Bill Parcells can leave Miami Dolphins at any time
Perhaps the window of opportunity for Bill Parcells to leave the Miami Dolphins has been expanded to a floor-to-ceiling picture window.
It has been assumed that the Jan. 20 sale of Dolphins majority ownership from H. Wayne Huizenga to real estate mogul Stephen Ross would trigger a 30-day period during which Parcells could leave the Dolphins and still receive the remainder of his four-year, $12-million deal.
But a Friday report by ESPN's Chris Mortensen, who was citing unnamed sources, said just before the ownership transition, Huizenga removed the clause and Parcells could decide to leave at any time and still get his $12 million.
Calls and e-mails to Parcells' agent, Jimmy Sexton, weren't returned. Dolphins representative Harvey Greene said neither Ross nor anyone in the organization had a comment on the report.
In drips of conversation with various media outlets over the past month, Parcells, a rolling stone throughout his coaching career, has indicated he's staying with the Dolphins. After buying 95 percent interest in the Dolphins and all of Dolphin Stadium, Ross said ''yes'' when asked if he expected Parcells to stay.
Copyright 2009 Miami Herald Media Co
Cards ready to dip into bag of tricks
TAMPA, Fla. -- On the very first play in the first exhibition game after taking over as coach of the Cardinals, Ken Whisenhunt delivered a message.
He ran a double reverse for Anquan Boldin, who then threw a deep pass to Larry Fitzgerald.
The play resulted in a pass interference call and a huge gain.
The idea was clear: Trick plays would be part of the mix for Whisenhunt's Cardinals.
And what do you know?
Such gadgets have played a big role in the Cardinals' surprise run to the Super Bowl.
-In the Cards' wild-card playoff win over Atlanta, they used a flea-flicker in which running back Edgerrin James threw the ball back to Kurt Warner, who heaved a 42-yard touchdown pass to Fitzgerald.
-In the NFC Championship Game against the Eagles, the Cardinals used another flea-flicker from Warner to J.J. Arrington, back to Warner, then downfield to Fitzgerald for a 62-yard touchdown over a befuddled Philadelphia secondary.
The Steelers have been known to pull such trickery as well.
In their Super Bowl XL victory over the Seahawks three years ago, the Steelers -- leading 14-10 --- pulled out a play in which Ben Roethlisberger handed off to Willie Parker, who in turn gave the ball to wideout Antwaan Randle El, a quarterback in college. Randle El hit Hines Ward for a long TD pass -- the first Super Bowl touchdown pass ever thrown by a receiver.
The man calling the plays for Pittsburgh back then? None other than Whisenhunt.
"Coach Whis was always good at drawing it up," Roethlisberger said. "If you catch it at the right time, it's kind of a big lift for the offense and the team."
Of course, sometimes these plays fail. And when they do, the people who call them can look bad.
In a game Oct. 26 at Carolina, the Cardinals ran a fake field goal on fourth-and-15 in which holder Dirk Johnson lofted a pass over the head of backup tight end Jerame Tuman.
Tuman, who was coming off a hamstring injury, had no chance to catch the pass. The Panthers took over and the Cardinals missed out on three points in a close game.
Whisenhunt acknowledged later that 15 yards might have been too far for the play to have a good chance of working.
With two weeks to prepare for the Super Bowl, Whisenhunt and offensive coordinator Todd Haley will have a bag of such tricks in their playbook.
Said Fitzgerald, "We're definitely going to have a few plays at our disposal. It gives the defense a little bit more to prepare for every week."
They even have a volunteer.
"I'd definitely love to throw the football," said Boldin, who played quarterback in college.
The timing of such plays is crucial.
For example, the flea-flicker that helped them win the NFC title came right after a missed field goal by the Eagles.
So the Cardinals were looking for a double-whammy to shift the game's momentum in their favor.
Though the design of the play is important, "Really, most of it is about when you call it, having a feel for where you are on the field and what you're looking for," Whisenhunt said.
"I think the thing we do the best job of... is having the criteria for it, down-and-distance situations and waiting patiently for that time to come."
