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Dolphins Offer Cam Cameron Head Coaching Job

The Miami Dolphins have extended an offer to Cam Cameron to be their next head coach, and while there was still plenty of detail work to be completed on his contract, the San Diego Chargers' offensive coordinator is poised to accept the job.

"He wants the job and the Dolphins want to [complete a deal] by tonight," a source close to the negotiations told ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli on Friday afternoon. "There's still a lot to get finished, but I can't see where it would fall apart."

It is believed the Dolphins were faxing elements of the contract to Cameron's agent, Gary O'Hagan, whose office is in Minneapolis, for his review.

When Cameron returned to the Dolphins' complex Friday accompanied by general manager Randy Mueller, it raised speculation the team might be on the verge of hiring him. Team owner Wayne Huizenga and chief executive Joe Bailey arrived earlier at the complex ahead of Cameron and Mueller.

Chan Gailey, also considered a strong candidate, said Friday he's staying at Georgia Tech. Gailey also interviewed for the coaching job in Pittsburgh.

Cameron has been in South Florida since Wednesday, when he began a second round of interviews. The Dolphins, looking to replace Nick Saban who left for Alabama on Jan. 3, said Thursday they hoped to make a decision by Saturday.

Timing is an issue because of next week's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., where teams scout college prospects and assemble coaching staffs.

Cameron, who first interviewed with the Dolphins shortly after Saban left, became available when San Diego was eliminated from the playoffs last Sunday.

Dolphins defensive coordinator Dom Capers, former Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora and former Alabama coach Mike Shula, the son of ex-Dolphins coach Don Shula, also have been considered candidates to replace Saban.

Cameron was coach at his alma mater, Indiana, from 1997-2001 and has directed a high-powered attack the past five years at San Diego. The Dolphins might opt for a coach with an offensive background because a sputtering offense is a major reason Miami failed to make the playoffs the past five seasons.

The Dolphins interviewed at least 13 candidates in their most extensive coaching search since the franchise's first season in 1966.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2736313

Steelers Name Mike Tomlin Head Coach

The Pittsburgh Steelers plan to name Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin as their new head coach, ESPN's Chris Mortensen confirmed Saturday night.

Sources told Mortensen that the team would announce Tomlin as coach either Sunday or Monday. Tomlin would become only the third Steelers coach in 38 years, and the first black head coach in their 74-year history.

Tomlin, a former Tampa Bay assistant, has been the coordinator for just one season under Brad Childress in Minnesota. Before that, he was a Buccaneers' secondary coach, a five-year spell that included installation of the teams' trademark "Tampa-2" scheme. He was an assistant coach in the collegiate ranks from 1995 to 2000.

Sports Illustrated's Web site, SI.com, first reported that Pittsburgh had decided on Tomlin earlier Saturday. Steelers owner Dan Rooney told The Associated Press he had no comment. Team president Art Rooney II, leaving the team's practice complex Saturday, said he had nothing to say.

A person with knowledge of the search denied Tomlin has been hired, telling the AP that not only has the job not been offered but there have been no contract negotiations. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Steelers do not want details of the search made public until they have made their choice.

Tomlin and Grimm, the Steelers' offensive line coach and only remaining in-house candidate, both had their second interviews earlier this week. The Steelers couldn't talk to Rivera again until the Bears are eliminated from the playoffs. Chicago plays New Orleans in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

The Steelers' diligence in finding Cowher's successor cost them offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, a move that leaves Grimm as the possible front-runner.

Whisenhunt, one of the NFL's top offensive coaches, took the Arizona Cardinals' job Sunday rather than waiting to see if he would be promoted by Pittsburgh. He will be officially introduced by the Cardinals at a news conference Tuesday.

While Whisenhunt was widely considered around the NFL to be Cowher's heir apparent, the Steelers gave no such indication after Cowher resigned Jan. 5. Also, they apparently didn't make a counteroffer to persuade Whisenhunt to stay.

Grimm also interviewed with the Cardinals, but unlike Whisenhunt, didn't get a second interview.

Tomlin had an excellent interview with the Steelers and, like Cowher in 1992, is an on-the-rise candidate despite being only 34 and having minimal experience as an NFL coordinator. Tomlin took over the Vikings' defense this season.

Whisenhunt may take quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple with him as offensive coordinator, meaning the two coaches who have closely worked with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger the last three seasons would be gone.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2732197

Mora Hired as Seahawk's Secondary Coach

Jim Mora is headed back to the Pacific Northwest, but Tyrone Willingham need not worry.

