NFL Capsules - Non-Playoffs: Packers' Philbin accepts Dolphins' coaching job
MIAMI (AP) — A month of wrenching emotion for Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin took another turn Friday when he landed the Miami Dolphins' head coaching job.
The deal was sealed less than two weeks after Philbin's 21-year-old son drowned in an icy Wisconsin river. The Dolphins confirmed the hiring in a news release and plan a news conference Saturday.
Philbin, who has never been a head coach, first interviewed with Miami on Jan. 7. The body of son Michael, one of Philbin's six children, was recovered the next day in Oshkosh.
After spending a week away from the Packers, Philbin rejoined the team last Sunday for its divisional playoff loss to the New York Giants.
Philbin has been with Green Bay since 2003, serving as offensive coordinator since 2007. Coach Mike McCarthy called the plays, but Philbin put together the game plan for one of the NFL's most prolific offenses.
The Dolphins' top choice, Jeff Fisher, turned them down a week ago to become coach of the St. Louis Rams. Miami owner Stephen Ross and general manager Jeff Ireland then conducted a second round of interviews this week with Philbin, Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and Todd Bowles, the Dolphins' interim coach at the end of the season.
"Joe has all the attributes that we were looking for when we started this process," Ross said in a statement. "Jeff Ireland and I felt Joe was the right choice to bring the Dolphins back to the success we enjoyed in the past."
The Dolphins are coming off a third consecutive losing season, their longest such stretch since the 1960s. Even so, Philbin called them "one of the premier franchises in professional sports."
"The Dolphins have a strong nucleus to build around," he said in a statement. "And working with everyone in the organization, I know that together we will return the team to its winning tradition."
Ross fired Tony Sparano last month with three games to go in his fourth year as the Dolphins' coach. When the search for a new coach began, Ross said he would like to give the franchise much-needed stability by hiring "a young Don Shula."
Instead he chose the 50-year-old Philbin, who has 28 years of coaching experience, including 19 years in college.
With Philbin's help, the Packers have ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in yardage each of the past five seasons, including third in 2011. A year ago they won the Super Bowl.
"A huge congratulations to Joe Philbin," Green Bay tight end Jermichael Finley tweeted. "No one deserves it more than this guy. The Pack will miss him!"
The hiring might give the Dolphins an edge if they decide to pursue Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn, who becomes a free agent this offseason. Flynn set Packers records with 480 yards passing and six touchdowns in their regular-season finale. Philbin played a major role in the development of Flynn and Pro Bowl quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
"Worked five years with Joe Philbin," former Packers executive Andrew Brandt tweeted. "Calm, cerebral, humble and a skilled offensive mind. His style will resonate with players."
Assistants becoming first-time NFL head coaches have had mixed results in recent years. The group includes the Ravens' John Harbaugh, the Saints' Sean Peyton and the Steelers' Mike Tomlin, but also three coaches recently fired — Jim Caldwell by the Colts, Todd Haley by the Chiefs and Steve Spagnuolo by the Rams.
Before joining the Packers, Philbin was Iowa's offensive line coach for four years. The former small-college tight end has been an offensive coordinator at Harvard, Northeastern and Allegheny College.
Philbin becomes the seventh coach in the past eight years for the Dolphins, who went 6-10 this season and missed the playoffs for the ninth time in the past decade. It has been 19 years since they reached the AFC championship game, 27 years since they reached the Super Bowl and 38 years since they won an NFL title.
Perhaps mindful of the drought, former Miami coach Jimmy Johnson offered this tweet: "Joe Philbin new Dolphin coach..good luck!"
Philbin will now begin assembling a staff. Bowles might remain as a replacement for defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who took the same job this week with the Atlanta Falcons.
Ryan says bravado might have put pressure on Jets
NEW YORK (AP) — The days of big, brash talk by Rex Ryan could be over.
The New York Jets coach told WFAN Radio on Friday that he'll remain confident but might tone down his comments after his Super Bowl guarantees and bravado might have hurt his team this season. Ryan, who has promised big things for the Jets since taking over as coach in 2009, predicted a Super Bowl victory this season during the NFL combine last February.