In addition, a successful gadget "ignites your team, gives your offense some confidence, and it charges up the defense," Whisenhunt said.
"Even though it is a risk-reward situation, if you do pull it off, there are bigger rewards from the standpoint of what it does for the team."
Copyright (c) 2009 CyberInk LP and Erie Times-News
James has been a huge 'Edge' for Cardinals
Edgerrin James wanted out.
The Cardinals running back was benched halfway through the season and couldn't figure out where he stood with the team. They were a pass-happy offense that didn't seem to have a need for a back like James. So his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, asked the Cardinals to release him.
They didn't. Now the Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl after three improbable playoff wins, and James has returned to the backfield. He'll be there in Tampa next week and will play a big role.
"This has been a weird year," James said Friday, as if the Cardinals playing for their first NFL championship in 61 years wasn't odd enough.
James already has a Super Bowl ring from his days with the Colts. Although he left the team as a free agent before their title two years ago, he was seen as such an important piece in their mounting success that he was given the same piece of jewelry that Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning received for winning that game.
Imagine the Giants giving Tiki Barber a ring for his contributions to the franchise after last year's Super Bowl?
Perhaps that says more about James than any stat, including the one that has him 11th on the NFL's all-time rushing list.
This year, James could actually be on the field for the championship win, something that seemed like a joke when he spent seven games on the sideline during the regular season. But once his request for a release was denied, James didn't pack it in. Instead, he became his own personal offensive coordinator. He started drawing up plays that he liked to run, that he felt he could thrive in. He passed them along to the coaching staff.
"I think you play better when you actually make a suggestion and the coach listens to you," James said. "We've been running some of those plays that I've been comfortable with and we've been getting results."
So much so that although the Cardinals had the worst rushing offense in the NFL during the regular season, James and the running game will be an important piece to the game plan as Arizona attempts to upset the Steelers.
If the Cardinals can run the ball with even a little success next Sunday, they can turn to some play-action calls that would free up their talented wide receivers.
Kurt Warner called James' presence a "huge part" of the Cardinals' hopes against the Steelers.
"The way he runs and his ability to make something out of nothing are huge keys," Warner said. "The difference between a zero-yard gain and a 2-yard gain is huge within the course of a drive. He does that as well as anybody. I've seen him when there's nothing there, but he puts his head down and moves the pile."
With James picking up 203 yards on 52 carries in three playoff games, Arizona has outgained its playoff opponents 333 yards to 232 on the ground. The Cardinals are averaging 111 rushing yards per game in the postseason after averaging only 73.6 in the regular season.
"You throw the ball 50 times and you run the ball nine or 10 times, you are most likely not going to have a good rushing game," he said of the regular- season stats. "I've always played the game a certain way. This is my style of play, mixing up the pass and the run versus lining it up to throw it every time. I'm no scatback. I never tried to be."
At the onset of the playoffs, James made it clear that although he has one year remaining on his contract, he expects this to be his final season with the Cardinals. At the time, he couldn't have imagined that this "final season" would last until February. Although his stance may not have changed, he's certainly not trumpeting his departure any longer.
"I'm not even focused on anything past this game," he said. "Anything beyond this game I'm not going to think about."
Besides, there's more than enough stuff that happened before this game to ponder.
NEXT SUNDAY
At Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
6:18 p.m.
TV: Ch. 4
Radio: WFAN (660)
Copyright (c) 2009, Newsday Inc
Mendenhall just happy to be part of Super team
PITTSBURGH -- Before a punishing hit from Ray Lewis broke Rashard Mendenhall's left shoulder in Week 4, there was a little text-message imbroglio leading into the Pittsburgh Steelers' meeting with the Baltimore Ravens.
Mendenhall got the last laugh Sunday as the Niles West and Illinois product is headed to Super Bowl XLIII, albeit on injured reserve. The 23rd overall pick by the Steelers in April, Mendenhall's rookie season was a lost year with only 19 carries for 58 yards, most of them coming in his lone start Sept. 29 against the Ravens.
