When the Super Bowl kicks off this Sunday, Ralph Cindrich will be watching two of his clients’ battle for the Lombardi Trophy.

Long time client, Jeff Saturday, will take his usual spot at Center anchoring the Colts offensive line and allowing Peyton Manning to work his magic.  Prior to the season, Cindrich was able to negotiate a new three year deal making Saturday one of the highest paid Centers.  Saturday has spent his entire 11 year career with the Colts and won his first world championship in Super Bowl XLI when the Colts beat the Bears.

On the other side line, Saints Offensive Tackle and Special Teamer, Zach Strief, will be gunning for his first Super Bowl ring.  Since the Saints selected Strief in the 2006 draft, he’s played in 57 games, including all games the past three seasons.  When asked who he was rooting for, Cindrich remarked that he doesn’t play favorites; he wants to see a hard fought game by both clients.

“If they didn’t match up to scholarship requirements, coaches would make them go through the gauntlet until (they went) down,” said Cindrich, a sports agent who played linebacker at Pitt and in the NFL in the early 1970s. “Why did they do that? If someone quits, they give up their scholarship.”

What was acceptable behavior decades ago has become grounds for dismissal, as the conduct of coaches has come to the forefront of college football with the firings of Mark Mangino by Kansas, Mike Leach by Texas Tech and Jim Leavitt by South Florida in the past several weeks following allegations of emotional, mental and physical abuse.

The most stunning development is that all three were prominent coaches at BCS programs. Mangino and Leach are former recipients of national coach of the year honors, while Leavitt was the only coach in the 13-year history of USF football.

Mangino was fired Dec. 3 amid allegations that he was verbally abusive and forced one player to do bear crawls on scorching artificial turf that caused third-degree burns on his hands.

Leach was let go Dec. 30 after being accused of forcing a player suffering concussion-like symptoms to stand in a shed during practice.

Leavitt was dismissed Jan. 8, not so much for striking a player at halftime of the Louisville game but trying to cover it up.

“Shoot, when I was in high school, we did bear crawls all the time,” said Bill Fralic, the former Penn Hills and Pitt All-America tackle who spent eight seasons in the NFL. “I used to get paddled all the time, too, in grade school. I don’t think you can do that anymore.

“I’m sure it was hell, because I’ve been through some of that stuff. But toughness carries you through at the end of the day. With that stuff, you can win a lot of football games with mediocre talent.

“I didn’t want to go through it, but I was forced to. I think society has gotten softer.”

Which begs this question: Where is the line drawn between motivation and humiliation, and when do college football coaches cross it?

“I just wonder how much of this has gone on over the years under the disguise of motivation and mentoring,” said Dennis Dodd, a national college football analyst for CBS Sports. “You can put a lot of false labels on this stuff. When it comes down to it, it’s still humiliation of a player and mistreatment.

“These (coaches) have all the power. I don’t see the reason to do this stuff. It’s a power trip and a character flaw.

“I think something significant is happening here, that we’ve seen three of these in (just over) a month. I wonder if any teams are going to bring in someone from the university to say: ‘This is what you can’t do.’ ”

While NCAA guidelines outline principles for institutional control, student-athlete well-being and sportsmanship and ethical conduct, the onus of responsibility is on each institution to ensure appropriate behavior.

Cindrich doesn’t expect schools to be extremely specific, in part because it takes away some of the leverage they have over coaches with lucrative long-term contracts by having a vague out-clause written into the deal.

Mangino had four years left on a $9.2 million extension. Leach had four years remaining on a $12.7 million deal. And Leavitt was in the second year of a seven-year, $12.6 million extension. Where Mangino reached a $3 million settlement with Kansas, Leach and Leavitt have filed suit against their respective universities to challenge that there was cause for firing.

“If someone is looking to run someone out of town, that is a good way of doing it,” said Cindrich, whose clientele includes college and pro coaches. “It’s too easy of a way to get rid of someone.”

That could be the case for Leach and Texas Tech, as his firing was prompted by the furor caused after he ordered sophomore receiver Adam James, the son of ESPN college football analyst Craig James, to stay in a dark room during practice after Adam complained of concussion-like symptoms.

That football-related concussions are a hot-button topic only made matters worse, but high school football coaches Terry Smith of Gateway and Bill Cherpak of Thomas Jefferson also believe the reaction to the Texas Tech case shows the sense of entitlement belonging to today’s athletes.

