Power doesn't lead to glory
But with the NFC paring down to a final four and with four coaching jobs yet to be filled, do teams really need an emperor to win?
It's as interesting a philosophical debate as what kind of coach to hire -- a guy with a defensive background or a guy who can fix an offense. It depends on the candidate, of course, but generally speaking, offensive gurus tend to be more statistically driven and allow their egos to get involved.
Defensive guys bring the added benefit of team discipline and solid special teams but tend to play a paranoid brand of offense. The ideal is to hire a defensive coach who understands the value of the quarterback position and doesn't limit that side of the ball.
Regardless of background, the essential element of any successful football team is having a structure in which more than one guy is calling the shots. You need a final voice, of course, a decision-maker. But no one can do all the jobs that have to be done to run a football team. That's the lesson Nick Saban learned in Miami, and it's one that Mike Holmgren learned earlier in his career in Seattle.
''When I came here, I had all the responsibility -- and we had good guys here -- but I guess in sorting through that, there is a lot to think about,'' Holmgren said.
''When we made the change in the organization and Tim [Ruskell] was hired, I can trust him. I know he and I are headed in the same direction. We're not working at cross-purposes. There is no hidden agenda to anything. It's just: 'How do we make the football team successful, and how do we make it better and what can I do to help.'
''He has said that to me many times, so from a coach's perspective, it means everything.''
Ruskell, the Seahawks' president of football operations, is a protege of Bears general manager Jerry Angelo and is regarded as an exceptional talent evaluator. His partnership with Holmgren has worked brilliantly. But that doesn't mean Holmgren wouldn't like to be a football czar again someday.
''I would like another crack at that at some point,'' Holmgren said. ''I learned some valuable things. You have to hire people in those positions -- either personnel, scouting, whatever it is -- that you trust and really are with you and think the way you do and then be willing to delegate those responsibilities.
''You try and do everything. When you try to do everything and don't allow good people to do their job and funnel information to you, then I think it becomes too much, yeah. But as far as having the final decision, yeah, I think a coach could do that, absolutely I do.''
Titans coach Jeff Fisher told reporters in Nashville this week that he wouldn't want total power.
The Titans have an opening at general manager now that Floyd Reese is out after 13 years. Fisher said coaches with too much power over personnel can fall in and out of love with players and cause problems.
''I believe it's important to work with someone you can agree with or you can agree to disagree with,'' Fisher said.
''If you put those decision-making responsibilities on one person's shoulders, then I think you're not afforded the checks and balances that are required to make good decisions.''
"It's disappointing," Samuel said. "You want to believe they know what you've done. So you hope for the best, but you end up feeling underappreciated. You feel disrespected, especially how they come at you with so much negative stuff. They show you such a low regard. I took it personally at first. You'd think I would have been around this team long enough to realize it's all about business. So I'm putting it out of my mind.
"I'm not worried about my future. The sky is the limit for me. Everybody wants a big payday after they've won their Super Bowl. I'd be lying if I told you I'm not excited about what's coming up."
How excited? The newspaper reported he's sporting a new tattoo that features a fistful of dollars above the words: "Get Paid."
"To come back from the things he came back from, to lead us the way he did, is a real testament to who he is," Mangini said of Pennington's recovery from rotator cuff surgeries the last two years. "I have a very good body of information with Chad. But I essentially believe, as a core philosophy, competition is a positive thing."
A security blanket for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, slot receiver Bobby Engram caught four passes for a team-high 88 yards in the wild-card victory over Dallas. Impressive stuff considering Engram missed nine games this season with a hyperactive thyroid condition. A second round pick (No. 52 overall) by the Bears in 1996, Engram played his first five seasons with the team before being allowed to leave via free agency to clear the way for Marty Booker. Engram looks forward to the playoff matchup with the Bears but insists he has no animosity toward the team that let him go.
"I am so far removed in terms of playing there, so that emotional aspect is gone," Engram said. "It's always going to be a special place for me because that's where I got my start in this league and played my first five years and kind of grew up under some harsh circumstances as a player and as a man. I love the city. I still go back and visit all the time."