In the week leading up to that game, the Ravens claimed Mendenhall sent a text to fellow rookie running back Ray Rice boasting he was going to have a big game against the then-top-ranked Baltimore defense. That's when the Ravens allegedly put bounties on Mendenhall and wide receiver Hines Ward.
''I'm so happy and excited to be in this type of atmosphere,'' Mendenhall said. ''I'm so happy for my teammates. It's hard not playing and not being able to contribute, but it's still exciting at the same time. The bone is all back together, and I'm in the strengthening process. Everything in my shoulder is good.''
Although he fell farther in the draft than expected, Mendenhall landed in a good spot with a strong team that believes in running the ball and has another back in Willie Parker. The challenge for rookie backs is to get to their second contract before they're beaten up or busted out.
Mendenhall, who received a five-year, $12.6 million contract, originally expected he would require surgery, but he didn't and will be full-go at the start of the offseason program.
''Coming back next year, all of the rookie stuff will be done and I'll be settled,'' he said. ''Everything will not be going 100 mph, and I will have some direction and be ready to play and focus on football. Injury aside, this is a dream situation.''
(c)Copyright 2009 Digital Chicago, Inc
Ravens, Cardinals Capitalize on Turnovers in NFL Playoff Games
Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- The Arizona Cardinals defense capitalized on six turnovers, while the Baltimore Ravens took advantage of three to advance to conference championship games in the National Football League playoffs.
The Cardinals beat the Panthers 33-13 to snap its 0-5 East Coast losing streak and ruin Carolina's record of eight straight home victories to earn a spot in the National Football Conference title game Jan. 18. The Ravens advanced to the American Football Conference championship game by beating the Tennessee Titans 13-10.
The Cardinals will play the winner of today's NFC contest between the Philadelphia Eagles and defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, who play at 1 p.m. New York time. The Ravens earned the right to play the Pittsburgh Steelers or San Diego Chargers in the AFC title game.
"We're very excited to come in here and get a win on the East Coast," said Cardinals Coach Ken Whisenhunt in a post-game broadcast interview. "We can’t give the defense enough credit to get those turnovers. It was important to us."
The Cardinals (11-7), who were 2-19 on the East Coast since 2003 before yesterday's win, won their second consecutive playoff game for the first time in franchise history, capitalizing on a fumble and five interceptions given up by Panther quarterback Jake Delhomme.
Recovered Fumble
Edgerrin James gave the Cardinals their go-ahead touchdown in the first quarter on a 4-yard run after Antonio Smith recovered Delhomme's fumble at Carolina 14-yard line at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Delhomme completed 17 of 34 passes for 205 yards and one touchdown.
Jonathan Stewart's 9-yard scoring run on the Panthers' opening drive gave Carolina (12-5) a 7-0 lead.
"When we got down 7-0, we responded," Whisenhunt said.
Kurt Warner, who completed 21 of 32 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns, hit Tim Hightower with a 3-yard pass to tie the score and James's run put the Cardinals ahead 14-7. Arizona scored 33 unanswered points, including Neil Rackers four field goals.
Larry Fitzgerald set a franchise playoff record with eight receptions for 166 yards.
Ravens Force Three
At LP Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, the Ravens (13-5) forced three turnovers, all in their own territory. In the second quarter with the ball at the Ravens' 32-yard line, Titans quarterback Kerry Collins was intercepted by Samari Rolle. On Tennessee's next possession, Titans running back LenDale White fumbled on the Baltimore 17-yard line.
The costliest turnover by the Titans may have come in the fourth quarter, with Baltimore leading 10-7. Collins directed his team to the Baltimore 13-yard line. On the next play, he completed a pass to tight end Alge Crumpler, who fumbled at the 6-yard line. Baltimore's Fabian Washington recovered it on the 1-yard line.
With 4:23 remaining in the fourth quarter, Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco engineered a 51-yard drive that set up Matt Stover's 43-yard game-winning field goal with 53 seconds left. Flacco's pass to Mark Clayton put the ball on the Tennessee 25-yard line.