“(The abuse is) not near as bad as it used to be,” said Smith, who played at Gateway and Penn State. “In today’s society, not as much is tolerated. I can remember being coached and called names and pushed and shoved and kicked and grabbed by the facemask, but it was tolerated then.

“That’s part of what’s wrong in society today. Kids are growing up with no respect for authority and no fear of authority. You look at the Texas Tech incident. Craig James has some influence and used it.”

Smith recalled being stunned at a prospect camp when a college position coach berated one of Smith’s players with profane language during a drill. Surprisingly enough, the player still signed to play at that coach’s school and had a productive college career.

Even so, Smith warns his players not to choose a school if they don’t like those types of motivational tactics.

“The mental side, that’s sometimes worse than being hit,” Smith said. “You hear: ‘You’re stupid’ enough, for a young, fragile mind, that might not go over too well.

“If you know their reputation, you’ve got to tell your player: ‘Here’s their coaching style. If you can handle this, then this is an option. If you can’t handle it, you’ve got to take them off your list.’

“Don’t get there and think something is going to change.”

Pretty depressing, isn’t it? Can I get you a Kleenex?

Since 1999, Saturday has felt only one man’s supple hands under his ample backside — at least that’s the prevailing rumor — and it’s Peyton Manning. It would have seemed like some kind of a cosmic betrayal if Manning tomorrow was taking snaps from, say, Jamey Richard.

I only bring up this nightmare scenario because it almost happened. Saturday and the Colts came this close to parting ways last winter. After turning down a contract proposal that wasn’t to his liking, Saturday was just days short of entering free agency and doing something he really didn’t want to do: leave Indianapolis.

Everything changed, though, in late February when the salary cap was fortuitously increased by $4 million. On Feb. 26, Saturday signed a three-year, $13.3 million contract that included a $7.45 million signing bonus.

How close was he to leaving?

“Real close,” Saturday said this week. “The way it was presented to me, if that extra cap space hadn’t become available, there wasn’t going to be an agreement. It was that close. I never wanted to leave. I’ve always wanted to finish my career here. But it almost happened.”

In fact, Saturday prepared his family — his wife, Karen, and three kids (ages 9, 7 and 3) — for the possibility they would soon be moving. He didn’t want to go, but business is business. A paycheck is a paycheck.

“I don’t think there is any question that Peyton (Manning) came in and said, ‘Get it done,’ ” said Ralph Cindrich, Saturday’s Pittsburgh-based representative. “You look at (Manning’s) stats when Jeff was out, and it was worse looking at the film.”

When asked about the role he played in Saturday’s return, Manning was a bit uncomfortable and circumspect. He doesn’t want anybody to think he’s one of those mega-stars who moonlights as a general manager and tells management how to do its business.

He has power — shoot, he should have power and they should seek his input — but if Manning were truly the master puppeteer, the Colts would be shooting for 17-0 on Saturday night.

ESPN.com

Unrestricted free agent center Seth McKinney, who started all but three games for the Miami Dolphins over the last two seasons, has signed a two-year contract to remain with the team.

McKinney

The retention of McKinney is a key move by the Dolphins as coach Nick Saban and offensive line assistant Hudson Houck continue to address a unit that was a problem area in 2005. Last week, the Dolphins signed seven-year veteran left tackle L.J. Shelton, who started all 16 games for the Cleveland Browns last season. Miami continues to consider other free agent players as well.

McKinney’s contract will pay him $1.5 million in 2006, with a $915,000 signing bonus and base salary of $585,000. To retain McKinney in 2007, Miami must pay him a spring roster bonus of $2.5 million, and he has a base salary of $1 million for that year.

In the first two weeks of free agency, McKinney drew interest from New Orleans and Houston. He visited with officials from the Texans, where his older brother, Steve McKinney, is a starting guard, but ramped up negotiations with the Dolphins shortly after that.

By keeping McKinney, the Dolphins essentially addressed another offensive line spot, because it means that two-year veteran Rex Hadnot, an emerging young player, can remain at guard. Hadnot, who started all 16 games in 2005 and impressed the coaches, moved to center for the final three games of the season, when McKinney was forced onto injured reserve by a knee injury.

McKinney, 26, is a smart, tenacious player, with the kind of temperament you want at center. He continues to improve and his performance should get even better as the Dolphins solidify the guard spots.

