This and that

• SI.com's Don Banks offers Coaches on the Hot Seat: October and points out that Marvin Lewis went from No. 3 on the hot seat rankings after Week 2 (and the two guys ranked higher than him at the time have since been fired, by the way) to No. 5 in the most recent rankings. He cites "some extenuating circumstances," including Carson's injury, distractions at receiver and now Keith Rivers' injury. He's got the head coach of a 4-3 team and the head coach of a 3-4 team ranked higher than Marvin. I'm getting the impression Don really doesn't think Marvin will get fired anytime soon. Worth reading his analysis though.

• Daunte Culpepper says he wants to come out of retirement, and he says "a number of teams have contacted me since my retirement announcement and have provided some important information ...". I wonder how many teams have contacted him during this season, because the Bengals obviously aren't one of the teams that talked to him during the offseason, when Carson was healthy. I'm just wondering if they've talked to his agent - himself - since Carson got hurt.

• In other riveting Bengals news, Chad will wait until next year to get Ocho Cinco on the back of his jersey so that he doesn't have to pay Reebok.

• And a follow up to the story I posted yesterday about Terrell Suggs saying the Ravens placed a bounty on Hines Ward, SI.com has remarks from Brian Billick about how Suggs made a mistake in making it known that the bounty existed - but that they do exist.

And here's a story about the Steelers' reaction to the bounty talk.

• Suggs is having a tough time keeping his mouth shut, by the way. He told an Atlanta radio station Troy Smith should be starting at QB instead of Joe Flacco.

• Boston Globe's Tony Massarotti expects the Red Sox to trade Mike Lowell if they can acquire Mark Teixeira, in which case they'd move our man Youk (former Sycamore HS, UC star) back to third base. Or if they can't get Teixeira, they might deal for the Rockies' Garrett Atkins, which would keep Youk at first.

• And the New York Post says the Yankees may be looking to acquire former Red Mike Cameron.

• The Enquirer's John Johnston wrote a must-read feature about Sycamore running back Bud Golden and why his father hated football for years.

• Non-local link of the day: Texas Tech contest winner may kick this week.