Mora isn't landing his self-stated "dream job" at the University of Washington. Instead, he's joining Mike Holmgren's staff, agreeing Sunday to become the Seattle Seahawks' secondary coach less than three weeks after being fired as coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

"I'm thrilled to join not only what I believe is a quality organization, but for the chance to work with one of the finest head coaches in the league," Mora said in a statement. "That, coupled with the opportunity for my family to be in the great northwest is extremely exciting."

Mora, the 45-year-old son of former NFL coach Jim Mora, went 26-22 in three seasons with the Falcons, but was fired Jan. 1 following another second-half collapse and off-field distractions that infuriated team owner Arthur Blank.

And Mora brought the last, and perhaps biggest distraction upon himself during a Seattle radio station interview before a crucial game against Dallas last month.

Mora said his "dream job" was to coach at Washington, his alma mater, and that he'd jump at the chance to take it -- even if the Falcons were in the middle of the playoffs.

Mora claimed he was only kidding with the radio host, former college teammate and NFL quarterback Hugh Millen, but conceded that it didn't sound that way after listening to a tape of the interview.

The comments were broadcast nationally, upsetting Falcons fans and angering Blank. The coach was summoned to Blank's Atlanta office the day before the Dallas game to discuss the issue, then sent out alone before the media to make an apology.

"I obviously was very disappointed in those comments," Blank said at the time. "I spoke to him about it, and he took responsibility for it. He felt badly about it and he apologized to the Atlanta. He has a real fondness for the community."

Accompanying Mora's comments was a second straight drop off in the latter half of the season.

A former defensive coordinator in San Francisco, Mora was a first-time head coach when he led the Falcons to the NFC South title in his rookie season. The team slumped to 8-8 in 2005, then endured his first losing record this past season, going 7-9. The Falcons started this season 5-2, before losing seven of their last nine, despite Blank's warnings that another .500 finish would be unacceptable. In 2005, Atlanta had a similar slump, dropping six of its last eight.

Mora could be aligning himself for the future by joining the Seahawks. Holmgren signed a contract extension last May that runs through the 2008 season. The veteran coach will turn 60 in June of that year, and Mora could become the front-runner to take over if Holmgren steps away.

The secondary coach opening became available when Teryl Austin took the same position with Ken Whisenhunt's new staff in Arizona.

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to add someone to the staff with the energy and passion that Jim brings to the game," Holmgren said in a statement. "He is a strong teacher and talented coach who will make us better."

Mora grew up in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue and played outside linebacker at Washington from 1981-1983.

Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/f ... index.html

Tank Johnson May Not Travel To Miami

There's one Chicago Bear who still doesn't know whether he'll be in Miami for Super Bowl XLI, and he won't know until Tuesday morning.

At half past nine in Courtroom 108 of the 2d District Municipal Courthouse in Skokie, Ill., defensive tackle Tank Johnson and his attorneys will ask Circuit Judge John J. Moran, Jr., for permission to leave the State of Illinois. Without Moran's permission, Johnson won't be going anywhere.

The early indications from Moran are not promising for Johnson, who is charged with violating probation as the result of a police raid on his home and the seizure of six guns and more than 500 rounds of ammunition.

When Johnson first appeared in court to respond to the charge of violating probation, Judge Moran set a bond of $100,000, a clear indication that Moran was not happy with Johnson's behavior. Prosecutors and defense lawyers who practice in Chicago's criminal courts agree that the $100,000 bond is highly unusual. The typical bond for a probation violation charge would be $1,000 or even no bond at all.

"The bond is astounding," one veteran defense lawyer told SI.com. "It means that Johnson is in real trouble with this judge."

Johnson was in the 13th month of an 18-month term of probation when a Gurnee police SWAT team raided his house, finding the guns and arresting his friend, Willie Posey, who was caught in Johnson's basement with a wholesale quantity of marijuana. Posey was murdered two days later moments after he and Johnson arrived in a Chicago nightclub that was a notorious gang hangout.

In addition to the guns and hanging out with a convicted felon, Moran will undoubtedly notice that the current charge is Johnson's second allegation of violating his probation. In March of 2006, Johnson was charged with violations of the conditions of his probation because he had failed to pay a fine, had failed to complete community service, and had failed to do drug and alcohol tests. Johnson managed to settle those charges.

It adds up to a difficult situation for Johnson. "Jack Moran is a tough character," observed a defense lawyer has handled many cases before Moran and insisted on anonymity because he currently has other cases before Moran. "He will do what the case and the situation demand regardless of what it may do to the Chicago Bears and their defensive line. Johnson may not make it to Miami."

