Highlights of T.O.'s popcorn worthy one-on-one interview with Deion Sanders on the NFL Network.

Asked if its pronounced "Tear-el" or "Terr-el," he said, "It started out as Terrell, then we brought it to T.O. And I got something cooking for next year."

By we, who did Owens mean? T.O. and Terrell? Terrell and Kim Etheridge?

Dumbest question yet by Sanders: "Has Jerry Jones called you for advice about the coaching search?"

Other gems from Owens...

"I get no respect for what I do. I play with half a leg in the Super Bowl and get no respect for that. I play with a bum hand that no one knew about... I guess I won't get any respect until I have a limb dangling off me and you can physically see it."

"I didn't just lead the NFC. I didn't just lead the AFC. I led the NFL in touchdowns."

"There were guys that only had two or three less drops than I did, and they had two good hands."

One thing I liked. Owens calling out his detractors by name, including Mark Schlereth and Sean Salisbury.

Some actual news: Owens' second surgery on his finger will take place March 1.

And my first ever quasi-live blog of an interview is now complete.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The 2007 edition of the Pouliot, Gleeman, and friends masterpiece is ready. Rotoworld's baseball draft guide is for sale.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Would there be three stories on the Eagles on Wednesday of Super Bowl week.

There is a preview ... of a Chunky Soup press conference staring Donovan McNabb.

There is an important follow-up on the Wilma McNabb blogging controversy.

And, of course, there is a report on those crazy sons of Andy Reid. Two traffic mishaps in one day!

I've been blogging over at NBCSports.com for most of January (the posts are below), but now we've got it rolling on Rotoworld as well. In fact, I think we'll just use this fancy looking model moving forward. It's got categories and everything!

I don't want the blog to rehash my work on Rotoworld's news page, so this space will be a place for extended opinion and stories we don't have space for in our news format. I also hope to point out some of the best football writing I come across.

Let me know what you think, what you want to see, and all the rest. Thanks for stopping by.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

There has been a lot of talk this week about whether the Rooney Rule is still necessary. Many reports have suggested Mike Singletary only received a chance with the Cowboys so Jerry Jones wouldn't take heat for skirting the rule.

But even if that was Jones' motivation for interviewing Singletary, the rule is still working. Mike Singletary got an opportunity to show his wares, meet Jerry Jones, and try to prove that he was the right man for the job. No matter what Jones thought about Singletary before, the coach had a chance to change his preconceptions. That's all you can ask for.

Mike Tomlin probably wouldn't have earned an interview if not for the Rooney rule and he got the Steelers job. Lovie Smith admitted Tuesday that he owed his job to the Rooney rule. Smith's success shows why the rule is necessary, not why we've outgrown it.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I can't be the only football fan that hates the buildup to the Super Bowl. After a draining season, two weeks is too long to wait. Everything that surrounds the game has little to do with, you know, actual football. I try to block it all out for as long possible.

The tide started turning for me this evening while I started diving into some old Bears game tape, already preparing for our ridiculously early deadline on our football annual this season.

An actual football game is going to be played Sunday starring the greatest quarterback (guess who), wide receiver (not Bernard Berrian), linebacker (Mr. Urlacher), and kicker (Adam Vinatieri) of this generation. If you can't get excited for that, something's wrong.

Now ... I'll get back to the tape, and keep trying to tune out the hype as long as possible.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Part of the reason I wanted to start this blog was to point out the quality football writing I use as sources for my Rotoworld news responsibilities.

I just found a new blog by Washington Post beat writer Jason La Canfora. He's one of the best NFL writers in the country. The year-end dissection of the Redskins in the Post was incredible.

Another hidden off-season gem is the weekly team reports from the Sporting News. They make it difficult to find these online, possibly because it's unique magazine content. But it's information culled from a quality beat writer from each team, and often has scoops you don't see in the paper.

Just today, on one of the deadest weeks of the year, I learned...

The Cowboys will interview Mike Singletary for their head coaching position.

I heard NFL Network's Adam Shefter say on Mike and the Mad Dog show Monday that Turner requested a specific defensive coordinator and personnel man if he took the Dallas job. Could Singletary be the guy? He's well thought of in coaching circles and spent 2006 working with Turner. He also coaches the 3-4 in San Francisco, so it's a natural fit.

One of my favorite parts of Super Bowl week is hearing Mike and the Mad Dog all week from the site. The NFL Network also lines up some good guests. Bill Simmons, Bob Ryan, and Shefter had good spots WFAN today. Mike and Dog are the equivalent to Howard Stern of sports radio.

They aren't crass (or sexual), but they know how to interview. They get big stars (athletes or media) to give up the goods on air better than anyone. I used it as background music while I worked today, but had to turn it off by midafternoon because it was too good. So for all you unemployed or college kids out there, enjoy!

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 06:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Loved this headline from the San Jose Mercury News on Sunday.

"The fate of two great teams hinges on one Norv Turner."

When Turner was canned by the Raiders a short year ago, I thought that was it for him as an NFL head coach. While he always seemed like one of the nicest guys in the league and has proven himself as a play-caller, the Raiders' players walked all over him. Turner is 58-82-1 as a head coach and that record usually doesn't get you a third chance.

Turner has bounced back quite well. The 49ers will give him a massive raise to stay as coordinator. But he's the favorite for an enviable Dallas Cowboys head coaching job.

Peter King writes that Turner is on board with Jerry Jones getting final say on personnel matters. Troy Aikman has helped Jones with the coaching search and inevitably believes Turner is the man for the job.

It seems dangerous to go back to the 'glory days' and make an emotional hire. Just look at Art Shell last year.

Hiring Turner, if nothing else, would test the theory that coaching wins and losses are mostly dictated by the situation. Dallas is set up to make the playoffs immediately. Turner has only done that once as a coach.

Before Turner left town, he spoke with the Dallas media. They asked his opinion about a certain wide receiver.

"I like the players that are here, and T.O. is one of them," Turner said.

Sounds like Jerry Jones has him saying the right things already.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Super Bowl week, oddly, could be the quietest NFL news week until July. It's hard to scrape up some morning news over at Rotoworld.

One very interesting report indicates that Randy Moss isn't on board with Lane Kiffin's hiring. This is just a rumor at this point, but it could be Moss' first step in forcing a move out of Oakland. It would probably be good for his career.