NFL Capsules: Innovative football coach Don Coryell dies at 85
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Don Coryell, one of the founding fathers of the modern passing game, has died. He was 85.
The San Diego Chargers confirmed Coryell died Thursday at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in suburban La Mesa. The team did not release the cause of death, but Coryell had been in poor health for some time.
"We've lost a man who has contributed to the game of pro football in a very lasting way with his innovations and with his style," Hall of Famer Dan Fouts, the quarterback who made Air Coryell fly, said from Oregon. "They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery — look around, it's there."
The coach's Air Coryell offense produced some of the most dynamic passing attacks in NFL history — and affected how defenses play even to this day.
After he went 104-19-2 at San Diego State from 1961-72, he left the Aztecs for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973. With Jim Hart at quarterback, the Cardinals won division titles in 1974 and '75 behind Coryell.
Fouts said he became friends with Coryell after the two were finished with football.
"It's not just me," Fouts said. "All his players, Aztecs, Cardinals, Chargers, to a man, would tell you that he was their friend."
Coryell returned to San Diego when he was hired by the Chargers on Sept. 25, 1978, the same day a Pacific Southwest Airlines jet crashed into a North Park neighborhood after colliding with a small plane, killing all 137 people on the two planes and seven people on the ground.
"It's crazy that when you look back at the history of this city, he got hired on the same day as that PSA crash," said Hank Bauer, who was a running back and special teams star with the Chargers then. "That really was one of the darkest days in this city's history and it became one of the brightest days in the history of sports.
"He walked in and met our team for the time and he was just this little bundle of energy, flying around the meeting. He said, 'You know what? We're going to have fun, and we're going to cry and laugh and battle our (behinds) off, but we're going to have fun.' We had fun for a lot of years."
From 1978-86, Air Coryell — led by Fouts — set records and led the NFL in passing almost every season. Coryell guided the Chargers to the AFC championship game after the 1980 and '81 seasons, but he never reached the Super Bowl.
The lack of a Super Bowl on his resume may have hurt Coryell last winter in voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a finalist for the first time, but was not selected for induction.
"He revolutionized the game of football, not only in San Diego, but throughout the entire NFL," Chargers president Dean Spanos said in a statement. "Don Coryell was a legend not only with the Chargers but throughout San Diego. Though unfortunately he did not live long enough to see it, hopefully one day his bust will find its proper place in pro football's Hall of Fame. He will be missed."
The big stars of the Air Coryell years — Fouts, tight end Kellen Winslow and wide receiver Charlie Joiner — all ended up in the Hall of Fame. Winslow was used more as a pass catcher than a blocker, and sometimes would be split out wide, as would running backs.
"Don once said, 'If we're asking Kellen to block a defensive end and not catch passes, I'm not a very good coach,' " Bauer said.
One of the lasting images of the Coryell years was an exhausted Winslow being helped off the field by two teammates after the Chargers' epic 41-38 overtime victory in the playoffs over the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 2, 1982. Despite cramping up in the heat and humidity, Winslow caught 13 passes for 166 yards and one touchdown, and also blocked a potential game-winning field goal.
Bauer said Coryell changed the way opponents had to play defense, "And you see it today. "When we started splitting Kellen out, for instance, teams didn't know what to do. He was a wide receiver in a tight end's body. So a lot of teams started playing zone against us and we started picking them apart. Some teams tried to put a safety or linebacker out there and play man-to-man, and we licked our chops and went with Kellen.
"Because of Air Coryell, nickel and dime defenses became an every-game proposition," Bauer said. "He changed the way the game is played today."
Fouts said Air Coryell meant many things.
"I don't know that it's so much one thing that you could point to," Fouts said. "It was an attitude of fearlessness and aggressiveness and of fun. He was not afraid to try new things. He was not afraid to attack the entire length and breadth of a football field. He wanted his players to enjoy it."
In 14 NFL seasons, Coryell had a record of 111-83-1.
Coryell is the first coach to win 100 games in college and pro football and is a member of the college Hall of Fame.
"Here's the secret to Don — outside of the Xs and Os, his players and his family were the most important things in the world," Bauer said. "It had nothing to do with money or fame. It was all about family, team and winning and the game, and respect."
Vick says he 'had nothing to do with' shooting
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick says he was not involved with a shooting following his birthday celebration in Virginia Beach last week.
"I want to assure everyone that I had nothing to do with that incident," he said in the statement provided to The Associated Press by his representatives Thursday night. "I left the restaurant prior to it occurring and did not witness what happened."
Vick said he reported the incident to the Eagles and "to representatives of Commissioner Roger Goodell."
The former Atlanta Falcons star also said he has been "completely truthful and fully cooperative" with law enforcement and the NFL, and will continue to cooperate as the investigation continues.
The Eagles and NFL have said they are looking into the matter. Goodell told Vick when reinstating him last season that his margin for error was "extremely limited."
