The Jaw Has Spoken

Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis made his debut as an analyst Sunday night during NBC's telecast of the Cincinnati Bengals-Washington Redskins preseason game, and already the black-and-gold legend has found himself in a bit of hot water.

During the broadcast, Bettis disclosed a conversation he said he'd had with Steelers coach Bill Cowher, and he addressed the rumors surrounding the coach's supposed retirement.

"I really think this is the last year for Coach Cowher in Pittsburgh," Bettis said. "I talked to him after the season was over and I really think he was really a different coach, a different guy."

Cowher, for his part, was upset by Bettis' comments. So upset, in fact, I'd wager that jaw of his stuck out like a sore thumb the minute he heard The Bus make the above comments.

So, what was Cowher to do? Throw his former star under the...uhh...bus.

"I was very disappointed in what Jerome said," Cowher said late Monday afternoon. "Jerome and I talked back in March and there was no confidential information shared. There has been a lot of speculation about my future, and that's what it is -- speculation. I have not made a decision about my future beyond this year."

So, Cowher says he hasn't decided yet if he's going to retire. That's fine; just tell the media you haven't decided yet. It won't stop them from asking you about your plans after the coming season, but at least Cowher will have gone on-record as saying he wasn't sure.

Cowher has more important things to worry about than what Bettis said on the set for NBC. He needs to concern himself with trying to repeat a Super Bowl championship season--without Bettis or versatile wide receiver Antwaan Randle-El. He needs to worry about how Ben Roethlisberger is gonna respond to being back on the football field after his horrific motorcycle crash a couple months back.

The regular season is less than a month away; I'd like to think a coach of Cowher's caliber wouldn't care what a member of the football media has to say about his coaching future. I'd like to think he could block that out, focus solely on coaching his team and preparing for a hard season in a much-improved AFC North.

Then again, maybe it was the fact that Bettis said those things that bothered Cowher. I wonder...if Chris Mortensen or Steve Young had made those comments, would he care nearly as much?

As for Bettis, he reportedly said before making those comments that he hoped Cowher would be okay with what he was about to say. Bettis, as a member of the media now, shouldn't be worrying about whether someone would be okay with the things he was saying. As an analyst, it's his job to interject opinions as he sees fit. If it was his opinion Cowher would retire after the season, then he has a job to express as such.

And one thing I've learned in my years as a sports journalist: unless the words "off the record" are uttered, nothing someone says is off-limits to a reporter or an analyst. So whatever conversation Bettis and Cowher had several months back is fair game.

Like I said, if Cowher doesn't think he's going to retire, just say so. There's no need to call out an analyst--one of your best players, no less--simply because he made a statement based on what facts he felt he knew.
Bill Cowher needs to let Jerome Bettis do his job--and focus on doing his own.

Shouldering the Season

The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Washington Redskins 19-3 Sunday night in both teams' first preseason game--an affair that saw Carson Palmer on the sidelines and the Redskins searching for any sort of rhythm on offense.

Mark Brunell was slow, his passes floating through the air with as much power as a Tim Wakefield knuckleball, back-up Todd Collins (who came from Kansas City to Washington with new offensive coordinator Al Saunders) simply looked awful, and 2005 first-rounder Jason Campbell, while impressive and showing flashes of what he can do, is still playing football at college speed.

The defense looked good, and if the Redskins can get the quarterback situation straightened out, new wideouts Antwaan Randle-El and Brandon Lloyd could prove to be valuable pick-ups. And the loss itself doesn't mean a lot; preseason NFL games are often pointless in their meaningless exhibitionism, nothing more than an excuse for already-rich owners to milk even more money from a football-starved fanbase.
The final score isn't nearly as important as one particular play in the first quarter.

Brunell had just thrown an interception, a case of misreading a route; Lloyd had cut inside, heading up the middle of the field, while Brunell had anticipated him slanting toward the sideline. Instead, he found a Bengals player--and the result was almost six the other way. The only thing saving the day was running back Clinton Portis, who made the tackle.

Only problem was, Portis hurt himself on the play, suffering what team doctors call a left shoulder subluxation. In dummy talk, that means a partially-separated shoulder. Apparently, the bone popped out of its socket, then popped right back in. Portis, naturally, was done for the rest of the night, but thankfully X-rays were negative.

The injury, if it lingers, could decidedly affect the Redskins' season. Considered by some experts as the favorite in the absurdly tough NFC East, the Redskins are coming off their first winning season since 1999, a year that saw Joe Gibbs take the team to the playoffs, winning the Wild Card game against Tampa Bay, despite only 25 passing yards (hence the offseason moves to get Randle-El and Lloyd)...Redskins fans should watch Portis' recovery with keen eyes, because as he goes, so too could go Washington's season.

Portis, who last season rushed for a team-record 1,516 yards, punching into the endzone 11 times, is the backbone of Washington's offensive attack. Though Gibbs is often given credit for winning three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks, the real reason his offenses have worked was a solid running game. If Portis can't contribute for the Skins, all the pressure will fall on the quarterbacks and wideouts...the result of which will more than likely be less than what Redskins fans are expecting.

Portis' back-up, Ladell Betts, is a solid runner in his own right, though he's not as powerful as Portis. Betts had his best game of 2005 against the San Francisco 49ers, rushing for 92 yards on 12 carries. Betts has also shown an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, which would give Saunders and his offense another dimension...

...if Betts himself weren't banged up, too.

With Portis and Betts both dinged up, that leaves third-stringer Rock Cartwright--all five-foot-seven of him--in charge of Washington's ground game. Not that Cartwright isn't talented, but he's certainly not the back opposing defenses are going to spend hours game-planning for.

I don't expect Portis to play anymore in the preseason, and if he can be ready for the Redskins' season opener against Minnesota, the team should be fine. But without Portis, the Redskins are disturbingly one-dimensional on offense...which will spell trouble in the NFC East.

With a healthy Portis, the Redskins are the most complete, balanced offense in the division. Dallas, despite a good running game and two play-making wideouts, have a weak offensive line--thus potentially spelling doom for Drew Bledsoe. The Eagles, though they no longer have to deal with the antics of one Terrell Owens, no longer have a play-making wide receiver for Donovan McNabb to throw to, and with all the weapons the Giants have, Eli Manning is still a question mark under center.

Washington's got the defense, the coaching pedigree, and if Portis is healthy, the offense to take the NFC East and possibly make a run at the Super Bowl. But if Portis is shelved for a significant amount of time in the regular season, and the back-ups can't pick up the slack, 2006 could be a struggle for the Redskins. Great defense is a wonderful thing in the NFL, but you still have to put the ball in the endzone if you want to compete.

Just ask the Baltimore Ravens.