"My thing about, 'I'll guarantee that we get it done this year,' I thought the bull's-eye was going on my back, and that's fine," Ryan said. "I was trying to put pressure on myself. So that's something that obviously I have to learn from."
The Jets lost their last three games to finish 8-8 and out of the playoffs. Ryan said he drove by MetLife Stadium during the Giants' playoff-opening win against Atlanta two weeks ago to see it "in all blue" to motivate himself to get the Jets back on track.
"Clearly, when you have a team that went to back-to-back championship games, what else is there to go for?" Ryan said. "It's Super Bowl or bust. Well, we busted."
Recent comments by LaDainian Tomlinson about Ryan's bravado and a conversation with former 49ers quarterback Steve Young, now an ESPN analyst, about his style got the coach thinking about tweaking his approach.
"I've got to look at the entire dynamic of what I say," Ryan said, "and how it doesn't just affect me."
Despite being done playing for nearly three weeks, the Jets have still made news — with players taking swipes at quarterback Mark Sanchez and revealing a troublesome locker room environment. On Showtime's "Inside The NFL" on Wednesday night, Tomlinson said the Jets' locker room was "as bad as I've ever been around."
As owner Woody Johnson did on Thursday, Ryan disputed that by saying he thought the running back might have overstated the amount of tension. Most notably, Sanchez and wide receiver Santonio Holmes had a rocky relationship throughout the season.
"I think it was an isolated incident," Ryan said. "I don't think it was pervasive throughout the locker room. It's not everybody in the locker room. We certainly had a couple of guys, and it had a huge negative impact on our football team, so there's no question about that."
Ryan acknowledged a few times after the season that he never had his finger fully on the pulse of the team, something he insists will change.
"I want to be a great head coach," he said. "I want to be. Am I there yet? No, I'm absolutely not there yet, but I am willing to work to get there."
In a conference call with season ticket holders earlier Friday, Ryan said the confusing terminology of former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's system caused him to not be as involved in working with the offense.
"Quite honestly, the verbiage we had last season was probably a little much," Ryan said.
Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum both insisted Sanchez will be the Jets' starting quarterback next season and will benefit from new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano's run-first system.
Ryan isn't totally done making guarantees, though. During his interview with WFAN, the coach predicted the Giants and Baltimore Ravens would make it to the Super Bowl.
"I think the Giants are going to take this game," he said. "Eli (Manning) is hot. I like the fact that both of their running backs are healthy. I think you could be looking at a Ravens-Giants rematch."
He also raved about the Ravens' defense — a unit he once coached — and how it could neutralize Tom Brady.
"But the Ravens' offense has to show up," he said. "They've got to protect the football. I think they can move on the ball, no question. Let's face it, I'm cheering for the Ravens."
-- Dennis Waszak Jr.
Rams to play NFL games in London for next three years
LONDON (AP) — The St. Louis Rams took the first step to becoming Britain's "home" team Friday, agreeing to play a regular-season NFL game in London in each of the next three seasons.
And first up are the New England Patriots, who are two wins from another Super Bowl title.
The Rams and Patriots meet at Wembley on Oct. 28, about two months after the closing ceremony of the London Olympics. That will be followed by games at Wembley against undetermined opponents in 2013 and 2014.
The Rams are owned by Stan Kroenke, who is also the majority shareholder in the English soccer club Arsenal. The team will give up home games in St. Louis for the three seasons they are in London.
"We've seen first-hand the increased popularity of the NFL not only in London but throughout Europe," Kroenke said in a statement. "To play a role in that growth over the next three years will be incredible and is a testament to the many good things happening not only in the NFL but also in the St. Louis Rams organization."
This year's contest will be the sixth regular-season game at Wembley. But despite plans to bring a second game to Britain starting next season, the NFL said the Rams-Patriots date would be the only one in 2012.
"This year is a very competitive year for sport in the UK, especially with the Olympics in London," NFLUK managing director Alistair Kirkwood said. "Also, with the Rams having made an unprecedented commitment to playing in the UK for the next three years, we wanted to focus on them as our 'home' team without another game taking place.
