*The NFL has named a new commissioner. Roger Goodell, the Chief Operating Officer under Tagliabue since 2000, will take over the reins of North America's most popular professional sports league. We'll get into the issues surrounding the next Collective Bargaining Agreement at another time, but I will say that Goodell will have some work to do, as not all owners were totally happy with the latest revenue sharing agreement.
*Maurice Clarett is in trouble once again. No surprise really, but this time he really lost it. Multiple loaded weapons, U-Turns on a highway, wearing a bullet-proof vest. Jeez. Out of control.
*Back-up center Chukky Okobbi went down yesterday with a potentially career ending neck injury. That puts an awful lot of pressure on veteran center Jeff Hartings to stay healthy. The soon-to-be 33-yeard old center has been a mainstay of the Steelers line; he has played in 59 consecutive games. Hartings restructured his contract in the offseason, taking a substantial pay cut to remain with the team. Can you believe that the Steelers have only had three centers in the past 32 years? Mike Webster, Dermontti Dawson, and Jeff Hartings. I thought it would be impossible for Hartings to replace the legendary Dawson, but Hartings has done just that. We really really need him to be healthy and productive for another year.