The former Texas A&M standout was a third-round choice in the 2002 draft. He started only five games in his first two seasons, then moved into the lineup full-time in 2004. Until he went on injured reserve last December, he had not missed a game to injury during his NFL career, appearing in 61 straight contests.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brian Griese agreed to a five-year deal with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday, adding depth behind Rex Grossman at quarterback.

The 31-year-old Griese completed 112-of-174 passes for 1,136 yards and led Tampa Bay to a 5-1 start last year before a season-ending knee injury. The Buccaneers decided to waive him this month rather than pay a $2.6 million roster bonus.

Griese has passed for 16,344 yards and 103 touchdowns in eight seasons with Denver, Miami and Tampa Bay.

The Bears have said they are committed to Rex Grossman as their starter, but Griese has started 72 of 75 games in his career.

After tearing the ACL in his right knee early in the 2004 season, Grossman broke his left ankle in the preseason and missed the first 13 games. Chad Hutchinson flopped, and rookie Kyle Orton began the season as the starting quarterback.

Behind a defense that was ranked No. 1 for much of the season, a strong offensive line and effective running game, the Bears went 11-5 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

Grossman’s numbers– 20-of-39 passing for 259 yards in two games– weren’t overwhelming, but the passing game opened up when he returned.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

This page presented by UNION BANK OF CALIFORNIA.

General Manager A.J. Smith and the Chargers made their second move of the 2006 freeangency period by signing former Cleveland Browns tight end Aaron Shea to a three-year deal.

“Aaron is a tough, competitive guy that will bring a package to our passing game so that (Offensive Coordinator) Cam Cameron will be able to utilize him,” Smith said. “He’s got some very good speed, quickness and hands. He’s a competitive blocker. The experience factor is huge. He’s been in the league for a long time. He’s another player with high character who will represent our program well. ”

A native of Ottawa, Illinois, Shea spent the first six years of his career with the Browns. After visiting with the Steelers and 49ers earlier in the week, a recruiting pitch that included Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer’s family helped seal the deal with the Michigan grad.

“The situation was perfect,” Shea said. “I got a great feel from the organization. There seems to be a real family atmosphere here. I met Coach Schottenheimer’s wife Pat, and she was so nice and welcoming. I hoped my free agent tour would end in San Diego, and fortunately we were able to make that happen.”

Like Marlon McCree, whose connections with secondary coach Brian Stewart assisted in his signing last week, Shea has strong ties to his new position coach with the Chargers. Bolts tight ends coach Rob Chudzinski held the same position with the Browns in 2004. Shea set career highs that season in receptions (26), receiving yards (252) and touchdown catches (4).

“It’s no coincidence that I had my best season that year with Rob,” Shea said. “Chud found a way to really get me involved and help me be productive. He’s such a technician. He really helped me with my footwork and mechanics. He really knows how to coach me, and I’m thrilled to get to play for him again.”

Aaron Shea had the best season of his six-year career in 2004 with Rob Chudzinski.

With All-Pro Antonio Gates already in the mix, Shea give the Chargers a second tight end that can contribute in the passing game. Shea is also committed to doing the “dirty work” when necessary.

“I’m looking forward to playing with Antonio, the best tight end in the game,” Shea said. “If you get two guys that can stretch the middle of the field like that, I think it will help the entire offense. I’ve played on the line of scrimmage, spent time at fullback and in an H-back role. I can block, play special teams or do whatever they need me to. I’m going to give it all I’ve got and hopefully help this team.”

In addition to his ties with Chudzinski, Shea is also closely connected to a pair of Chargers’ offensive linemen. Those relationships also helped nudge him to San Diego as well.

“I grew up about 10 miles from Mike Goff and hung out with him some in high school,” Shea said. “I also played with Roman Oben in Cleveland and am excited to be around him again. It’s always nice to have some familiar faces around. I’m also looking forward to a change of scenery. I’ve been in the Mid West. I played at Michigan and spent six years in Cleveland. I need a little sunshine. I can’t wait to work on my tan.”

Former Chargers on the move

Free agent wide receiver Reche Caldwell signed a two-year contract with the New England Patriots Friday, ending his four-year tender with the Bolts. Caldwell caught 76 passes for 950 yards and seven touchdowns in his four seasons in San Diego. He fills a need for New England, who lost free agent receiver David Givens to the Tennessee Titans earlier this week.

On Wednesday, free agent guard/center Bob Hallen went home, signing a two-year deal with the Browns. A native of Cleveland suburb Mentor, Ohio and graduate of Kent State University, Hallen will have the opportunity to earn a spot on the Browns’ revamped offensive line that includes recent additions LeCharles Bentley and Kevin Schaffer.