"We would like to increase beyond one game per year as soon as possible and the five-year commitment by the owners to playing in the UK allows us to make that decision when we feel it is appropriate."
NFL owners agreed last year to play regular-season games in the UK for the next five seasons. The league said Friday all the games would be played at Wembley. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has repeatedly spoken of the possibility of a full-time franchise in the UK one day.
The Rams finished 2-14 this season, tied for the NFL's worst, and have won only 15 games the last five seasons. Last week, the team hired Jeff Fisher as coach to replace the fired Steve Spagnuolo.
The NFL first played at Wembley in 2007, with the New York Giants beating the Miami Dolphins 13-10. Since then, seven other teams have visited Britain, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers making the trip twice.
The Patriots have already been to London, beating the Bucs 35-7 in 2009. The Bucs returned this season, losing to the Chicago Bears 24-18 in October — the first of the Wembley games that wasn't a sellout.
This season, the Patriots have been one of the best teams in the league. Led by Tom Brady, they will face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in the AFC championship with a chance to reach their fifth Super Bowl in the last 11 years.
And Patriots owner Robert Kraft is already looking forward to coming back to London, especially since they again don't have to give up a home game.
"For us in a way it is like, I think, having another home game, we have such a large fan base there," Kraft said. "We have had a group of fans come over from the UK and come here to a game each year and it is a tremendous fan base. Happy we will be able to go over there."
In the NFC championship, the San Francisco 49ers host the New York Giants.
-- Chris Lehourites
Mularkey adds four more assistants to Jaguars staff
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — New Jacksonville Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey has added four more coaches to his staff. Mularkey hired special teams coordinator John Bonamego, running backs coach Sylvester Croom, tight ends coach Bobby Johnson and receivers coach Jerry Sullivan on Friday.
Bonamego spent last season as an assistant special teams coach in New Orleans. This will mark his second time in Jacksonville. He worked for the Jaguars from 1999 to 2002, spending his final season as special teams coordinator.
The 57-year-old Croom spent the last three years as running backs coach in St. Louis. Johnson spent the past two seasons as assistant offensive line coach for Buffalo following 15 years at the college level. The 65-year-old Sullivan did not coach in 2011. He previously served as receivers coach/senior assistant for San Francisco (2005-10).
Bengals will train in Cincinnati this summer
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals will train this summer in their home at Paul Brown Stadium. The NFL team said Friday it will end its 15-year run of holding training camp at Georgetown College in Kentucky, some 70 miles south. The Bengals say they will provide open environments for fan access during camp that runs from late July through mid-August.
The team says the home camp will allow players and coaches to make use technology and weight and training facilities at their stadium, while helping them adjust to new league rules reducing on-field practice sessions during camp.
Cincinnati area officials are pleased about the move, expecting it to increase visitors to the city's downtown. A development project has been adding restaurants and shops to the riverfront area near the stadium.
Bears interview Emery for general manager opening
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs director of college scouting Phil Emery has interviewed for the Chicago Bears' general manager job. The interview took place on Friday. The Bears are looking to replace Jerry Angelo, who was fired after an 8-8 season.
Emery served as an area scout with the Bears from 1998 to 2004 and was Atlanta's director of college scouting from 2004 to 2008 before working as a regional scout for the Falcons leading up to the 2009 draft. He has spent the past three years in his current role.
The Bears have also interviewed New England Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht, San Diego Chargers director of player personnel Jimmy Raye, New York Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross and Chicago director of player personnel Tim Ruskell.
Tomlin: Offensive coordinator Arians retiring
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says offensive coordinator Bruce Arians is retiring from coaching. The 57-year-old Arians joined the Steelers as the wide receivers coach in 2004 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2007.
Tomlin announced the move in a statement Friday, lauding Arians for "helping lead our offense to new heights."
Arians entered the NFL as a running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989 and served as Peyton Manning's first quarterback coach. His NFL resume also includes stints with the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns.
Player Capsules
Brees: Focus on keeping Saints together
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Drew Brees has spent the past six years reinvigorating the Saints, rewriting NFL records and rebuilding New Orleans. His contract may be expiring, but the Big Easy's biggest sports star doesn't see himself changing teams any time soon.