Moran has been a judge since 1991 and previously served as a prosecutor in Cook County from for six years. He serves as an adjunct professor at DePaul University.

Johnson's predicament is critical to the Bears. Tommie Harris, the Bears best defensive tackle is out with an injury. Without Johnson, the Bears would be playing for a championship without their two top defensive tackles.

Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/w ... index.html

Bill Parcells To Retire From Cowboys

Bill Parcells retired from coaching Monday, leaving the Dallas Cowboys after four seasons and ending a stellar career that featured three Super Bowl appearances and two championships.

The decision came 15 days after the Cowboys' season ended with a heartbreaking playoff loss in Seattle. He'd been at his office nearly every day since, and there were other indications that the 65-year-old coach was returning for a fifth year in Dallas and 20th as an NFL head coach.

Instead, Parcells released a statement saying: "I am retiring from coaching football.''

"I want to thank Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones for their tremendous support over the last four years,'' the statement continued. "Also, the players, my coaching staff and others in the support group who have done so much to help. Dallas is a great city and the Cowboys are an integral part of it. I am hopeful that they are able to go forward from here.''

The announcement came in a morning e-mail. There was no statement from Jones, the team owner, although one was planned for later in the day. There were no immediate plans for a news conference.

"I am in good health and feel lucky to have been able to coach in the NFL for an extended period of time,'' Parcells said. "I leave the game and the NFL with nothing but good feelings and gratitude to all the players, coaches and other people that have assisted me in that regard.''

Known best for a gruff demeanor and colorful quotes, Parcells leaves with the ninth most wins in NFL history and a career record of 183-138-1. He was 34-32 in Dallas, including 0-2 in the postseason. He had one year left at more than $5 million on a contract extension signed last January.

Before joining the Cowboys, Parcells led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl titles, got the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl and took the New York Jets to the AFC title game.

This past season, Parcells also had to endure the constant dramas that came with coaching Terrell Owens. With Parcells gone, there may be a better chance that Owens returns in 2007.

Before Jerry Jones starts thinking about that, he'll have to find the seventh coach in team history.

If Jones wants a proven commodity, he might go after Tennessee's Jeff Fisher or Bill Cowher, recently resigned from Pittsburgh. Both are under contract for 2007, which means their teams would get compensation in addition to the massive salaries they'd command.

If Jones goes after a college coach, big-name candidates would be Charlie Weis of Notre Dame, a former Parcells assistant, and Southern California's Pete Carroll, who coincidentally replaced Parcells in New England in 1997. Bob Stoops of Oklahoma and Houston Nutt of Arkansas, Jones' alma mater, also might be considered.

There do not seem to be any strong internal candidates. The closest Parcells came to grooming a successor was Sean Payton, who was hired last year to coach New Orleans and became the NFL coach of the year.

All candidates will have to accept Jones being the general manager. That might have driven away others before, but four years of avoiding ego clashes with Parcells probably has changed his reputation.

Parcells' specialty in football was defense. His greatest trait as a coach, though, was his ability to turn around downtrodden clubs. All four teams he coached had losing records before he arrived, but all four were in the playoffs by his second season. No other coach has taken that many franchises to the postseason.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2738949

Jags Hire Shula As QB Coach

Former Alabama coach Mike Shula was hired as the quarterbacks coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday.

Coach Jack Del Rio and Shula reached a deal at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and the team expected a contract to be signed early next week.

Shula went 26-23 in four years at Alabama but was 0-8 against Southeastern Conference West rivals LSU and Auburn. The Tide finished 10-2 under Shula in 2005, but the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula was fired last November after the team went 6-6 during the regular season.

Shula had been a candidate for the head coaching job with the Miami Dolphins, but his father's former team chose San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron to replace Nick Saban.

The 41-year-old Shula replaces Ken Anderson in Jacksonville. Anderson was one of five assistant coaches fired after last season. The Jags already hired former Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter as offensive coordinator and Joe DeCamillis as special teams coordinator.

Shula, meanwhile, inherits an unsettled quarterback situation.

Byron Leftwich started the first six games but then was benched in favor of backup David Garrard. Leftwich eventually had ankle surgery and was placed on injured reserve.

But neither quarterback did enough to secure the starting job in 2007.

Leftwich completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,159 yards, with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He was also sacked nine times.

He said he hurt his ankle during a game in early October and that the injury flared up nearly two weeks later, causing him to struggle in a loss at Houston after he convinced coaches he was ready to play. He was benched the following week.