'We're Ready'
"We ran one of our signature routes and Mark did a great job out of the corner," Flacco said in a televised interview after the game. "We're ready to go out next week no matter who it may be."
While Tennessee had problems protecting the ball, Flacco had no interceptions, while throwing for 161 yards and a score. Tennessee (13-4) had the NFL's best record at the end of the regular season.
The winning kick was Stover's second field goal of the fourth quarter, both snapping ties with the Titans, who also were plagued by penalties.
Collins threw for 281 yards and no touchdowns. The Titans' only touchdown was an 8-yard run by running back Chris Johnson in the first quarter.
The Ravens had 211 total yards with 50 yards rushing, compared with 391 for the Titans, who rushed for 116 yards. Baltimore also had eight penalties for 40 yards, while Tennessee had 12 for 89 yards.
(c)2009 BLOOMERG L.P.
Eagles ends Vikings' season
The Philadelphia Eagles took advantage of Minnesota mistakes en route to a 26-14 victory against the Vikings in the first round of the NFC playoffs today in the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
The Eagles will play the New York Giants next weekend in the second round.
Philadelphia put it away when Brian Westbrook caught a 71-yard scoring strike from Donovan McNabb for a 23-14 lead with 6:53 left in the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia's David Akers added 45-yard field goal for the final margin with 1:55 left.
McNabb threw for 300 yards on 23-for-34 passing.
Former UND player Jim Kleinsasser has two receptions for 34 yards for the Vikings.
Adrian Peterson ran in from 3 yards out to cut Philadephia's lead to 16-14 with 1:51 left in the first half.
Asante Samuel intercepted Tarvaris Jackson and ran it back 43 yards for a touchdown for the Eagles with 6:34 left in the first half to give Philadelphia a 16-7 lead.
Akers kicked a 31-yard field goal with 7:29 left in the first half for a 9-7 lead.
Peterson gave Minnesota a 7-6 lead with a 40-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
In the first quarter, Akers kicked field goals of 43 and 51 yards to give Philadelphia a 6-0 lead.
Minnesota's Jackson was 15-for-35 for 164 yards. In addition to the interception, he had a fumble.
Peterson finished with 83 rushing yards.
Minnesota Pro Bowl defensive tackle Pat Williams was inactive today against Philadelphia, leaving Minnesota without its best run stopper for its first playoff game since 2004.
Williams practiced all week and was listed as questionable on Friday with a fractured shoulder. He tested it out on the field hours before the game and was ruled out. Fred Evans started in his place for the third straight game.
It's a big blow for the Vikings, who were hoping to have him back this week and are also missing starting defensive end Ray Edwards with a knee injury. Brian Robison got the start in his place.
(c)2009 Forum Communications Co
Panthers edge Saints, clinch division
NEW ORLEANS -- One week after missing a field goal at the end of regulation against the New York Giants that could have given Carolina homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, John Kasay kicked a 42-yarder with one second remaining to give them a dramatic 33-31 win over the New Orleans Saints.
With the win, the Panthers clinched the NFC South Division championship, a first-round playoff bye and a first-round home game.
Had Kasay missed, the Panthers would have had to play a wild-card game next week at Arizona. Carolina (12-4) led 30-10 in the fourth period but Saints quarterback Drew Brees led his team to three touchdowns in the final quarter.
New Orleans took a 31-30 lead with 3:15 remaining when Brees threw a 13-yard TD pass to Lance Moore. The Panthers took possession at their 18 with 3:06 remaining and were playing with an injury-riddled offensive line. After starters Geoff Hangartner (ankle) and Jeff Otah (toe) had to leave the game, the Panthers had to reconfigure their offensive line, including moving Pro Bowl left tackle Jordan Gross to right tackle.
Quarterback Jake Delhomme's 39-yard pass to Steve Smith on the first play of the possession moved the Panthers across midfield and eventually set up Kasay's game-winning field goal.
Brees passed for 386 yards, but fell 15 short of Dan Marino's single-season NFL record of 5,084 yards passing.
Copyright 2008, The News & Observer Publishing Company
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