Doug Gottlieb is one of those guys on ESPN that I normally don’t have a problem with. He also, apparently, is the only person in America that can make me feel any sympathy for Jim Mora, Jr. You might remember that Mora got canned by the Atlanta Falcons after telling ESPN Radio that coaching football at the University of Washington was his “dream job;” the fact that he had three losing seasons in the ATL probably didn’t help his cause, either.

Anyway, that was a long way to get to the fact that Mora sorta redeemed himself in this interview with Doug Gottlieb on yet another ESPN radio appearance when Gottlieb asks the former coach–who is doing TV after getting fired in Seattle earlier this year–how people should feel about Donovan McNabb’s return to Philly in the Redskins-Eagles game this Sunday.

It’s easily the worst ESPN interview that Mike Greenberg or Jim Grey hasn’t been a part of, and Mora’s reaction was totally appropos, sarcastically calling Gottlieb “a real joy.” It’s not “diddely-poo,” but still awesome nonetheless.

Thanks, Ben, for the heads-up.

Fresh off his firing as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks last season, a report has come out indicating that Jim Mora Jr. has taken an unspecified role with an area high school football team, along with former Mora staffer Chris Beake, who will be defensive coordinator.

“Jim will be involved,” [Bellevue head coach Butch] Goncharoff said. “I don’t know in what capacity yet. It’s great. He’s an outstanding guy in whatever capacity we get him, even if it’s only for spring ball or summer. It’s great to have him around. He’s a great resource for us.”

“It’s an opportunity for me to grow as a young coach and do the things I’ve learned over the years,” Beake said. “I’ve done a lot of things in the NFL, but I’ve never done it where you put in a defense, and you teach it, and you run it and you call it. That’s exciting for me.” –Seattle Times.

Mora might just be biding his time until he can find a better job in the college or pro ranks. But surely a guy in the NFL doesn’t want to be dealing with players still in school, with the midterms and what not. Midterms? MIDTERMS? Yeah, I know it was his dad that made that quip. I don’t care; it’s still funny. To me.

Browns coach Eric Mangini isn’t getting fired, but his counterpart in Seattle is. Jim Mora, Jr. was let go by the Seahawks earlier today after just one year in the head job for which he had been groomed in the previous two.

The Seahawks finished 5-11 this year, third place in the NFC West. They finished the year on a four-game losing streak during which they failed to score more than 13 points in any game.

Mora, 48, previously coached the Atlanta Falcons from 2004-2006 and led them to an 11-5 record and the NFC championship game in his first season. He was an assistant head coach with the Seahawks from 2007-2008 before taking over the head job. –FOX Sports.

So fire up the Cowher-Dungy rumors again. I personally would love to see Cowher’s chin in Seattle, which I understand can store 12 ounces, or 15-dollars-worth of Starbucks coffee. But Jim Zorn, who was plucked from that same staff for Washington’s head job, might also be a candidate. But still, firing a guy after one year? Almost an entire week after the regular season has ended? Crazy. Don’t worry, Junior. I hear South Florida needs a coach. How’s your jab?

NFL Commissioner and noted Stairmaster addict Roger Goodell is spending his Wednesday morning assaulting Washington State’s Mt. Rainer, the state’s highest peak at 14,411 feet. The Commish has been joined on the expedition by Seattle Seahawks head coach Jim Mora, Jr., who is no longer being referred to as “Junior” by the media for some reason. Surely a guy who said he would abandon the Falcons in a playoff run is entirely too mature to be referred to as “Junior.” From NFL.com:

Guide Peter Whittaker said the group spent about five hours Monday training in wind and fog. He and fellow climbing expert Ed Viesturs are leading the climb for charity that also includes Seahawks chief executive Tod Leiweke.

“Gotta say the commish performed,” Whittaker told The Associated Press in an e-mail. “He is a good listener and grasped mountaineering basics reasonably well. A lot of mountain to go though … we were at 6,000 feet.”

Goodell’s party had planned to start attempting the summit sometime early this morning. That crazy Goodell, he’s either a genuine man of the people or a five-star poseur. Somebody tell him that he can afford a parade of helicopters to just drop him onto the mountain if he wanted. In a 24-karat gold bobsled, no less. But I understand that Ranier is a pretty tricky climb. Most of it is up, until you reach the very, very top. And then it tends to slope away rather sharply.

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J.E. Skeets of the NBA FanHouse dug up this YouTube clip, a brilliantly spliced mix of A.I.'s famous press conference about practice and Jim Mora (the elder, not his dipshit son) weighing in on the Colts' playoff chances.

It is far, far, far too short.

Tom Jones, a reporter for the St. Petersburg Times (that's Florida, not Russia), gets all huffy with Jim Mora's response to the mind-numbingly cliched question, "If you could blah blah blah, who would you invite to dinner?"

So we learned the three people Falcons coach Jim Mora would like to have dinner with are his wife, Shannon, Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Alba. And the last book he read was Webster's Dictionary. Wonder if he got to this word? Slea-zy (pronunciation slee-zee): thin or poor in texture, as a fabric; cheap; flimsy: a sleazy dress; a sleazy excuse; a sleazy answer.

Christ, what an insufferable bitch that guy must be to work with. What's Mora supposed to say, Sun Tzu and Albert Einstein? Umm, hello? I'm pretty sure Sun Tzu died in World War II. Dumbass.

Of course, I support Mora's decision to invite the hot chicks, but Jennifer Aniston? She makes the top two? I guess it would be her job to talk to the wife while Jim tried to get some private time with Alba. Well, that's what you get for inviting your wife, retard.