Brees said Friday he would be "beyond stunned" if he and the Saints are unable to agree on a contract extension during this offseason, echoing comments by coach Sean Payton this week.
The former Super Bowl MVP added he doesn't believe his next deal will prevent the Saints from bidding for some other key members of their record-setting offense who will become free agents, including Pro Bowl guard Carl Nicks and receivers Marques Colston and Robert Meachem.
"My No. 1 priority, and it always has been this, is keeping our team together and making sure we have the right guys in the right positions to make a run at this for a long time," Brees said by phone from his offseason home in San Diego. "We all kind of work together on this thing.
"Put it this way: I'm not worried one bit about my contract or our ability to keep guys at key positions."
At the same time, Brees acknowledged that his powers of persuasion only go so far as it pertains to teammates' decisions to stay or go, and the franchise's decisions regarding how much to offer other players.
"Is it realistic to think we can keep absolutely everybody? I don't know how realistic that is just because every year on a team there's turnover and I think that's just the business we're in," Brees said.
"That's the biggest reason why it's so sad when the season ends. It's not because the season is over and you don't get to play anymore games or you know you're not going to win a championship that year. The biggest sadness comes in because you're looking around the room and you know that there's guys you've become very close to that you might not be playing with anymore."
Brees is expected to command an annual salary in the range of $18 million, which would be commensurate with the average yearly pay of New England's Tom Brady and Indianapolis' Peyton Manning.
Brees' agent is Tom Condon, who also represents Manning.
In 2011, Brees set NFL single-season records with 468 completions, 5,476 yards passing and a completion percentage of 71.2. His prolific passing numbers helped the Saints set a new NFL high for total offensive yards in a season with 7,474.
Brees led the Saints to a 13-3 regular season record and second NFC South Division title. New Orleans defeated Detroit in the first round of the playoffs before falling in the final seconds of their second-round game at San Francisco, which hosts the NFC title game on Sunday.
Brees has been invited to the Pro Bowl and plans to attend. By then, he hopes the emotional pain of losing in the playoffs will have subsided enough that he can look back fondly on New Orleans record-shattering season.
"I haven't been able to enjoy it yet to be honest with you. It's been tough this week. I really have tried not to turn on the TV," Brees said. "It's hard not to think about what could have been. But you know what? I take solace in the fact that we fought our heart out, we gave it our best and you know what? It just wasn't meant to be.
"If we're not playing for a championship, I guess there's no place I'd rather be than going to Hawaii for a week with the family and be able to enjoy the Pro Bowl and be around other guys that have earned that trip," Brees said. "And maybe that's going to be the time to decompress and reflect back on the season a little bit, but for now it still stings."
Brees arrived in New Orleans in 2006, less than a year after Hurricane Katrina had struck. Since then he has passed for more yards than any other quarterback in the NFL (28,394) while lifting the Saints to new heights and simultaneously helping a region heal from Katrina's devastation.
In addition to lifting the spirits of football fans, he and wife Brittany have worked through their Brees Dream foundation to sponsor about $8 million in projects primarily aimed at improving the lives of children in the area through the refurbishing of schools or renovation of athletic fields and facilities. His foundation also has supported the arts, along with hospital facilities for cancer patients.
He said his family's growing bond with New Orleans is another reason it would be hard for him to envision playing anywhere else.
"This is a place that is very special in our hearts. We've had two of our kids raised here and hopefully we'll have more in the future," Brees said, alluding to a third child that is expected this summer.
"It's been an unbelievable journey over the last six years to watch how far, not only our organization and our team, but just the mental psyche of the city" has improved, Brees said. "We're always going to have a strong connection with New Orleans. We're always going to give back to New Orleans, and I'm talking like 20, 30, 40 years from now."
-- Brett Martel
Steelers QB settles lawsuit alleging '08 rape
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Lawyers for Ben Roethlisberger and a woman who accused him of raping her at a Lake Tahoe hotel-casino in 2008 have reached a settlement that ends her civil lawsuit against the Steelers quarterback.
Cal Dunlap, the Reno lawyer representing the woman, confirmed the settlement on Friday but declined to discuss the terms of the agreement.
