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Lenny P's Insider Tip Sheet (11/3)

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  • Lenny P's Insider Tip Sheet (11/3)

    Friday, November 3, 2006
    Mariucci unlikely to end up at MSU

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    By Len Pasquarelli
    ESPN.com

    When university officials announced Wednesday that coach John L. Smith would not return for another season at Michigan State, the speculation over the potential candidacy of former San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions head coach Steve Mariucci was immediate.
    After all, Mariucci is a native of Iron Mountain, Mich. He played quarterback at Northern Michigan, was a three-time All-American there, and began his coaching career at his alma mater. And his best friend is Spartans basketball coach Tom Izzo, whose counsel will be sought, school officials acknowledged, as they begin their search for a new football coach.

    So there's plenty to connect Mooch to the MSU job, right?

    Maybe. But people close to Mariucci insisted this week to ESPN.com that the dots that would take him from the West Coast to East Lansing will not connect.

    Mariucci has sold his Michigan home and moved back to the Bay Area. He is enjoying his work with the NFL Network, and spending time with his wife, Gayle, and their four children. There certainly are no money concerns, because the Detroit Lions, who fired Mariucci last November after he compiled a 15-28 record in less than three full seasons, still owe him $6 million next year.

    And there is this surprising element: Some suspect that Izzo might advise Mariucci against taking the MSU job because of the difficulties in winning at a program that has fallen on tough times and ranks at about the middle of the pack in the Big 10.

    The odds are that Mariucci, who celebrates his 51st birthday Saturday, will coach again somewhere. The odds are pretty long, though, that it will be at Michigan State.



    Around the league

    • There's a real mess brewing in Jacksonville, where backup quarterback David Garrard will get a second straight start this weekend in place of the injured Byron Leftwich, who felt his balky ankle was recovered enough to allow him to rejoin the lineup. It was suggested in this space last week that the switch to Garrard, precipitated by Leftwich's sore ankle, might be more than a one-week deal. And now that seems to be the case, with Garrard still in the lineup, despite throwing for only 87 yards in last week's victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. The long-term future for Leftwich, considered at one point to be the face of the franchise? Who knows? There is a suspicion that coach Jack Del Rio has soured on the amiable Leftwich, which he has denied, and that he has decided the former first-round pick isn't the guy to take the Jaguars to Super Bowl contention.
    Byron Leftwich
    Quarterback
    Jacksonville Jaguars

    Profile
    2006 SEASON STATISTICS
    Cmp Att Yds Pct TD INT
    108 183 1159 59.0 7 5


    Leftwich has only one more season after this one remaining on his original deal and, if he doesn't play, it's not likely the Jaguars will offer him a fat extension before he enters his "contract year" in 2007. He can't be happy with the events of this week, when he was informed just before Thursday's practice that Garrard was keeping the starting job for at least another game. The thing is, Garrard claims he had only "subtle hints" that he was going to get another start, and no definitive word from Del Rio or the other coaches. If nothing else, there's certainly a lack of communication among the staff and its top two quarterbacks. Last week, Garrard only found out he was going to split snaps with Leftwich in the Wednesday practice when his wife, who had read it on the team-operated Web site, apprised him of it during a lunchtime phone call. There's an old NFL adage that, if you claim to have two starting-caliber quarterbacks on your roster, you actually have none. Jacksonville might have two guys capable of starting, but both have to be pretty confused now about the situation, and that raises questions about both the short- and long-term future of the position. It's a controversy that isn't likely to go away anytime soon.



