News & Info/Headlines

The New England Patriots added another coach to their staff last Monday, but the position of offensive coordinator remains unfilled -- something that appears unlikely to change. "I'd say that's pretty much it," head coach Bill Belichick said after the arrival of former Falcons offensive coordinator Pete Mangurian -- as tight ends coach.

The team's official press release announcing Mangurian's hiring included a complete roster of the coaching staff -- a roster most notable due to the lack of a replacement for Charlie Weis, who left to become head coach at Notre Dame.

As Boston Herald beat man Michael Felger suggested on Tuesday, this development tends to confirm the widely held belief that rather than naming a successor to Weis, Belichick will handle the role of coordinator in conjunction with his offensive assistants.

According to Felger, receivers coach Brian Daboll, who is only 29 years old and has just five years of NFL experience -- and only three as a full-time positional assistant -- is a rising star on the staff. He will certainly play a more significant role with Weis no longer on board.

Assistant head coach/offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia is also very highly regarded by Belichick, but he's never called the plays in his 21 years in New England. Scarnecchia said during the Super Bowl that he did not covet the coordinator position.

Running backs coach Ivan Fears and quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels are also highly regarded and likely to take on greater responsibilities.

As those who follow the team closely already know, Belichick always maintained he had no desire to bring in a coordinator from another system. He intended to keep the playbook and the language of the offense the same as it was under Weis. In taking over the offense, those objectives would be met.

I'll also remind you the experience would be nothing new to Belichick, who served as his own offensive coordinator for three seasons (1991-93) with the Browns. Cleveland went 20-28 in that time.

Belichick said he isn't as concerned as others seem to be about the changes on his staff; he is pleased with the additions.

"There's change every year in some aspect of the organization," Belichick said. "This was not unexpected. Charlie was hired some time ago, and (former defensive coordinator) Romeo [Crennel] had been on lists.

"I think you can get some fresh ideas and those type things, but a big part of a new coach coming in is he has to learn how we do things."

Of course, having Tom Brady under center will make the post-Weis transition easier to handle.

As SportsLine.com insider Pete Prisco put it Thursday, "With Brady taking snaps, how hard is to call the plays? Brady knows this offense so well he could probably call his own. ..."

He's right. And it would be foolish to assume Belichick hasn't thought this through.

"Anybody writing this team off is out of their minds," an unnamed NFC personnel director told Prisco. "This isn't the start of a dynasty falling apart. There is still too much talent there, and as long as Belichick is coaching and Brady is throwing, they'll be right there at the end. ..."

Other Fantasy-specific news and notes from around the NFL. ...

In Arizona. ... By all accounts, Kurt Warner has not been promised a starting job with the Cardinals. In fact, head coach Dennis Green went out of his way to say so.

"I don't know when we are going to announce a starter, but we aren't trying to create anything," Green said. "We are going to put the guy out there that moves the chains, and I think Kurt Warner will live with that."

Still, it's hard to buy into Green's insistence that quarterback job is open to competition.

As Warner's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told East Valley Tribune staff writer Darren Urban on Monday, "Bringing him in, I think they certainly want him to be the starter."

And much like Emmitt Smith two years ago, Warner was lured to Arizona because it was his best -- if not only -- chance to start. His other options, Detroit and Chicago, each have former first-round picks at quarterback who are going to be given every opportunity to succeed.

"I wanted to be on the field and I wanted to be in a place where I could control my own destiny," Warner told ESPN Radio Monday morning. "In those other places. ... I was hoping someone else wouldn't succeed."

That certainly won't be a concern in Arizona, where Josh McCown had his chance to succeed last season only to wind up getting the hook after nine games. Green tried starting Shaun King, who was released shortly after Warner's signing, and then John Navarre before going back to McCown.

In other words: Experiment failed. Moving on now. ...

Further evidence that's indeed the case can be found in the contracts. Warner signed a one-year deal for $4 million, while McCown will make $1.43 million.

And as Arizona Republic staffer Kent Somers suggested, it's telling that Green and the other Cardinals coaches pursued Warner relentlessly in the week leading up to his signing, calling him two or three times a day.

"If there is one team out there that wants you more than anybody else, to me that's a good indication that's a good place for you to go," Warner said. "You want an organization that wants you to be here, that wants you to be the guy."

The Rams had Marc Bulger, so when Warner suffered a concussion and played poorly in the 2003 opener, head coach Mike Martz benched him. The Rams cut Warner after the 2003 season.

The Giants then signed Warner but replaced him with first-round pick Eli Manning after nine games last season.

And Warner, for the life of him, still can't figure out why nobody believes he's starting material.

"The biggest thing that's misunderstood is why I'm not in St. Louis," he said. "People automatically associate it with the fact that I can't play football. And it's hard to [dispel] those questions.