Former Chargers guard Tonui Fonoti signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders earlier this week, but the deal became void when Fonoti failed his physical. Fonoti remains a free agent, but had a visit with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week.

Earlier this week, the Washington Post reported that the Redskins have an interest in free agent cornerback Jamar Fletcher.

© 1960-2005 San Diego Chargers. All Rights Reserved.

I was able to fool Bobby in one aspect of my contract negotiations. For years, Bobby thought it was my agent, Ralph Cindrich, who was the bad guy, holding out and needing Bobby for that extra little incentive of Bonus.

It was me the whole time. I always orchestrated it with Ralph on what I wanted, what I was and wasn’t going to do. Ralph accepted the bad-guy role. It was never, “Mark wants this or Mark wants that.” It was, “WE gotta have this, WE gotta ave that.”

Bobby used to get so ticked off at Ralph. He’d come up to me and say, “May Day, I love the way you play, and it’s great to have you around. But that SOB Cindrich is tough to deal with.”

Bobby, if you only knew.

As long as we’re on the subject of Ralph Cindrich, please allow me to make a quick plug; fully realizing it’s not popular to say nice things about agents and lawyers. Believe me, I don’t make a habit of it. I’m one of those guys who reaches for the remote when the Oscar winners start thanking their agents. But Ralph Cindrich was my first and only agent and will always be my legal representative as far as sports and entertainment are concerned.

Of much greater value, though, is the friendship I have with Ralph and his family. From day one, we’ve had a bond. Ralph, his wife, Mary, son Michael, and daughter, Christina are among my most cherished friends.

A young woman from Bridgeville becomes a national sensation on one of those so-called “reality” TV shows and she can’t believe all the doors it opens.

, 23, who grew up in Bridgeville and played volleyball and was a cheerleader at South Fayette High School, is now meeting movie stars and soap opera stars at a birthday party for Playboy patriarch Hugh Hefner at his mansion near Chicago. She can hardly catch her breath between engagements.

Now she’s appearing at a press conference at the Westin Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh. Executives of the Pittsburgh Brewing Company are bubbling over with excitement to announce that Jenna has joined their ranks to promote both Iron City and I.C. Light beers. Jenna is the poster-girl and billboard-girl in their new “Bring It” promotional campaign.

They’re taking on the big boys, the national beers, and they’re coming out swinging with a swinging young miss named Morasca. Her dad, Mike Morasca, who’s 55, was standing in the back of the room, positively beaming. He has taken a break from his position as supervisor of the maintenance staff at the Westin Convention Center to see his little girl in the spotlight once again.
Ralph Cindrich, the sports attorney and agent who lives in Mt. Lebanon and has offices in Carnegie, is there, too. Cindrich has represented many sports stars, especially football players, through the years and now he’s marketing Jenna Morasca as well. Ralph and Mike are
former football players and wrestlers who’ve tangled in their high school days, and have been friends ever since. Ralph’s daughter, Christina, is a friend of Jenna. So they know each other well.
“I’m excited to be doing something different like this,” said Cindrich, who grew up in Avella and starred as a linebacker at Pitt in the early ’70s and went on to play pro ball for the New England Patriots, Houston Oilers and Denver Broncos in the National Football League. Cindrich is one of the most respected sports agents in the business. “We’re comfortable having Jenna with Ralph,” said her proud father at last week’s press conference.

Jenna first gained fame last year when she won CBS-TV’s hit show, “Survivor: The Amazon.” She was competing this season on “Survivor: All Stars,” but had to drop out to be with her mother, Carla Morasca, who was battling cancer. “If there was anybody who was a survivor it was my mom,” said Jenna. “She battled cancer for 12 years. She was only 47 when she passed in November. She was the first one to light my fire.” Jenna was close to her family and drew strength and inspiration from both of her parents. “They were the best fans ever,” she said. “My dad was always very competitive and yet he had a way of keeping calm in the process. He attended all my activities and pushed me, but kept me calm at the same time. He’d say, ‘I know you can win; let’s do our best.’ It was always reassuring. “I liked all sports, and tried them all when I was young. I played softball and soccer and basketball, but was best at volleyball. I became a pretty good spiker.”

