Former Steelers coaches honored

Dick LeBeau and Tom Moore, a couple of former Steelers assistant coaches, were honored on Monday with the Paul Zimmerman Award for lifetime achievement in NFL coaching. The award is presented by the Pro Football Writers of America.

LeBeau was the Steelers’ defensive coordinator on two occasions, most recently from 2003-14. He has been an NFL coach for 43 years and is currently coordinating the defense in Tennessee under former Steelers assistant Ken Whisenhunt.

Moore won two Super Bowls with the Steelers as their receivers coach in the late 1970s and later served as Chuck Noll’s offensive coordinator from 1983-89. He has been an NFL coach for 37 years and is currently the assistant head coach in Arizona under Bruce Arians.

Also honored was Dante Scarnecchia, who spent 32 seasons as an NFL assistant, including 30 with the Patriots.

*If there is someone who is capable of switching positions in the middle of an NFL career and being successful, it’s Terrelle Pryor. But it was the worst news possible for him when the Browns were the team that claimed him off waivers on Monday. The Browns are a train wreck, with a GM who meddles in the coaching decisions, where there is constant drama.

Pryor needed to go somewhere where it was low-key, where he could develop on a practice squad and work on his transition. He’s not going to pick it up in a month, and it’s unlikely he’s going to make a 53-man roster this season.

*Today is the day Tom Brady has his appeal heard in person before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at the NFL offices in New York. Plenty has been written in recent weeks about the report from the American Enterprise Institute, which commissioned a study that debunked the science of the Wells Report. What I haven’t heard enough of is why AEI is issuing studies on the NFL and the deflation of footballs.

According to its web site, the conservative think tank’s policy areas include economics, foreign and defense policy, health care, education, politics and public opinion, poverty studies and society and culture. Not one mention of sports. Among the scholars employed by AEI is Lynne Cheney, the wife of former vice president Dick Cheney.

Through a spokesman, the Patriots claim there is no connection between the team and AEI, but what continues to go unanswered is AEI’s interest in Deflategate.

Here is a Boston Globe piece that tried to get to the bottom of it.

*Finally, because he’s back in the news, I have a Pete Rose story. Back in the mid- or late-1990s I had a friend worked for an Independent League team. His team brought Rose in for an appearance. Rose did his thing and the club cut him a check for his appearance fee.

A few days later, the check the club issued to Rose was cashed at a dog track.