Tags will oversee successor search

The last search led to a seven-month stalemate.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Pete Rozelle made one mistake the last time the NFL was looking for a commissioner. It led to a seven-month stalemate, something Paul Tagliabue won't let happen again.
Tagliabue, who announced his retirement Monday after 16 years on the job, will oversee the search for his successor. He says his first goal is to make sure this time will be easier, allowing him to step down in July as planned.
Rozelle's error was his search committee.
He announced he was retiring in March 1989, then appointed a committee of insiders -- Wellington Mara of the Giants, Art Modell of the Browns, Lamar Hunt of the Chiefs and other members of what was quickly dubbed the "old guard." They came up with one recommendation: Jim Finks, general manager of the Saints.
The mistake was not Finks, who was eminently qualified. It was the "stacked" committee that alienated others, including the new owner of the Cowboys, Jerry Jones, who proposed Tagliabue. The result was a long stalemate, which ended when Mara, Modell and Dan Rooney of the Steelers switched to Tagliabue.
Good result
Funny how things work out.
Rooney and Mara, who died last October, were two of the owners closest to Tagliabue. "I wanted a football man. Now I'm extremely happy the way it turned out," Mara said a couple of years ago.
Jones, the early Tagliabue supporter, had numerous differences with the commissioner although he was effusive in his praise Monday.
"I was always encouraged by one of his personal philosophies that he shared with the ownership on several occasions: 'If it isn't broke,' Paul would say, 'let's fix it anyway,' " he said.
The selection process was broke last time. So Tagliabue is likely to fix it by including as many differing viewpoints he can get on whatever committee he forms to screen candidates.
League officials cautioned Tuesday not to identify front-runners -- for good reason.
Speculation has ranged from former President Clinton and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to sons of owners, including Jonathan Kraft of the Patriots and Art Rooney II of the Steelers. And then there's Arena League commissioner David Baker or Joe Bailey, a former Cowboys executive now working for the Dolphins.
All are unlikely -- Rice has pointed out she has another job and Clinton might not sit well with owners who almost all are Republicans, although he does have ties to Jones from their Arkansas days.
Other options
In fact, if the owners want the first female commissioner, they might look to Amy Trask, chief executive of the Oakland Raiders, one of the more respected executives in the NFL despite her association with a maverick team. If they want a black, there are several in senior league office jobs with far more football experience than Rice: Harold Henderson, Gene Washington and Mike Haynes to name three.
But the search most likely will start with the two perceived front-runners: Roger Goodell, the NFL's chief operating officer, and Rich McKay, general manager of the Falcons.
If it sounds like Tagliabue-Finks again, it's not quite that -- McKay is the son of John McKay, the longtime Southern California coach and first coach of the Bucs. But he also has a law degree, making him more than just a "football man."
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