On the same day that Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots saw their 10-game playoff winning streak disappear in Denver's thin air, another man who once coached a team that dominated the AFC denied rumors that he would be returning to the sidelines. Marv Levy, the 80-year-old general manager of the Buffalo Bills, said he would not replace Mike Mularkey, the 44-year-old who unexpectedly resigned last week after calling the shots for two years in Orchard Park. And that's too bad. Levy has a more impressive resume than all of the former NFL coaches looking for a job. After all, not many of them have taken their teams to four consecutive Super Bowls.

 He has skills.

But, then again, Levy is old. He qualifies for Social Security and was born before the Great Depression. Many people wouldn't think he could succeed in the pressure-packed NFL, despite the fact that he was coaching the Bills only nine years ago. How can a man his age be expected to make a reasonable decision and choose whether to punt or go for it on fourth-and one?

Unfortunately, Levy probably sensed that would be the reaction, so he clearly stated he would not pull a Joe Gibbs and return to the team he once coached. The same people who vociferously blamed Joe Paterno's age for Penn State's woes in recent years would inevitably criticize Levy if he decided he was the best man to lead the Bills on the field. Age discrimination, unfortunately, is alive and well in the United States.

But it is hard to understand why the younger generation doubts the abilities of its elders. Paterno, who is 79, was one play away from possibly leading the Nittany Lions to the national championship game this season. His team went 11-1 and won the Orange Bowl in triple-overtime by overcoming Florida State, a team that is coached by another septuagenarian, Bobby Bowden. Bowden, of course, has also been ripped by fans and media in recent years because the Seminoles have not won a national championship in six seasons. Man, things must be bad when your team only makes the Orange Bowl. Of course, the same group grousing seems to forget that before Bowden arrived Florida State won just four games in the three previous years and considered junking its football program after years of futility. 

None of that apparently matters because Bowden is old. In some people's eyes, all of the losses the Seminoles have incurred recently are the direct result of Bowden's age. He has wrinkles, gray hair and was alive when football was played with leather helmets, so they think he is over the hill.

In the coaching profession, they say, longevity is dependent on the number of wins and losses you accumulate. But, in the public's eyes, it also appears that the number of years you live on this planet should be just as important a factor in both your survival and ability to get a job. And that is ridiculous. Paterno and Bowden's resumes continue to get more impressive with each passing year, while Levy should not feel afraid to add a few lines to his. 

If the news is true about Dan Hawkins, then it appears all but certain he will become the latest coach from Boise State to make the leap to a major Division I school -- and perhaps the best to do so. Hawkins is likely headed to Colorado -- a program that has endured numerous setbacks both on and off the field in recent years under the stewardship of Gary Barnett. Maybe it is the blue turf the Broncos trample each home game or the Idaho sky, but the Gem State's capital has been home to a few diamonds in the rough when it comes to field generals.

 Courtesy Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Arkansas coach Houston Nutt and Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter have made stops in Boise, building up their resumes in the West and earning respect Napoleon Dynamite would only dream about. In the process, Boise State's football program has improved dramatically since it was elevated by the NCAA to Division I-A status in 1996. That has a lot to do with the fact that each coach has built on what his predecessor left behind. Nutt took over in 1997 and spent one season with the Broncos, steering Boise State to a 5-6 record before impressing a committee at Arkansas when he interviewed for the Razorbacks' head coaching position. Koetter then brought Boise State to new heights, instituting an efficient passing attack, leading the Broncos to two 10-win seasons and their first two bowl appearances before bolting for the desert after the 2000 campaign.

Hawkins, who looks like he still could play football, turned Boise State into one of the best non-BCS programs in the country. Between 2002 and 2004, the Broncos won 35 of 38 games and finished ranked in the Top 15 each year. This season, Boise State is going bowling again. Colorado obviously has been watching Hawkins, while taking note of the fact that Nutt and Koetter are still walking the sidelines at the schools they landed at after their stints in Boise.

Other big programs are also aware of Boise State's penchant for finding strong leaders. And that is why coaches, who want to move up in the ranks, better start sending in their resumes for the Broncos' expected vacancy. They may have to suffer through some cold winters, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Just ask Nutt, Koetter and Hawkins.