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Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The NFL is almost universally regarded as a copycat league and for the most part that sentiment is true. When it comes to Xs and Os, plagiarism is certainly an accepted part of professional football and imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery in the coaching ranks. We are a copycat league, you bet, NFL head of football operations Troy Vincent recently told the Associated Press. If Peyton (Manning) and Philip (Rivers) and (Drew) Brees and (Tom) Brady are doing something thats good, then go out and try to do the same thing. That kind of piracy has never reached into the front office, however. No NFL team has had more success in the Super Bowl era than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who already possess a record six Lombardi Trophies as they prepare to embark on their quest for a seventh Saturday night against the Baltimore Ravens. And the Steelers are renowned for their stability, employing all of three coaches since Chuck Noll arrived in Western Pennsylvania in 1969. That continuity has helped spawn the record six Super Bowl crowns with each coach -- Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin -- contributing to the collection. Black Monday is the yearly reminder that few organizations plan to play copycat when it comes to Pittsburghs history of success, with impatience, anxiety and often ego trumping common sense. The first official domino fell Sunday night in Santa Clara when the messy Jim Harbaugh-Trent Baalke divorce finally became official. The 49ers and Harbaugh officially parted ways after Sundays 20-17 win over Arizona, a move weeks in the making and one the team called mutual if mutual means the politician (Baalke) winning a power struggle against the bull in a china shop (Harbaugh). The 49ers announced they have already begun a search for a new head coach and the team quickly asked for permission to talk with Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase during his bye week. Jim and I have come to the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interest to move in different directions, 49ers CEO Jed York said. We thank Jim for bringing a tremendous competitive nature and a great passion for the game to the 49ers. Harbaugh led the 49ers to a 44-19-1 record in four seasons with three consecutive appearances in the NFC Championship game and one trip to the Super Bowl. He, however, didnt get along with a lot of people in the building and it was clear months ago that the first sign of things going off the rails would give Baalke the excuse to move on. Harbaugh is expected to land on his feet as the highest paid college coach at his alma mater, the University of Michigan, with multiple reports indicating he will be named the Wolverines new head coach by Tuesday. Its been the time of my life. Theres been a lot of memories, great moments, Harbaugh said. I feel like Im going to be friends for life with anybody who wants to be. Others wont have a golden parachute waiting for them. The Jets kicked things off on the actual Black Monday as team owner Woody Johnson cleaned house, firing both head coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik after a 4-12 season. After extensive thought and reflection about the current state of our football team, this morning I informed Rex Ryan and John Idzik that they will not be returning for the 2015 season, Johnson said. Both Rex and John made significant contributions to the team, and they have my appreciation and gratitude for their efforts and commitment. Over the years, Rex brought the Jets a bold confidence and a couple of great postseason runs, which all of us will remember. Johnsons decision probably wasnt all that fair to Idzik, who was on board for only two years and never got the opportunity to hire his own coach but thats a tough sell to long-suffering Jets fans, who blame Idzik tor two failed drafts. The lack of development from quarterback Geno Smith -- selected as part of Idziks first draft class -- was a major reason for the Jets struggles this season. He was benched after a Week 8 loss to Buffalo, then returned to the starters role a month later in a Dec. 1 loss to Miami, long after New York was no longer relevant to the playoff picture. Next up was Mike Smith in Atlanta, who was dismissed after seven seasons, one day after losing 34-3 at home to the Carolina Panthers in a winner-take-all game that determined the NFC South champion. The Falcons finished 6-10, their second straight losing season. Atlanta reached the playoffs four times and captured two division titles in Smiths seven seasons, but had just one postseason win, posting five straight winning seasons under Smith before going 4-12 last in 2013. Smittys contributions to our club, team and city over the last seven years are