    • Whether he's back in Tampa Bay in 2007 or testing the free-agent market, Bucs cornerback Brian Kelly should be healthy enough next season to return to the form that made him one of the NFL's best, even if underrated, players at his position. Placed on injured reserve last week after appearing in just two games this season, Kelly underwent Wednesday morning surgery to repair a hallux limitus condition, more generically known as "turf toe," in his right big toe. The surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Mohr, the chief of podiatry at the UCLA Medical Center, and the same man who operated on Shaquille O'Neal in 2002.
    The prognosis: Kelly, 30, should be fine in three months. The timeline is critical here, because that would put the nine-year veteran back in good health just prior to the start of the free agency period. Kelly is still under contract to the Bucs through 2008, at base salaries of $2.6 million and $3.2 million, respectively, but no one will be surprised if Tampa Bay releases him. Kelly has been angling for a contract upgrade and the Bucs don't seem inclined to oblige, especially after extending cornerback Ronde Barber's deal this summer. But if Kelly is on the market, and can demonstrate to teams that he is healthy, the former Southern California star will garner some interest.



    • Miami coach Nick Saban hinted this week that, unless Daunte Culpepper shows marked improvement in the continuing rehabilitation of his right knee, the quarterback might be placed on injured reserve. It's a rather candid, but perhaps prudent, admission by Saban that the Dolphins are more concerned with the long-term than with the immediacy of a season in free fall. Notable is that, while Culpepper and others were proclaiming his right knee sound this spring, Saban was the one voice of caution. At no point did the Miami coach declare that Culpepper -- who was attempting to come back from surgery in which three of the four knee ligaments were repaired -- was totally whole. In fact, in minicamps and training camp, Saban went out of his way to suggest there was still rehabilitative work to be done. Such a catastrophic injury, in hindsight, apparently requires more than eight or nine months of rehab. And it looks increasingly like the Dolphins' organization is inclined to shut down Culpepper for the rest of the year, allow him to recover fully, and then come back whole in 2007.


    Brad Johnson
    Quarterback
    Minnesota Vikings

    Profile
    2006 SEASON STATISTICS
    Cmp Att Yds Pct TD INT
    142 227 1484 62.6 4 7

    • The man who replaced Culpepper as the starter in Minnesota, 15-year veteran Brad Johnson, figures to be on a short leash when the Vikings play at San Francisco on Sunday afternoon. First-year coach Brad Childress benched Johnson on Monday night after his starter threw three interceptions against the New England Patriots, and put him on notice that turnovers won't be tolerated. Childress kidded that he has a "Popeye-type" mentality. "That's all I can stand, and I can't stand no more," Childress said. Johnson historically has been a quarterback who takes care of the ball, but if he continues to throw interceptions, it seems that Childress won't think twice about yanking him and going to Brooks Bollinger.



    • There was a spate of contract extensions this week, the biggest being rewarded to Philadelphia defensive tackle Mike Patterson (after less than two full seasons in the league) and Chicago perennial Pro Bowl center Olin Kruetz, as franchises moved to use up 2006 salary cap surpluses. Under the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, teams have until Monday to sign players to new deals, and essentially to have the bonus money counted as base salary for this season. Why do teams want to push cap charges into this year? Because with the spending limit raised by nearly 20 percent this season, to an all-time high $102 million, several clubs have plenty of room. And if they don't use it, they lose it, since unspent cap money doesn't carry over into the following season.
    So why defer cap charges, in the form of prorated signing bonuses, if there is sufficient room to pay it all this year? The Eagles, who signed Patterson to a confounding extension that ties him to the team through the 2016 season, basically a lifetime contract, might not be done yet. There have been some discussions about an extension for second-year wide receiver Reggie Brown, who is under contract through 2009. A second-round choice in the 2005 draft, Brown has emerged as a big-play receiver for the Eagles. His 19.3-yard average per reception is the best in the NFL among players with at least 25 catches. And he is averaging a touchdown every 5.2 receptions, and also has scored on a reverse. There are no guarantees an extension will be consummated by Monday, but the Eagles clearly consider Brown a big part of their future.