Her overnight fame even led to a photo spread in Playboy. Asked how he handled that, her dad said, “We talked about that and worked it out,” he recalled. “She had the right to pick what pictures they used, and there were poses she wouldn’t do. We wanted it to be tasteful. We felt it would be OK. “It’s nice to see something positive happen for your kid. We’ve been through a lot together. It’s been awful tough at times with what was going on with my wife. I was good at all sports when I was young and I tried to be positive when Jenna did try things. She always tried to do her best.”

Jenna said she is pleased to be doing something “in my hometown with a Pittsburgh product.” Joe Piccirilli, the president of Pittsburgh Brewing Company, and Tony Ferraro, the vice-president of sales, are both excited to have Jenna on their team to represent the brewery at various promotions about town. Part of this campaign will include a trip giveaway to Riveria Maya, Mexico in October for some lucky customer.
Jenna, by the way, says she has an occasional Iron City. I’m an I.C. Light man myself – from the bottle in a frosted mug, thank you – because I like to support Pittsburgh companies as well. Bring it!

Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Sunday September 18, 2005
Ron Cook, columnist

The hit was made, and the big crowd gasped. The runner went one way, the ball another. In an instant, both were on the Heinz Field turf. The Steelers didn’t just recover the fumble; they took control of the game. The ball carrier picked himself up slowly and walked to his bench, head hanging, all the while wondering where the train came from.

You don’t have to guess who made the play for the Steelers.

You know it was James Farrior.

Doesn’t he always make the big play for the Steelers’ defense?

Farrior said he wants to have a better season than last year, when he was the Steelers’ Most Valuable Player and first team All Pro and played like it in the 34-7 victory against the Tennessee Titans last Sunday. His defense had a rough start, allowing the Titans to take the opening drive for a touchdown. After the Steelers answered with a touchdown, the Titans were moving again when Farrior changed the course of the game.

He stood up running back Travis Henry in the hole over right guard, knocking Henry backward and the ball flying. Ike Taylor recovered for the Steelers, who turned the gift into a field goal and never looked back.

“You never know when big plays are going to happen so you have to go hard every play.” Farrior said.

The man has a gift for making them.

There wasn’t a better all around inside linebacker in the NFL last season. Farrior’s versatility showed in his statistics: a team high 119 tackles, three sacks, four interceptions, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

He made the biggest play of the season in Game 6 at Dallas, turning a sure loss into an unlikely win when he forced a late fumble by quarterback Vinny Testaverde, his second sack and third forced fumble of the day, for which he was honored as the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Who knows what would have happened the next Sunday against New England if the Steelers had lost that afternoon? As it was, they crushed the Patriots, finished 15-1 in the regular season and made it to the AFC Championship game.

Only Bill Cowher knows how the voting went for team MVP, but Farrior should have been the unanimous choice. With all due respect to Hines Ward, Alan Faneca and Ben Roethlisberger, there shouldn’t have been a close second.

“I didn’t always play great games,” Farrior said. “If you sat in the film room with the coaches, you’d see I made mistakes.”

What?

Did Farrior forget to tie his shoelaces one play?

Did he mess up a high-five with Joey Porter?

Was he in the bathroom for one of Cowher’s halftime talks?

“No player has every played the perfect game,” Farrior said. “There’s always room to improve and ways to get better. That’s what I’m working to do.”

As a Steelers captain, Farrior takes that same never-good-enough approach with the defense. It didn’t matter that the titans didn’t score after the first drive. “We gave up a couple of long runs and a couple of long passes,” he said. “If we’re going to be the type of defense we want to be, we can’t do that. We expect more out of ourselves. We’re a prideful group. Against a better team – a team that’s a little more explosive – those big plays could hurt us.”

It could happen today against the Houston Texans, but it’s not likely. The Texans managed just one touchdown, 25 passing yards and 120 total yards in a 22-7 loss at Buffalo last Sunday. Quarterback David Carr was sacked five times, continuing a horrible trend that’s had him sacked 145 times in his first three-plus seasons. The poor guy could be wearing Farrior by the time the day is done.

Of course, the Texans will be looking for Farrior. He might have sneaked up on a few teams last season. Certainly, he didn’t get the recognition that fellow All Pro inside linebacker Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens did, even though he’s twice the player Lewis is at this stage of their careers.

But that was then.

This is now.

“It’s going to be my most challenging season,” Farrior said. “I’m no secret anymore. Teams are going to be game-planning for me, looking to take me out of the game.”

The Titans tried and failed.

Don’t be surprised if most teams fail with Farrior.