TRIBUNE-REVIEW:Johnson’s dismissal just the start

[TK]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/sports/s_166412.html

Johnson’s dismissal just the start

By Mike Prisuta

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Sunday, November 23, 2003

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have taken a bold step, but it's only a first step.

Keyshawn Johnson, after all, is hardly the only NFL type that needs to be told to take a hike and paid off to do so, if necessary.

Others are wholeheartedly deserving of such an ultimatum.

People such as:

Bill Romanowski: Although he's won four Super Bowls, Romanowski has long since worn out his welcome. Since taking the rest of the Raiders with him is too much to ask for (and would be far too expensive a transaction), Romanowski can serve as the Oakland poster boy for "Jerks Who No Longer Should Have To Be Tolerated," representing the likes of Barret Robbins, Sebastian Janikowski and Al Davis in the process.

Joe Theismann: BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. He'll never shut up, so he's got to go.

Vinny Testaverde: Chad Pennington's back, which means it's time for Vinny to finally ride off into the sunset, firing interceptions as he goes.

John Madden: The last time this windbag had something relevant to add, he was working with Pat Summerall and it was 1980-something.

Kevin Gilbride: He's coordinated the touchdowns right out of that Buffalo offense. Surely someone else can draw up pass routes that are just as ineffective, and then blame the mess that's been created on someone else just as passionately.

All sideline reporters: Lisa Guerrero can stay, but only if she agrees to outfit herself in the cheerleader uniform of the Monday night home team each week and promises to keep her mouth shut at all times (Guerrero can re-create her most recent FHM, Stuff or Maxim spread in the event a Monday night home team doesn't have cheerleaders.)

Kurt Warner's wife: The quarterback is a decorated NFL veteran and deserves a chance to resurface elsewhere now that Marc Bulger has taken his job in St. Louis, but Brenda Warner should never be seen or heard from again.

Shannon Sharpe: Now that he's set all the records at the tight end position and won his Super Bowls, it's time for Sterling's brother to stop annoying the rest of us incessantly.

Bill Bidwell: He's been associated with the Cardinals since first serving the franchise as a ball boy while growing up on Chicago's South Side. What Bidwell presides over today might be the most irrelevant franchise in all of professional sports.

Jerry Jones: This is less of a priority now that Bill Parcells has arrived on the scene in Big D and made the football team's performance more of an issue than how the owner reacts. All of a sudden, Jones is all but invisible now that the Cowboys are a contender again, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be jettisoned, lest he resurface.

Unnecessary assistant coaches on already bloated staffs: Anyone with "quality control" somewhere in their title -- and there are plenty of those -- falls into this category. So does anyone currently serving as an "assistant special teams coach" (there are several of those, too). Arizona, Chicago, Green Bay, Minnesota and Washington have assistant defensive line coaches. Dallas has a defensive ends coach and a defensive tackles coach. Some other useless beauties: Todd Bowles, defensive nickel package, Cleveland; Keith Millard, pass rush specialist, Denver; and Bill Lewis, defensive nickel package, Miami. The Raiders have two defensive quality control assistants. Philadelphia and San Francisco have special teams quality control coaches. New Orleans has an assistant wide receivers coach.

But they all take a back seat to Mark Smith, who is in charge of head conditioning with the Redskins.

And finally,

Warren Sapp: Don't stop now, Bucs, not when there's so much more to be done.

Mike Prisuta is a columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

[bubba9497]

Whoops he forgot to add a name:

Mike Prisuta