Browns fans in heaven, prepare to be annoyed

Browns fans in heaven, prepare to be annoyed


Myron Cope is on his way, and I doubt that he's going to stop saying "Yoi!", "Double Yoi!", "Mmm-Ha!", and "Cleve Brownies" once he gets there.

If you aren't familiar with Myron Cope, this post can't help you gain a full appreciation of what he meant to the Steelers and to Pittsburgh. You probably can't appreciate it unless you saw it first-hand.

The guy is as much a part of Steelers history as Terry Bradshaw, Jack Lambert, or Ben Roethlisberger. Through the years, with his passion, creativity, and kindness in the community, he wove himself into the fabric of the Steelers. It wasn't just that the Rooneys loved him, or that the team loved him, or that the fans loved him ... they all felt a connection with him, too. He was born in Pittsburgh, and everything about him was Pittsburgh.

There won't be another broadcaster like Myron Cope. It's hard to imagine anyone coming up in today's play-it-safe, corporate climate with the same bold individuality.

When Cope came up with the Terrible Towel, he did it because he loved the Steelers and wanted to start a tradition for fans. It certainly wasn't about profit. His original plan was for people to bring yellow dish towels to games.�

And it was the same with everything else about Cope. He didn't do things to get himself noticed, he wasn't angling for a better gig, and he didn't do wacky things just for the sake of being wacky. He was a bit of a goofball, he had a distinctive voice, and he loved the Steelers. What came out of that was exactly what you heard on the radio. Nothing more, nothing less. He was as authentic, eccentric, and passionate as it gets.

• Steelers’ former radio announcer Myron Cope dies at 79 / Yahoo! Sports
• Obituary: Cope's career spanned newspapers, magazines, radio and TV / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
• Rest in Peace, Myron Cope / Joey Porter's Pit Bulls
• Myron Cope, RIP / Dave's Football Blog

Tony Dungy is surprisingly capable of making fun of the Patriots
The Dunge sat down for an interview with Gametap to discuss NFL Head Coach '09, a new coaching simulation game from EA Sports. Dungy graces the cover.

Toward the end of the interview, the Gametap guy asked Dungy about any "cheat codes" (secret passwords or button combinations designed to make the game easier or give a player an advantage) available in the game. Dungy replied with an awesomeness I did not know he had:

GameTap: Are there going to be any cheat codes in the game where I can spy on my opponents?

Tony Dungy: [laughs] I don't know about any cheat codes. They say that's really a big secret around here, it's like Spygate. I don't know if they put that in there or not or what the penalty would be if you entered any cheat codes, but we'll probably only let New England have cheat codes.

ZING!

Not bad, coach. I didn't know you had it in you.

Unfortunately, that quote will likely be the most exciting thing about NFL Head Coach '09. I made the mistake of purchasing the '08 version, and in retrospect, the time I spent playing that game would have been more enjoyable spent playing nude Twister with a giant jellyfish.�

Big thanks: Big Lead

• Tony Dungy Interview / Gametap
• EA NFL Head Coach 09 / EA Sports

ESPN sets Sean Salisbury free, replaces him with Cris Carter
If you don't spend a lot of time reading sports blogs, chances are, to you, Sean Salisbury's just the ornery NFL analyst at ESPN who yells at John Clayton and gets to do the important segments at 2 in the afternoon.

If you do read the sports blogs, though, you might know Salisbury better as the guy who was once suspended because he took cell phone pictures of his Salisbury Steak and generously passed them around to the ladies at ESPN.

Either way, you might not be seeing as much of him in the future (and hopefully, never that much of him). Salisbury's no longer an ESPN employee and is free to pursue other genital-picture-spreading opportunities. Said Salisbury:

"I'd grown tired of being punished for not being an NFL superstar. Analysts who don't work as hard as me, don't prepare as hard as me, and don't have my resume were making more than me just because of their ability to throw or catch a football."

And let's not forget the analysts who can't actually speak.

Replacing Salisbury will be Cris Carter, who used to work at HBO's Inside the NFL, and also used to catch passes from Salisbury with the Vikings.�

I'm not terribly familiar with the work Carter did at HBO, so I couldn't tell you if he'll be better or worse than Salisbury. I can tell you that he'll be better than Emmitt Smith, though, but I still doubt Emmitt will lose his plum gig on the Sunday morning pregame show.

• Sean Salisbury says parting with ESPN was mutual / Los Angeles Times
• Breaking News: Sean Salisbury Out At ESPN / Awful Announcing
• Breaking News: ESPN Adds Cris Carter As A Football Analyst / Awful Announcing

Mike Vick protected better in prison than Leftwich was on the field
This comes from MediaTakeOut.com, the impeccable news source that's only wrong about 65% of the time. But hey, we're not getting updates on Michael Vick's prison stay from anywhere else, and for some reason, the warden won't allow him the same privileges that allowed Oscar Bluth to set up his own website from inside.

The MTO people say that Vick's had his problems in the joint, but that some of our friendly neighbors to the south are providing him some protection:

If you thought Mike Vick was in some kind of country club prison - you're wrong. MediaTakeOut.com spoke with a person whose relative is currently incarcerated with Mike Vick in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary - in the same cell block. And according to our source, Mike Vick is having a difficult time fitting in.

The insider explained, "Michael Vick is not in [administrative segregation] - he's right there with the rest of the inmates. A few [inmates] stepped to him when he first got there but everything is cool now ... My [family member] says that he's paying a Mexican gang to keep him safe."

Well, you do what you have to do, I guess. Defending against penetration is very important, both in prison and on the football field. More so in prison, probably. Way, way, way, way, way more.

If these fellows can protect Michael Vick from the general population locked up in Leavenworth, then handling 11 characters running around in silver and teal should be no problem. I think they have a future as offensive linemen. Arthur Blank should try to see if he can get these guys out on a work release program.

• Exclusive: Mike Vick Pays for Protection in Prison / MediaTakeOut.com

Let's point and laugh at Shawne Merriman


There are those out there who would tell you that Shawne Merriman is pictured above "throwing like a girl" before this weekend's NASCAR shindig. These same people also tell you that throwing a decent spiral is something every male should know how to do (ironically, these same people can't open a beer without spilling it all over your floor).

But Shawne Merriman isn't designed to throw. Shawne Merriman is designed to kill. Yes, his throwing motion makes him look like a female Tyrannosaurus Rex with epilepsy, but to me, this equates to watching Martin Grammatcia trying to tackle Maurice Jones-Drew. It's just not what he's trained to do.

Besides, it's not that bad. The Bears have spent all week giving out contracts to people who throw just as poorly.

Shawne Merriman Throws Like a Girl / Mr. Irrelevant