Mike Shanahan is taking his time before deciding whether his next coaching job will be in Buffalo, which is good news for the Bills. Shanahan could be stalling while waiting for a better opportunity, but he's also doing a favor for the Bills by giving them extra time to decide if he's the right guy for them.

Just about anybody would be an upgrade over Dick Jauron, so it's easy for desperate fans to get excited about a big-name replacement who showed enough interest in Buffalo to have so-called discovery talks. But the Bills just might discover a better candidate.

The Bills shouldn't give up in their pursuit of Bill Cowher, who said he wasn't yet interested in interviews with teams. It could be interpreted in a few different ways, but it didn't sound like he was slamming the door on Buffalo so much as concentrating on his duties with CBS until after the season.

If that's the case, the Bills should admire him even more for properly handling the situation. Cowher was refusing to compromise his current job by focusing his time and energy elsewhere. That's the kind of person they should want running football operations, including coaching.

Shanahan could be a fit, but Cowher would be a better one. He's a Pittsburgh guy, and he understands the charm that comes with a hard-working, passionate football town. Show him the same enthusiasm he expects from his players, give him power over all personnel decisions, plus $10 million for the effort, and you just might land him.

Syracuse has made the transition look easy after losing its top three scorers in Niagara Falls products Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris and shooter Eric Devendorf. The previously unranked Orange (5-0) soared to No. 10 in this week's AP top 25 poll after hammering California and North Carolina last week.

Syracuse native Brandon Triche, whose uncle Howard played for SU back in the 1980s, could evolve into one of the nation's top freshmen. SU should be 8-0 going into Florida on Dec. 10 and has enough talent to contend in the Big East. They would have been among the early favorites for an NCAA title had the aforementioned three stuck around.

Obviously, my decision to stagger through a 5K a few years ago still inspires Maura Frauenhofer, the women's winner of the Turkey Trot. Yes, I'm kidding. In the interest of full disclosure, she's my niece.

Jimmie Johnson made history when he won his fourth straight NASCAR title, but talk about him being the best driver ever is premature if not grossly inaccurate. Johnson is a great driver and a prince, but he's basically the quarterback for the best team. The emphasis was greater on the driver years ago. And that's why Richard Petty remains the king.

Can we agree that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has run out of excuses? He changed teams, crew chiefs and sponsors, and the results have been worse. He has one victory over the past three seasons, hasn't won twice in the same year since 2004 and was 25th in the standings this year.

Alex Ovechkin deserved a penalty for boarding when he drilled hometown boy Patrick Kaleta on Wednesday night, but he shouldn't have been ejected. The Sabres would have been furious had the situation been reversed. If only the Sabres had a top-six forward who played with that much aggression.

Athletes would rally around a bowl of soup for motivation, but don't underestimate the effect UB unveiling its banner for winning the MAC regular-season hoops title had on Canisius. "They could have done it before the first game [an exhibition against Daemen]," Griffs guard Julius Coles said. UB dropped the banner, but Coles dropped the hammer with 26 points in the victory.