Garrard completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,735 yards, with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was sacked 20 times and replaced by Quinn Gray in the season finale.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2742726

Cowboys Hire Jason Garrett as Offensive Coordinator

The Cowboys have hired Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach Jason Garrett as their offensive coordinator, and he remains a candidate for Dallas' vacant head coaching position, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports.

A source told ESPN's Ed Werder on Wednesday night that team owner Jerry Jones considers Garrett, a former backup to quarterback Troy Aikman, to be one of the most promising offensive coaches in the league and was so determined to bring him back to the Cowboys organization that he would have been added to Bill Parcells' staff had Parcells decided to coach the final year of his contract.

Instead, Parcells stepped down Monday after four seasons with the Cowboys, ending a 19-year coaching tenure that included two Super Bowl champoinships with the New York Giants.

In his first public comments since announcing his retirement, Parcells told New York station WFAN on Thursday that Jones has asked him to remain with the organization for another week to help in the transition of a new head coach. That is, assuming Jones hires one within that period.

Jones needed to decide by Thursday whether to hire Garrett as offensive coordinator because the Dolphins set a deadline for the Cowboys to hire their quarterbacks coach when granting the Cowboys permission to interview Garrett.

It's now up to the Cowboys whether to appoint Garrett as the head coach later after interviews with other head coach candidates. The Cowboys have received permission from the San Francisco 49ers to interview offensive coordinator Norv Turner for the job and permission from the New Orleans Saints to interview defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs. Dallas is also interested in talking to San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

Garrett spent the last two seasons coaching Miami's quarterbacks. He played for the Cowboys from 1993-99, appearing in 23 games with nine starts. He also played for the Giants, Tampa Bay and Miami. Garrett retired in 2004.

Garrett's father, Jim, was a longtime scout for the Cowboys.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2742496

Bengals' Johnson questioned
Cincinnati receiver part of investigation into shooting



MIAMI (AP) -- Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson was questioned by Miami police regarding an investigation into the shooting death of a man.

Johnson, a Miami native who played his college ball at Oregon State, spoke with detectives Monday at police headquarters, according to The Miami Herald.

"Chad has confirmed to the club that he cooperated with the Miami Police earlier this week as part of an investigation," the team said in a statement released Friday to The Associated Press. "Police have characterized this as a routine procedure and have stressed that Chad is not a suspect or even a person of interest in this case."

Authorities have not said why Johnson was questioned or what connection he may have had in the death of Curtis Tavares Dopson last Friday.

The 27-year-old Dopson was shot near the doorway of a duplex he moved into about four months ago, the newspaper said. No arrests have been made.

Damn, I didn't know CJ was from Miami...

Favre Returning for One More Season

Brett Favre will return for his 17th NFL season, undeterred by his injuries and hoping to lead the Green Bay Packers back to the playoffs.

"I am so excited about coming back," the 37-year-old quarterback said Friday on the Web site of the Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss. "We have a good nucleus of young players. We were 8-8 last year, and that's encouraging."

Packers general manager Ted Thompson confirmed Favre had told the team he plans to return.

"The Packers are excited by his decision and look forward to a successful 2007 campaign," Thompson said in a statement.

The team scheduled a 4 p.m. ET news conference Friday.

"My offensive line looks good, the defense played good down the stretch," Favre told the Biloxi newspaper. "I'm excited about playing for a talented young football team."

The news came as a surprise to Packers CEO Bob Harlan.

"I hadn't heard it, and I hadn't seen the Biloxi paper -- not that I read the Biloxi paper every day," Harlan told The Associated Press on Friday.

He has started 257 consecutive games including the playoffs, an NFL record for quarterbacks. Favre broke Dan Marino's record for career completions (4,967) in 2006 and is closing in on Marino's marks for career touchdown passes (420) and yards passing (61,361). Favre has 414 career touchdown passes and 57,500 yards passing.

As he has done in the past several offseasons, Favre returned to his home in Mississippi after the season to deliberate about his future. Last year, Favre waited until late April to tell the team he was returning.

Favre complained about nagging injuries and the drudgery of practice toward the end of last season, then choked back tears as he talked about missing the game and missing his teammates in a television interview immediately after the regular-season finale in Chicago -- leading many to believe he intended to retire.

Favre has led the Packers to 10 postseason appearances, six division titles, three NFC Championship games, two Super Bowls and one championship following the 1996 season.

Favre's accomplishments include winning three league MVP awards -- he shared 1997 honors with Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders -- and throwing two touchdown passes in a 35-21 victory over the New England Patriots in the 1997 Super Bowl to give the Packers their first championship in 29 years. Earlier in that championship season, Favre spent time in the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kan., battling an addiction to painkillers.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2752040