Good morning,

    A former Steelers linebackers coach is leading the search team to hire a new general manager for the New York Jets and is the one who chose Omar Khan to be interviewed.
    Jed Hughes, who coached the linebackers under Chuck Noll from 1984 through 1988, heads the sports division of the executive search firm Korn/Ferry of Los  Angeles. He has been in that business for 20 years and lives in Ligonier, where he’s made his home for nearly two decades.
    Hughes tapped Khan once before when he was conducting the search for Seattle’s general manager and Khan interviewed for that job three years ago.
      Hughes fell victim to a sweeping change in Chuck Noll’s coaching staff after a 5-11 season in 1988. He was one of several coaches fired by Noll, who was under pressure from Dan Rooney to make those changes. Another change Noll made in that process was to tell Tony Dungy he would be demoted from defensive coordinator to secondary coach. Dungy resigned instead of accepting that.
        Onto some other stuff:
 --- Why all the mystery and denials that Todd Haley was interviewing in Arizona for the Cardinals head coaching job Wednesday?
    That was a strange series of events. Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic writes that a source told him he would be interviewed. I confirmed it with two sources at the Steelers, and then president Art Rooney II confirmed it publicly on two different occasion to four reporters.
    So why did Haley’s agent continue to deny in strong terms to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network and NFL.com  
that he was interviewing with Arizona?
    Strange indeed. Not long after the Steelers gave Arizona permission to interview Haley word filtered out that Haley might not interview with the Cardinals unless he was sure they were serious in hiring him. Sources said Haley was happy with his job in Pittsburgh and did not want the Steelers to think he was job-hunting.
    Maybe that is why he and/or his agent wanted to try to keep the interview with the Cardinals quiet. It occurred, we are told, at an undisclosed location. But the Steelers are the ones who acknowledged the interview, so they obviously knew all about it. What would be the purpose of trying to keep others in the dark?
   Either way, the fiasco should in know way impugn Haley’s qualifications for the job, and so far he wasn’t the one who lied about it. His agent more likely badly fumbled orders from Haley to keep it quiet. He’d been better off saying nothing at all.
  Here’s Kent Somers’ blog from Arizona’s perspective:

http://www.azcentral.com/insiders/kentsomers/2013/01/09/todd-haley-and-the-curious-case-of-cardinals-interview/

--- Onto your questions:
 --- YOU: Reading your article this week in the PG, I get the feeling you see this team's arrowing pointing down. If injuries had such an effect this year, which do you think is more likely- a turnaround in 2013 or a period of decline?
ME: As long as Ben Roethlisberger is their quarterback and in good shape, they have a chance. However, I don’t see their lot improving in 2013.
--- YOU: There's been a lot of talk about today's Baseball Hall of Fame vote and whether dudes like Bonds, Sosa, Roger C., etc. should get in the HOF. I heard that you used to have a baseball Hall of Fame vote. Would you have voted for guys who used steroids and/or do you think they should get in? Also, who is your favorite baseball player of all time?
ME: I still have a baseball Hall of Fame vote because you never lose it. I’ve been conflicted on these so-called steroids players. I’ve voted for Mark McGwire in the past. I did not fill out a ballot this year for several reasons, which means it did not count one way or the other.
--- YOU: Ed, i am curious how and to what extent Ben does film study. So much is written about Manning and Brady and their film study. As much is written about QBs studying Troy and Ed Reed and more on film. I don't have an understanding of Ben and his approach to film study. Have seen a lot written about the Pittsburgh oline film study but Ben not typically mentioned in that discussion. Is he a student of film? Enlighten us.
ME: Any quarterback who does not study video – film went out a long time ago, as did tape; it’s now all digitial -- is a fool, and Ben is not that. How much he studies compared to others, I really have no idea.
--- YOU: Would you be willing to take an incredibly early shot at the 22 starters and kickers for next year?
ME: Maybe later. I gave you my offensive line for 2013 yesterday.
--- YOU: Question-any buzz regarding Sparano as the potential Kugler replacement? As you know he was a highly regarded oline coach for years, and he and Haley have familiarity from working together on Parcells' staff in Dallas. There's no way Sparano gets another OC job so his next job had to be as an Oline coach-no?
ME: I’ve heard nothing in regard to who Mike Tomlin might hire to replace Sean Kugler.




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First Published: April 6, 2016, 4:16 p.m.