Tony Dungy was an up-and-coming NFL assistant in his early 30s when he met with the Green Bay Packers about their opening for a head coach in 1988. [url=http://www.soccerfrancenationalshop.us/Blaise-Matuidi-France-Jersey /]Blaise Matuidi Jersey[/url] .When I finished the interview, Dungy said, I asked

Tony Dungy was an up-and-coming NFL assistant in his early 30s when he met with the Green Bay Packers about their opening for a head coach in 1988. Blaise Matuidi Jersey .When I finished the interview, Dungy said, I asked them, What are you looking for? And they said, Well, were really looking for a person that has head-coaching experience and an offensive-minded person. I was a defensive coach who had never been head coach.So he didnt get that job, and wound up waiting eight years for his first shot at being a head coach. Still, Dungy is convinced that the unsuccessful sit-down with the Packers ultimately helped send him on the path toward becoming the first black coach to win the Super Bowl — and so he thinks the Rooney Rule, which wasnt around in his day, serves an important purpose, even if he also thinks teams sometimes violate its spirit.That (Packers) general manager said, Hey, he wasnt what we were looking for, but he was really a sharp guy ... and if youre looking for a defensive coach, you ought to talk to this guy. Word spreads, Dungy explained. When people hear that — Hey, Tony Dungy was interviewed by the Green Bay Packers, and did well — that does something. Puts you in a different category.For a dozen years, the Rooney Rule has required NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate for any vacant coaching or GM post. The man for whom it was named, Steelers co-owner Dan Rooney, is open to seeing whether it could be improved.When it was first implemented in 2003, the Rooney Rule set parameters to provide opportunities for minority coaches and front office personnel a chance to interview for high-level positions throughout the league, Rooney said in a statement issued by the Steelers. It has been successful, but also I believe we should look into the rule in order to continue to help advance the opportunities of minorities to succeed at the highest levels in the NFL.An AP tally of this off-seasons coaching searches — as of Sunday night, six of seven openings were filled, with the Atlanta Falcons still looking — shows that of 27 men known to have been interviewed for those jobs, seven were minorities.There should be more, Dungy said, but thatll come.Todd Bowles was hired this week by the New York Jets, becoming the fifth black head coach currently in the 32-club NFL. The others are Pittsburghs Mike Tomlin, Cincinnatis Marvin Lewis, Tampa Bays Lovie Smith, and Detroits Jim Caldwell.John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation, which gives the league a list of suggested minority candidates, said: Were there other guys I wish had gotten interviews? Yes. But overall, Im very satisfied with the numbers that were there.Dungy and Wooten are wary of those occasions when teams meet with a minority candidate simply to conform to the rule — but with no intention of seriously considering hiring him.We have to be alert to the courtesy or the sham interview. We have to be alert to it. We have to know it when we see it, Wooten said.Dungy said its clear that sometimes clubs know who they want to hire before they even begin the search process.I dont think (the Rooney Rule is) always being followed the right way and in the spirit of it, Dungy said. When its, OK, the first day I have an opening, Im going to hurry up and interview a minority so I can go ahead and hire the person I really wanted to hire, and that I had my mind made up to hire maybe even before I had my opening, thats when people look at it and say, Gee, whats going on here?Still, he is not so sure there is any way around it.You cant really legislate that. You cant tell people how to do the search, said Dungy, who like Wooten does not believe the rule should be expanded to include co-ordinator jobs. I think this rule was put in place to just get people to try to broaden their outlook a little bit. And if it does that, then its successful. You can get around any kind of rule. You can circumvent it. And that has been done. But I think, overall, the rule has probably helped people.___Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Samuel Umtiti Jersey .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at LeBron James and the Miami Heat winning their second straight NBA championship. Zinedine Zidane France Jersey . She was a pioneer. She did things on skis that made the birds take notice. http://www.soccerfrancenationalshop.us/Kylian-Mbappe-France-Jersey/ . -- Theres nothing like winning to bring hope for a struggling team.MONTREAL -- Nate Thompson scored twice, including in overtime, to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday afternoon. Ben Bishop stopped 28 shots for Tampa Bay (32-18-5), which snapped a two-game losing streak. Daniel Briere was the lone goal scorer for Montreal (29-20-6). Carey Price made 34 saves. Thompson scored at 4:36 of overtime when Alex Killorn found him all alone in from of Prices net. The Lightning now have a five-point advantage over the Canadiens in the Atlantic Division. After the Lightning took a 1-0 lead in the second period, Briere levelled the score at 7:25 of the third, taking a cross-ice pass from captain Brian Gionta and firing home his ninth of the season over Bishops shoulder. The goal was Brieres second in as many games. Thompson was credited with the games first goal, at 5:58 of the second, after P.K. Subban put the puck in his own net. With Killorn in the penalty box for interference, Thompson skated into the Canadiens zone and sent an innocent-looking pass in the direction of the net. Subban deflected the puck between Prices legs to give Tampa Bay the lead on a short-handed goal. The Bolts tested Price early on, benefiting from a penalty shot at 4:41 of the first when rookie defenceman Nathan Beaulieu hooked Nikita Kucherov on a breakaway. Kucherov tried beating Price under the blocker, but the Canadiens netminder got the bettter of him. Lucas Hernandez France Jersey. Sparks flew late in the second when Brandon Prust and Bishop shared a few words and exchanged punches during a television timeout. Prust approached Bishop, who took offence at his comments and swung at the Montreal forwards head. Prust answered with a couple of jabs of his own before referees separated them. All players on the ice got involved in the scrum. Five players were penalized on the play, including Price for leaving his goaltender crease. Bishop and Prust each got a minor penalty. Tampa Bay survived a late-game penalty before the game was sent to overtime. Christian Thomas, called up from the Hamilton Bulldogs on Thursday, made only his second career NHL appearance, and first for the Canadiens. His father Steve, assistant coach for Tampa Bay, was behind the Lightning bench. The Habs and Lightning go head-to-head for the fourth and final time this season on April 1, in Tampa. Notes: The Canadiens have now killed off 22 straight penalties. a Michael Bournvial was out with the flu. a Tampa centre Valtteri Filppula, who scored the shootout winner in the Lightnings last visit to Montreal in November, missed the game with a lower-body injury. a Lightning forward and Olympic hopeful Steven Stamkos, still not game-ready, practised with his team on Friday, taking light contact from his teammates. Stamkos underwent surgery on Nov. 12 to repair a fractured tibia in his right leg. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys NFL Jerseys From China China NFL Gear Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Stitched NFL Jerseys ' ' '