Colonel Saunders should make ‘Skins offense extra crispy

In Redskins land, Joe Gibbs has handed play calling duties over to the newly-hired Al Saunders. In a presser Monday, Gibbs named Saunders the team’s assistant coach for offense, essentially giving Saunders the same responsibilities he had in Kansas City and St. Louis as an assistant to Dick Vermeil. Gibbs said the transaction would allow him to focus on his other duties such as serving as team president. "My commitment should be that I need to really look at myself long and hard and say, 'Is there anything I can do to help the Redskins win,' and there's probably some of that" Gibbs said at the press conference. "I'm committed to try and do whatever is best for the Redskins, and I think right now this is the way for us to be set up." Gibbs handing over control of the offense has led some observes to believe that the head coach may be wearing a racing suit on the sidelines next year, talking into a head set that’s wired to Tony Stewart. (I think that was Steve Czaban who said that. I don’t remember, but I’ll give him the credit.)

Speaking of the Czabe, he wrote in his Web column this week that the new movie “Glory Road” – you know, the one about the Texas-Western basketball team that beat Adolph Rupp’s mighty Kentucky team for the national championship in 1966 – is not based on facts and is “really about changing factual history to fit a social agenda.” So, from there, Czabe takes it upon himself to re-write a few historic sports moments in the interest of cranking out a great movie. All his story lines are pretty good, but here’s the best one:

"Broadway Joe's Change of Heart"
Joe Namath says before Super Bowl III that he "guarantees" the Jets will win the game. Unknown to everybody however, is that Namath had so little faith in his team, that he wagered his entire year's salary on the Colts that day. As the game progresses, a conflicted Namath struggles with whether a historic win will be worth more than his wager, or if he should just tank it and cash the ticket. The defining moment comes when Namath catches a glimpse of his bookie in the end zone, who gives him a thumbs-up with a sleazy smile. Sickened at what he's about to do, Namath leads the Jets to a win. Running off the field, he is seen wagging his finger in the air. Historians took it to mean "we're number one" but in reality, it was Namath signaling to his bodyguards to start the car, so he could make a safe getaway from angry bettors who thought the fix was in.
Czabe’s complete column can be read by clicking this link.

Barry breaks bond with team USA
Barry Bonds has announced he will not play in the World Baseball Classic after saying last fall that he would suit up for team USA. Bonds, who has 708 career home runs and nearing Hank Aaron’s all-time record of 755, said he does not want to risk injury by playing in the inaugural 16-country Classic. “I feel what is best for me, my family, the Giants and our fans is that I sit the WBC out," Bonds wrote on his Web site Monday. Bonds would have been team USA’s DH and would not have played left field. However, unnamed sources tell Naked Bootleg that Bonds just found out Sunday that his home runs in the Classic would not count toward his career total. Perhaps that was the true reason the slugger turned his steroid-enhanced back on his country. (That’s a bit strong, isn’t it?) Repeated calls to Bonds’ cell phone by Naked Bootleg were not returned. (Ok, I’m making this up.) Oh, but his decision may have something to do with the Olympic-style drug testing that began Jan. 17 for players in the Classic.

Romo rhymes with…
Chad in the J.C. discovered today that Dallas Cowboys’ back-up quarterback Tony Romo is a huge fan of chick flicks and that he and Elizabethton, Tenn., native and "Boys tight end Jason Witten enjoyed watching The Notebook together. Romo also discloses that Witten is a big softie when it comes to those types of movies. “Yeah, 'J' teared up, you know, and I had to console him - make sure he was OK and all,” Romo said in the dallascowboys.com Q&A. Hmmmm. I know you’re waiting for a joke about two sensitive Cowboys and a reference to Brokeback Mountain, but I’m not going to do it today. You can read Romo’s expose by clicking here. Oh, and I apologize for mistakenly referring to that movie as Backdoor Mountain in earlier entries. Hehehe!

Cox jetting Myers, Fox?
Former NFL linebacker and current radio talk show host Bryan Cox announced on his Fox show with Chris Myers two weeks ago that Eric Mangini promised to call Cox to interview for an assistants job if Mangini ever became an NFL head coach. Well, Mangini is now firmly into his new role as the New York Jets head man and is interviewing candidates to fill those assistant coaching roles. However, there has been no mention of Cox being interviewed by the team. Is Mangini stiffing his old friend? Who knows? Maybe we’ll read something about this in Wednesday’s The Record.

Back in white
This just in: The Pittsburgh Steelers will be the home team in Super Bowl XL and have chosen to wear their white road jerseys. Why? Maybe because the team has made it all the way through the playoffs wearing those jerseys, posting a 3-0 record. Well, that't not a maybe. That is the reason. That leaves the Seahawks to don their home blues, in which they are 2-0 in the playoffs. There’s another Super Bowl story line for ya: The Battle of the Undefeated Unis.