numerous, Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. His accomplishments on the field made him the most successful coach in the 49-year history of the Falcons, and we are grateful for the foundation he has laid for us for the future. The next domino was a housecleaning in Chicago as the Bears fired both head coach Marc Trestman and general manager Phil Emery on the heels of a 5-11 season. Emery spent three years at the helm and brought in Trestman from the CFL in January 2013 after inheriting coach Lovie Smith, who was fired despite a 10-6 season in 2012. The Bears floundered the past two years, posting an 8-8 mark in 2013 before this years disappointing finish. Chicago hadnt finished below .500 since a 7-9 mark in 2009 and suffered through its worst season since a 5-11 record in 2004. Considered a successful quarterbacks coach, Trestmans ultimate sin was the play of Jay Cutler. The veteran quarterback struggled in 2014 and was even benched for Week 16 against Detroit before playing in Sundays season-ending 13-9 loss to the Vikings after Jimmy Clausen suffered a concussion against the Lions. I want to thank Virginia, George and the McCaskey family, Phil Emery and Ted Phillips for giving me the opportunity to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears, Trestman said. I also want to thank all the coaches and players who gave us everything we asked over the past two years. I have tremendous respect for this organization. Chicago is a special city with great fans. Emery was tied to the Trestman hire and the McCaskeys believed giving him the leash to pick another coach would have been untenable to the Second City faithful. Whether any of the coaches removed Monday rebound to have greater success in a future stop remains to be seen but they all now understand hiccups wont be tolerated in most cities. Meanwhile in Pittsburgh, a legacy that morphed into mediocrity in 2012-13 with a 16-16 mark over that span was answered by staying the course. And the GPS arrived at its destination on Sunday with the organizations 21st division championship. You would think someone might want to copy that. Jaromir Jagr Jersey . After missing 20 games as a rookie a year ago, Valanciunas - like the Raptors as a whole - has been fortunate to be in good health this season. As he spoke about it, the Raptors sophomore centre scanned the room for wood to knock on. "It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks. Alex Ovechkin Jersey . -- Billy Andrade hasnt played much competitive golf over the past four years. http://www.officialcapitalsfanstore.com/...apitals-jersey/. The Mariners ace allowed just one hit over eight innings while striking out nine, and Robinson Cano backed him with a two-run homer as Seattle earned a 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday. Washington Capitals Jerseys . "I wasnt waving the pom-poms to be involved with it to start with," Carlyle said after a 5-2 win over Carolina on Sunday night. "Its been a trying time. "Specifically we havent played as well as wed like to hang our hat on. Custom Washington Capitals Jerseys . -- Jonathan Vilmas season is over and his future on the football field is in doubt.Canada kept their undefeated streak going by beating Great Britain 9-6 in womens curling to push their record to 3-0 at the Sochi Olympics on Wednesday. Canada, led by Jennifer Jones, faced their first real test coming off dominant wins over 9-2 over China and 9-3 over Sweden on Monday and Tuesday respectively. Eve Muirhead, the 23-year old skip who led Scotland to a 2013 World Championship, followed through with expectations to lead Great Britain to a strong challenge against Canada. The two skips battled fiercely right into the final end. The skips battled hard where Jones tossed 85% and Muirhead went for 83%. There was very little separation between the opponents early in the match and that was the continued trend throughout. Up 8-6 going into the final end, Canada looked to be into as Great Britain was looking at scoring a double until Joness got a clutch take out, leaving just one stone near the button.dddddddddddd Muirhead had the hammer with :30 remaining, but the result of her triple take out attempt went awry, resulting in a steal of one for Canada. The biggest Canadian highlight was the moment right before the conclusion of the fifth end where Muirheads final stone sat just short of the rings to play guard for a potential steal of two.But Jones stuck back, shooting a major take out which earned three points to bring it to 6-3 lead for Canada. Britain pulled it closed after six ends, bringing it to 6-5, but Jones was able to to keep distance securing a single in the seventh end to stay up by two. Muirhread came out of a tough eighth end, finishing with two of the four stones in the house but only could muster one point. Canada continues in the round robin on Thursday as they take on Switzerland. ' ' '