Bill Cowher

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears president Michael McCaskey spoke with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt by telephone yesterday about the Bears' head-coaching position.McCaskey first received permission to talk with Wannstedt from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.Dallas travels to San Francisco for Sunday's National Football Conference Championship game.Washington Redskins assistant Petitbon said yesterday he was expecting a call from the Bears. McCaskey would neither confirm nor deny any contact with Petitbon last night.

As he walked past the four Super Bowl trophies that glisten under a spotlight just outside his office, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher decided something was missing.A fifth trophy.Call it the confidence of youth, but Cowher obviously isn't intimidated about replacing Chuck Noll, who won more games than all but four coaches in NFL history.Cowher, who signed a four-year contract yesterday, is the NFL's second-youngest head coach at age 34 (the Cincinnati Bengals' David Shula is 32) and is only the second Steelers coach in the past quarter-century.