We mentioned a couple months ago that ESPN.com was in the midst of a hiring frenzy to beef up its online NFL reporting. The plan was simple: Find a writer to cover each division. But will this “beat” system even work? By nature, reporters are going to chase news, and work as many sources as possible … and in the process, toes will be stepped on. Let’s say you’re tipped to a story outside your division. What’s the move?

1) Try to write the item, and risk infringing on the territory of the other writer.
2) Tip off the writer who covers the division, and let him get the big scoop and all the glory.
3) Share your source with the writer. (Ha!)
4) Ignore the tip, say nothing, and watch as Jay Glazer, MIke Silver or Peter King breaks it.

Let’s say you’re nice about it, and you opt for the co-byline on a news story. Is the other writer going to be cool with you working sources in his division? How will he look in the future when you’re breaking news on something he’s supposed to be owning?

ESPN.com editor-in-chief Rob King might have the most difficult job in sports journalism today: Massaging the fragile egos of an incredibly talented crop of writers. We’ve heard rumblings of this sort of thing happening on the MLB and college football fronts as well – though neither has been covered as specifically (by division) as the NFL.