Skins are right to admit they are rebuilding

Check that: I read somewhere that Mike Shanahan is using the dreaded R-word - rebuilding. Maybe I imagined that, since Redskins owner Dan Snyder has always opposed the concept of rebuilding, preferring to sell fans the fantasy that his team is a playoff contender. Another R-word - reality - always comes back to bite the franchise. 

At the core We're constantly reminded of the deep and abiding worship for Joe Paterno at Penn State. Start right there when looking for the root of the problem that created a culture of cover-up. Worship of any man is dangerous, not to mention simply weird.

He's No. 1 Paterno expresses love for his university, but he put himself ahead of the school's best interests, and not for the first time, when he announced that he would finish out the season, before the board of trustees let him go. Even at 84, he's as selfish as any other icon who thinks the world revolves around him. But, of course, at Penn State, it does.

The leader None of the media big shots - CNN, ESPN, The New York Times - were able to keep pace with Penn State coverage provided by the Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa. The paper led the investigation into the erupting scandal and even talked with the parents of two of the young men allegedly abused by Jerry Sandusky. Some of the best journalism is practiced at the grassroots level.

Next? Al Golden, who won at Temple and is a former Penn State football captain, appears to be the top candidate - unless Urban Meyer shows interest - to take over in Happy Valley. Nobody could blame him for leaving Miami, where he was blindsided by off-field issues, to return to his alma mater. One possible problem with that: Golden was a defensive assistant at Penn State in 2000. Anyone associated with the program in those years is potentially aware of Sandusky's alleged sex-abuse history. Or will be assumed to know something, even if they don't. That may be enough to disqualify Golden. And perhaps that's the way it should be if the school wants a fresh start.

Wondering Is assistant Mike McQueary receiving "multiple threats" from people who think he should have gone to the police about Sandusky, or is he being targeted by Paterno idolaters for bringing down the coach?

Off course It makes you wonder about some people's priorities when the Penn State students who took to the streets didn't march over to Sandusky's house to express their outrage.

Local ties The Mets said they will listen to trade talks, and ESPN's Buster Olney thinks the club should deal David Wright now - he turns 30 next year - for young talent that will help the club in 3-4 years.

Revision When the Patriots cut loose the underachieving Albert Haynesworth, Bill Belichick's reputation as a genius took a hit. Chad Ochocinco, another Belichick reclamation project, isn't contributing much, either. Has The Hoodie lost his touch?

Numbers game In a recent Sporting News poll of 111 NFL players, the Giants' Tom Coughlin was voted the least-liked coach. My opinion of him just shot up.

Futurewatch At 6-2 and tied for first place in the AFC North, the Bengals, behind rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, are one of the biggest surprises of the NFL season. The reckoning may be coming, though, starting with Sunday's game against the Steelers. It's the first of four games the Bengals still have to play against Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

That's showbiz The first and only time I met the late Joe Frazier, he was visiting Norfolk after his retirement. And instead of boxing shorts, he was wearing a tuxedo. I may be one of the few people in Hampton Roads who can say that he caught Frazier's musical act, "Smokin' Joe and the Knockouts," when it played a small club inside what is now the Crowne Plaza Hotel across from Scope. Had to be at least 30 years ago. It wasn't like the first time I saw Springsteen in concert, but in its own way, it left an indelible memory.