    • The one starter in the Philadelphia secondary who has not gotten a contract extension over the past two years is strong safety Michael Lewis, and it now appears the fifth-year veteran could be headed into the unrestricted free-agent market next spring. Lewis is splitting playing time now with Sean Considine at strong safety, but the latter has started the past two games and is getting more snaps. Lewis was part of the Eagles' 2002 draft class, in which the team chose him along with cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown in the first two rounds.
    Sheldon and Sheppard got long-term extensions after their second season in the league. Philadelphia re-upped free safety Brian Dawkins for two more year this summer. While there were some discussions in the past with Lewis, no deal was ever finished, and now the Philadelphia brass might be happy it didn't complete one. Still a solid player against the run, Lewis' coverage skills have fallen off this year. That said, he'll still be attractive to someone if he becomes an unrestricted free agent.



    • Look for Chicago Bears' officials to soon open discussions with third-year veteran defensive tackle Tommie Harris, the team's first-round pick in the 2004 draft, on a contract extension. Harris is under contract through the 2008 season, but the Bears have been very proactive in securing the services of their top "core" players for the long-term. Harris is having a monster season -- his five sacks tie him for the most among defensive tackles -- and he has been dominating in stretches. At 23, he has a tremendous career in front of him, and Bears officials want to ensure he spends it in Chicago.


    • The Los Angeles Coliseum Commission hasn't abandoned its hopes of bringing an NFL franchise to the historic facility. But in its regularly monthly meeting this week, the commission, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, dropped its contracts with outside legal counsel and with lobbyist Richard Lichtenstein, who was being paid $10,000 monthly to help pursue an NFL deal. The actions came in the wake of the recent owners meeting in New Orleans, in which it was obvious that the Los Angeles issue has been nudged to the back burner, in part because of skyrocketing stadium-related construction costs. "I don't think we have leverage with the NFL," said commission member Zev Yaroslavsky. "I think that we're talking to ourselves."


    The list: The Sunday night Indianapolis-New England game features two of the five winningest head coach-quarterback combinations since the 1970 merger. With a .775 winning percentage since Tony Dungy joined Peyton Manning in Indianapolis in 2002, the pair top the list. The Pats' Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are fourth at .753. Here's the list of the top five since 1970, with a minimum of 50 games together: Dungy/Manning, Indianapolis, .775 (55-16 record); John Madden/Ken Stabler, Oakland, .756 (60-19-1); Mike Ditka/Jim McMahon, Chicago, .754 (46-15); Belichick/Brady, New England, .753, (64-21); and Mike Shanahan/Jake Plummer, Denver, .740 (37-13).


    Stat of the week: By winning 13 of his past 18 starts, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning now has posted a 17-13 record as a starter. Big brother Peyton Manning was 15-15 in his first 30 starts. And Archie Manning, the patriarch of the NFL's most famous family quarterback tree, was 7-20-3.



    Punts: Arizona assistant coach Keith Rowen, demoted from his offensive coordinator post two weeks ago, has dropped his grievance against the Cardinals. … Since the beginning of the 2005 season, the passer rating for Baltimore quarterback Steve McNair has gone down every month. It was 94.9 in September of 2005, 85.6 in October 2005, 83.4 in November 2005, 78.5 in December 2005, 78.3 in September 2006 and 62.8 for October 2006. … Atlanta middle linebacker Ed Hartwell, who made his season debut only two weeks ago, is again having problems with his surgically repaired knees. Hartwell had arthroscopic procedures on both knees in the preseason and there is some concern the problems could be long-term. … Houston coaches are pleased with the steady progress demonstrated in recent weeks by defensive end Mario Williams, the first player chosen overall in the 2006 draft. Now that the team has stopped moving Williams around on the defensive front, he's beginning to make more plays. … Teams that have played the Carolina Panthers in the past month say their defense has really declined at linebacker, especially with the loss of middle linebacker Dan Morgan to recurring concussions.



    The last word: "You give the guy a year and a half and run him out of town? You brought him in like Jesus last year, with the palm leaves and the parade. Give the man some time. It's amazing. When the stock goes down at Microsoft, I don't call Bill Gates and say impeach him, and start [griping] and moaning about that, either. Be patient and it will work out."
    -- Miami defensive end Jason Taylor, responding to criticism of Dolphins second-year head coach Nick Saban.
    Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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