No one has ever won a championship in three consecutive seasons.  This unparalleled feat is unique to the NFL.  Arguably, this is a combination of league management, free agency, the salary cap, and of course, the diminishing level of player loyalty.  Regardless, every season in the NFL has a few teams join the ranks of play-off contender, making it exciting for fans.  I have to admit that I tire of watching the Yankees in the Fall Classic or Tiger Woods winning every week on the PGA tour.  Whether it’s the pre-season hype of the new-look Arizona Cardinals or the potential for the New England Patriots to continue their dynasty, parity in the NFL makes each week exciting.

Unfortunately, the league has dropped the ball on another important issue….Diversity.  It seems like it was yesterday when Johnnie Cochrane and Cyrus Mahri challenged the NFL to improve its poor record on providing opportunity for minority coaches.  The “Rooney Rule” was designed to ensure minority coaches were interviewed for NFL head coaching vacancies.  This year 10 teams decided to replace their head coaches.  Surely, this was the year for a breakthrough in the ranks of minorities.  The results were quite disheartening, Herm Edwards is the only minority coach hired, which doesn’t help the statistics, as he was at the helm of the New York Jets last season.

As recently as 2003, Detroit’s infamous Matt Millen was fined $200,000 for failing to interview a minority, prior to offering Steve Mariucci the position.  As 9 of the 10 teams have hired replacements, the percentage of African-American coaches on the league has not improved.  Are there any minority coaches deserving of these positions is a question that will remain without an answer.  Mike Singletary may not be ready for head coaching position; however, I don’t believe he was seriously considered as a candidate for any position at the NFL ranks.

What’s the solution?  Or better yet, is there a problem?  Should the league buckle under outside influence?  I am a firm believer that each owner should have the ability to hire any candidate they feel will assist their franchise in winning football games.  After all, isn’t that the point? 

On the other hand, I am a strong advocate of improving the league’s record on hiring minorities; however, at what expense?  At last count, the NFL had 11 minority co-ordinators.  These individuals should have been identified as potential head coach applicants.  I do not recall any being touted as potential candidates; however, the New York Jets hired Eric Mangini, after one season as the New England Patriots defensive coordinator.  This may have sparked some debate regarding the Rooney Rule.  Nevertheless, it would be a hard sell to make accusations against the Jets, who lost Herm Edwards and replaced him with an individual who assisted a team win three Super Bowl’s and previous ties with the Jets organization.