"The matter has been resolved and I have no further comment," he told The Associated Press.
The Reno Gazette-Journal first reported the settlement on its website. It also dismisses claims against Harrah's employees whom the woman had accused of covering up the alleged sexual assault in Roethlisberger's penthouse suite in July 2008.
Dunlap first told Washoe District Court Judge Brent Adams in papers filed last Nov. 30 that his client wanted to have a stay lifted so the case could be dismissed because a settlement was pending.
"All parties have reached a resolution of all claims and counterclaims," he wrote.
Adams formally dismissed the case Dec. 27 but neither side had publicized it until now.
David Cornwell, Roethlisberger's lawyer, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment on Friday. His agent, Ryan Tollner, said neither he nor Roethlisberger would have any comment.
The Nevada Supreme Court had ruled against the two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback's request in August to have the case moved from Reno to Carson City because it was closer to where the alleged incident had occurred at Harrah's in Stateline.
The woman was a VIP casino hostess at Harrah's when she said Roethlisberger allegedly lured her to his room under the pretense of fixing his television. Roethlisberger was in town at the time to play in a celebrity golf tournament.
Roethlisberger denied the allegations.
The original lawsuit filed in 2009 sought a minimum of $440,000 in damages from the quarterback, at least $50,000 in damages from the Harrah's officials and an unspecified amount in punitive damages.
The woman said she never filed a criminal complaint because she feared Harrah's would side with Roethlisberger and she would be fired.
-- Scott Sonner
Steelers sign former Heisman winner QB Smith
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed 2006 Heisman Trophy quarterback Troy Smith to a reserve/futures contract.
Smith spent three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens from 2007-09, beating the Steelers as a rookie starter in 2007. He was with the San Francisco 49ers in 2010. He last played with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League.
Pittsburgh quarterbacks Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch will become unrestricted free agents in the offseason, and Smith gives the team depth heading into mini-camp and organized team activities.
The Steelers also signed cornerback Walter McFadden, who played for the Oakland Raiders in 2010 and split his time between the Raiders and the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011. Pittsburgh also signed wide receivers Tyler Beiler, David Gilreath, Derrick Williams and Jimmy Young.
Packers sign QB Hill
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Nick Hill.
Hill signed with the Chicago Bears in 2008 as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Illinois. He was released before the 2009 season and played in the Arena Football League for the Orlando Predators in 2010-11 before signing with the AFL's Tampa Bay Storm for the 2012 season.
In 2011, Hill completed 387 of 578 passes for 4,758 yards and 97 touchdowns with 17 interceptions in 16 games for Orlando. He also ran for nine TDs.
Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn could leave as a free agent in the offseason. No. 3 quarterback Graham Harrell could move up to become Aaron Rodgers' main backup next season. Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson announced Hill's signing Friday.
Elsewhere
April 16 trial for alleged Taylor shooter
MIAMI (AP) — A judge in Miami has set an April 16 trial date for the alleged shooter in the 2007 killing of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor.
Four men accused in the slaying will be tried separately. The judge said Friday that the first to stand trial will be 21-year-old Eric Rivera Jr. Trial dates for the others have not been set.
The men from the Fort Myers area are accused of fatally shooting Taylor during an attempted robbery at his home. All have pleaded not guilty and face potential life prison sentences if convicted. A fifth man previously pleaded guilty to murder and burglary charges and is likely to testify against the others.
Taylor was an All-Pro with the Redskins who also starred at the University of Miami.
Estate of Bengals WR Henry files lawsuit
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The estate of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry is suing his fiancée, accusing her of negligence in his death in Charlotte.
The Charlotte Observer reports that a wrongful death lawsuit filed this month in Mecklenburg County Superior Court on behalf of Henry's estate claims that his injuries were caused by Loleini Tonga's negligence.
Police said Henry and Tonga were involved in a domestic dispute on Dec. 16, 2009. She drove away in a pickup truck, but as she drove, Henry jumped into the truck bed and later fell. Henry died the next day. No charges were filed against Tonga, who has said Henry jumped from the truck, but not to harm himself. A Tonga family member identified as the truck's owner is also named in the lawsuit.