Police said earlier Thursday that they have not ruled out Vick as a suspect or person of interest in their investigation. Police spokesman Adam Bernstein said they will not discuss specifics of the investigation and that no one has been named as a suspect or arrested.
Vick met with police on Monday, accompanied by Woodward.
Bernstein declined to characterize Vick's status in the investigation.
"I don't want to say either way as to what his involvement is," Bernstein told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "Everyone wants me to give him a label because of who he is."
Police have not identified the shooting victim, but Vick's attorney, Larry Woodward, said it was Quanis Phillips.
In his statement, Vick did not name Phillips, a co-defendant in the dogfighting case that landed Vick in federal prison.
Vick, who filed for bankruptcy in 2008, is entering his second season with the Eagles and due to earn $5.2 million.
The NFL star's statement comes almost a week after the shooting early last Friday.
Woodward told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Vick left the establishment at least 10 minutes, and perhaps as many as 20 minutes, before the shooting took place.
But Allen Fabijan, spokesman for Guadalajara Mexican restaurant and nightclub, said Wednesday that he had video that contradicted Woodward's timeline.
The time-stamped footage from a surveillance camera outside the entrance of the club shows a car with Vick inside leaving at 2:07 a.m. — about 4 minutes before the shooting a block away.
The waiting car with Vick inside pulled away at about 2:07 a.m. heading in the direction of the eventual shooting. Numerous people were visible lingering in front of the club for several minutes until, at 2:10:55, they appear to be startled, with some ducking for cover.
Bernstein, who said authorities have a copy of the video, said the first 911 call about the shooting was received at 2:11.
Fabijan said police have asked him not to release the video, but he allowed the AP to view the grainy footage.
Vick's face is not discernible; a man wearing white that Fabijan said is Vick appears moving toward a parked car at 2:04 a.m. A crowd quickly gathered, and Fabijan said Vick accommodated fans trying to get an autograph, to pose for a photo or to shake hands — so much so that a club security guard eventually moved in in an effort to disperse the crowd.
-- Hank Kurz Jr.
Titans backup QB Chris Simms arrested in NYC
NEW YORK (AP) — Police say Tennessee Titans backup quarterback Chris Simms told them he'd been smoking marijuana before he was stopped while driving Thursday — but he says he was just talking about cigarettes.
Simms, a son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms, called the case against him "very weak" as he left a Manhattan courthouse after his arraignment on charges of driving while impaired by drugs.
"I think it speaks for itself," Simms, 29, said as he walked to a waiting car, with his pregnant wife on his arm. Released without bail, he's due back in court Aug. 23 on the misdemeanor and traffic-violation charges.
Police and prosecutors said Simms slurred his words, had bloodshot eyes and smelled of marijuana when stopped early Thursday at a downtown Manhattan police checkpoint, with his wife, Danielle, in the car.
According to a court complaint, Simms told an officer he'd been "smoking marijuana in the car earlier."
But Simms' lawyer, Nathan Semmel, said the quarterback didn't say that, and wouldn't do it.
"My client never admitted to smoking marijuana that night. He admitted to smoking cigarettes that night," Semmel said.
He called it "absurd" to suggest that Simms would drive impaired while his wife, eight months pregnant with their second child, was riding along.
"There's nothing in his record, whatsoever, that suggests that he would be that reckless," Semmel said.
He suggested two other unidentified passengers in the car's back seat "might be the sources of the odor" of marijuana that police reported.
The New York Police Department had no immediate comment.
If convicted, Simms could face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. He didn't take prosecutors up on offer to plead guilty Thursday in exchange for a $500 fine, three days of community service and a six-month license revocation.
The Titans, in a statement, said they were aware of the case and gathering more information about it.
Simms has started 16 games during his six-year NFL career and is in his second stint with the Titans. He came to Tennessee in 2008 after being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then returned to the Titans after playing for the Denver Broncos last year as an unrestricted free agent. He was a third-round draft pick by Tampa Bay in 2003.
In 2006, Simms had emergency surgery to remove his spleen, which ruptured during a game against Carolina.
His father is now an announcer and analyst for CBS Sports and led the Giants to two Super Bowls, playing 14 seasons with the team.
-- Colleen Long
Free agents LenDale White, Hollis Thomas suspended
The NFL has suspended free agent running back LenDale White for four games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy and free agent defensive tackle Hollis Thomas for eight games for violating its performance-enhancing substances policy.
League spokesman Randall Liu confirmed the suspensions Thursday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
White has acknowledged smoking marijuana. But he and Herman White, an uncle who has been training the running back since his release in May by Seattle, don't think that was the reason the Seahawks abruptly cut him weeks after trading for him.
If the 25-year-old White signs with a team he will be eligible to practice and play in preseason games, but he must miss the first four regular-season games of 2010.
The 6-foot-1 White ballooned past 265 pounds while falling out of favor with the Tennessee Titans. White lost weight because he said he quit drinking tequila before last season, but then Chris Johnson emerged as a 2,000-yard rusher and the star of Tennessee's franchise.
