Patriots would not allow permission to talk to him. Plus, Mangini got his first NFL job with the Browns, so he has roots. But I just think, especially at this particular time, Mangini would be a terrible decision.

And while all of the reasons stated above are important reasons why I think this, here is the main reason: hiring Eric Mangini, a coach who just got fired yesterday, would create about as much buzz as a dead bumblebee. We would go from a former New England assistant who was fired to…a former New England assistant who was fired. And Browns fans are supposed to be excited about that?

Randy Lerner, please. Say no to Eric Mangini. Or, more accurately said, do not offer any contract to Eric Mangini. Bring him in for an interview, turn over every possible stone, that’s fine. But do not punish Cleveland fans by trying to sell us on getting excited about a coach who wasn’t even good enough for the Jets.

Ideally, I’d like to see Scott Pioli take over as soon as possible and lead the coaching search himself. I realize Lerner needs to start interviewing coaches to draw from the biggest possible pool, before any good ones get snatched up, but he also needs to avoid any temptation to make a quick, hasty decision. If the Browns have learned anything from the Pittsburgh Steelers over the years it should be that stability in the front office and at head coach are the bedrocks of a consistent organization. If Randy Lerner makes good decisions over the next few weeks, he could set the Browns on a course towards consistent success.

Of course, if he doesn’t, the same old cycle of sucking and sadness will continue in Cleveland. I’m afraid that choosing Eric Mangini would not only lead the Browns in a bad direction, but it wouldn’t even offer any immediate hope of a turn around.

We’ll “wait till next year” Randy, but at least give us some hope to hold onto. If you pick Eric Mangini you’ll be pulling a Braylon Edwards: dropping the ball.

The search has begun for the St. Louis Rams as they try to find someone to lead the team back to prominence and out of the cellar of the NFC West.

New general manager Billy Devaney will interview Green Bay assistant head coach/linebackers coach Winston Moss sometime this week to lead off the parade.

Moss has never been a coordinator in college or the NFL, but that is of little importance to Devaney, who told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the next coach of the Rams, first and foremost, “needs to be the leader in our building. He needs to change the atmosphere inside our building. This leader, whoever it is, has to reconnect with our fan base.”

That’s not saying that Winston Moss is the leading candidate for the spot vacated by the fired Scott Linehan, who gave way to interim coach Jim Haslett. But apparently Moss fits the criteria that Devaney has laid out.

Devaney will lean on an experienced group of football men as he canvasses the league for the right candidate. He said Tuesday that Bobby Beathard, a four-time Super Bowl-winning executive at Washington and his former boss at San Diego, will be a sounding board along with Rams director of player personnel Lawrence McCutcheon. In addition, former Big Red tackle and Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf and former league MVP Marshall Faulk will be asked for their input.

Having those people in his corner will give Devaney the best chance at trying to pinpoint the right man for the job, not to mention, discover any warts that might be hidden by prospective candidates. He might be anxious to get an outsider’s opinion of Jim Haslett, who will also get to interview for the job he kept “cold” for the final 12 weeks of the season. Haslett went 2-10 during his audition and lost his last 10.

The fact that Devaney highlighted leadership in his criteria means he is more interested in substance rather than style points or trying to lure the circuit’s hottest coordinator.

Devaney was part of a coaching search last year when Atlanta was looking to replace Bobby Petrino. The Falcons interviewed the likes of Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan before settling on relative unknown Mike Smith, who was previously the defensive coordinator at Jacksonville. We know how that turned out — Smith’s Falcons won the NFC South a year after the franchise sank to new depths during the Michael Vick saga.

That’s proof that a struggling team doesn’t need to throw big bucks at someone like Bill Cowher to have success. They don’t have to have the hot name like Jason Garrett (last year), Steve Spagnuolo (last year and this year) or Josh McDaniels (see Spagnuolo).

Rex Ryan is an intriguing possibility. For the time being, he’s off limits because the Ravens are preparing for this week’s AFC Wild Card playoff game at Miami. Once the Ravens’ season is over, Ryan is worth taking another look at. He’s an excellent schemer who has been able to put pressure on offenses in 4-3 and 3-4 sets. Then again, he is able to deploy players such as Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Bart Scott, Terrell Suggs. What do those players have in common? They don’t play for the Rams.

Is Ryan a “leader” who has the qualities that Devaney is looking for? Or is he the beneficiary of having premier talent at his disposal? If Devaney passes on Ryan again, we should know Devaney’s opinion. But picking his brain is worth the time and effort.

If I was pressed with compiling a list of candidates for the Rams, I would start with these two men:

Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz — Schwartz has been the Titans’ defensive coordinator for eight seasons and is labeled as intense by some, a numbers freak by others. Bottom line, he has gotten great production out the Titans on defense the last two seasons.

Minnesota defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier — Frazier knows a thing or two about defense, having played for the Chicago Bears when they won the Super Bowl following the 1985 season. He helped turn around Philadelphia as an assistant before moving on to Cincinnati and Indianapolis, places where his charges showed marked improvement. He’s in his second season in charge of the Vikings’ defense and is well-respected around the league.

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