After the Titans traded him to Seattle for draft picks in April, White reported to the Seahawks weighing 219 pounds. Seattle coach Pete Carroll, for whom White starred at USC, said it was the lightest he'd seen the runner since high school. It appeared White was poised to become the lead rusher in the Seahawks' new offense.
Yet the Seahawks found White lacked the proper work ethic and cut him in late May. General manager John Schneider said at the time that "it became apparent at this time that LenDale was not ready to be a member of the Seattle Seahawks."
White, a native of Denver, has been working out with his uncle in Colorado and hoping another NFL team will call.
"He needs to look himself in the mirror. He needs to do what he needs to do (to get back in the league)," said Herman White. "If there are maturity issues and his work habits are issues, he has to address those — if there is any validity to those allegations.
"If he receives the call and he's not ready, he needs to deal with the ramifications of that."
The 36-year-old Thomas split the 2009 season with Carolina and St. Louis, playing in 13 games for the Panthers. The 14-year veteran signed with Carolina on Oct. 1, a day after he was released by the Rams. The Panthers let him become an unrestricted free agent after last season.
The NFL suspended Thomas for the last four games of the 2006 regular season when he was with New Orleans because he tested positive for a banned steroid, which Thomas blamed on his asthma medication.
-- Gregg Bell
Favre hits the field with Miss. high school team
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Brett Favre is back — at Oak Grove High School.
Oak Grove coach Nevil Barr said the Minnesota Vikings quarterback has started throwing the ball at practice with the Oak Grove receivers — something he's done the past few seasons.
"(Favre) has been hit-and-miss with coming to practice," Barr said. "But lately he's been there about every time we go out. Most of the time he doesn't stay for the whole practice, but he usually drops by for at least an hour or so."
The three-time NFL MVP is considering returning to the Vikings for a 20th NL season after leading Minnesota to the NFC championship game last season. He threw for 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in one of his best seasons, but the Vikings lost 31-28 to the Saints after Favre threw an interception while scrambling as time ran down.
Favre did not return a phone message left Thursday afternoon.
The 40-year-old quarterback has not told the Vikings whether he will return, but the first sign he is considering it came in May when he had arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle to remove scar tissue and bone spurs.
Barr said Favre seems to be enjoying working out with the players, but he can tell he's also trying to stay in shape.
"I think it's a combination of both," Barr said. "He enjoys helping them and teaching them about football. He enjoys being around the kids and they enjoy having him around."
The Vikings have said they will give Favre all the time he needs to make a decision. He's due a salary of $13 million if he returns.
Barr thinks his decision will be more about his desire than his ankle or arm.
"He can still throw it," Barr said. "There shouldn't be any question about whether he can still sling it, because he can."
Report: Chargers' Jackson suspended 3 games
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The NFL reportedly has suspended Chargers Pro Bowl wide receiver Vincent Jackson for three games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
The suspension was reported by ESPN, which cited a league source it did not identify.
Jackson pleaded guilty in February to his second DUI since 2006.
His agent, Neil Schwartz, declined to comment Thursday to The Associated Press. Chargers general manager A.J. Smith didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy says the league doesn't have a comment on the report. He says in an e-mail to the AP that the "matter remains under review." That could indicate Jackson has appealed.
Jackson has refused to sign his tender as a restricted free agent and could sit out the first 10 games of the season. There's a possibility a suspension could coincide with his holdout.
Florida Gov. Crist honors Marino's disability work
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino has been named the latest recipient of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's "Point of Light" award, in recognition of the Hall of Fame quarterback's work for autism research.
Marino and his wife Claire founded the Dan Marino Foundation in 1992, the first of many initiatives the couple has taken on to enhance the lives of people with disabilities.
Crist says Marino's "passion and dedication has led to innovative advancements in treatment and improved the quality of life of thousands of individuals."
Marino's foundation has raised more than $28 million for medical research.
The Point of Light award is given weekly to a Floridian who demonstrates exemplary service to the community.
Chiefs sign fifth-round pick Lewis
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have signed fifth-round draft pick Kendrick Lewis, a defensive back out of Mississippi. Terms of the deal announced Tuesday were not released.
The 6-foot, 198-pound Lewis was the first of two fifth-round selections for the Chiefs and the 136th pick overall. He appeared in 44 games at Mississippi, making 226 tackles and six interceptions with 18 passes defensed.
Lions agree to deal with Mr. Irrelevant: Tim Toone
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with wide receiver Tim Toone, the seventh-round pick dubbed Mr. Irrelevant as the final choice in the 2010 NFL draft.
The former Weber State star was the guest of honor this week during Irrelevant Week in Newport Beach, Calif., where he received the Lowsman Trophy. He was drafted 255th overall by the Lions.
The Lions also announced Thursday they've signed kicker Aaron Pettrey and claimed defensive tackle Leger Douzable off waivers.