"I was a two-time (league) MVP. I went to two Super Bowls with them. It never happens that a guy like that doesn't finish his career, doesn't play longer with a team. It's hard to explain to people that it didn't have anything to do with football."

Well. ... I'll agree that Martz seemed to have something against Warner that wasn't necessarily football-related. He still does.

However, that wasn't the case in New York, where Giants honcho Tom Coughlin had a first-round draft pick to develop. And past success notwithstanding, Warner has an undeniable tendency to hold on to the ball too long and -- as a result -- taking too many sacks and fumbling too often.

The good news for Warner? Green believes there's still something left in his tank.

According to Somers, the Cardinals looked at tape of him over several seasons. Whenever Warner struggled, Green said, it was usually because he had too little time.

"What was clear," Green said, "is that when he had an opportunity to throw, he made some of the most amazing throws in the league. In fact, we should probably put a highlight tape together of it.

"He still has the touch. He obviously has the courage. The bottom line is, you have to have players around him."

Of course, it was just a year ago that Green was lauding McCown, saying the untested youngster could lead the team to the playoffs.

We all saw how that worked out. ...

On a somewhat more positive note. ... After being forced to learn a conservative Giants scheme on relatively short notice last summer, he already feels more comfortable with Arizona's offense and associated terminology.

According to St. Louis Post-Dispatch online columnist Jeff Gordon, the Cardinals offense features pass routes and protection schemes that are comparable to the Rams' scheme. "I have a good feel for all that stuff," Warner said.

And if you're looking for a positive outlook regarding Warner's chances, look no further than Gordon, who advised readers: "Warner will get his chance to excel again. He will operate in the offense he starred in. He will have big, capable wide receivers that go get the ball. He will play for a coach willing to do whatever it takes to build a winner.

"Don't be shocked if he makes it happen. ..."

Okay. ... I won't shocked. Just very surprised. ...

One last Warner-related note of interest. ... Those wondering why Warner, who seemed pretty adamant in his desire for a four-year deal before joining the Cardinals, settled for a one-year pact should look no further than representation.

Warner's agent is Bartelstein. Bartelstein's agency also represents McCown.

One member of the Cards brass told New York Post reporter Ken Palmer that he believed Bartelstein agreed to such an arrangement to prevent McCown from leaving Bartelstein's agency. ...

So what's the real story behind the Giants sudden and surprisingly public announcement stating they were no longer interested in Plaxico Burress?

As Newark Star-Ledger staffer Mike Garafolo noted, it's "highly unusual -- and extremely out of character for the Giants -- to release a statement about a player they have declined to sign."

Money was clearly part of the problem.

The Giants never were going to come close to what Burress was seeking -- the six-year, $30 million package (including a bonus of $12 million) Muhsin Muhammad signed with the Bears. The last Giants offer of six years and $24 million -- with $8 million in bonus money -- was rejected by Burress and his agent, Michael Harrison.

The Giants then withdrew the offer.

But according to Post beat man Paul Schwartz, money wasn't the only issue. The Giants developed serious reservations about the player.

They were annoyed when he called in sick, supposedly with the flu, for a scheduled meeting Monday. Then Burress arrived late Wednesday. He had dinner with Coughlin and other members of the coaching staff, but the meetings did not go well.

He was bothered last season with the Steelers by a hamstring problem and the Giants asked him to take a physical, which is standard procedure.

Burress refused. That was not a good sign.

The Giants did not dismiss Burress offhandedly. According to Schwartz, running back Tiki Barber was summoned to the stadium for a meet-and-greet with Burress and Barber spent 20 minutes engaged in a one-on-one discussion upstairs in the Giants offices.

"Ernie wanted me to come over and say hello to Plaxico and see where he's at," said Barber, who met Burress for the first time. "He said he liked the visit, we talked about the benefits of being in New York.

"We were just talking about winning, trying to find ways to win. He likes the components that are in place here with myself and [Jeremy] Shockey and [Manning] and the moves we made with our offensive line. He said he feels like he's a piece of this puzzle and he's trying to find the right puzzle to put it in. I encouraged him that I would love to have him."

When Barber left Giants Stadium in the afternoon, he was looking for Burress to wind up wearing blue.

"I didn't realize how big he was," Barber said. "He's all of 6-5, maybe bigger. He's young, he's athletic, I think he can be an impact receiver, big-time. We absolutely need that."

But not badly enough to pony up the funds necessary.

"There's no player that would command this kind of money left," Accorsi said, "for us, at least."

Burress traveled to Minnesota after leaving New York and met with Vikings officials on Friday, but he left without receiving an offer. Some reports have indicated he was heading to Philadelphia, but as of this morning, Burress does not have a visit scheduled with the Eagles.

Meanwhile, there's word going through the league that the Steelers aren't exactly giving him high praise as he goes out the door.

"He's big, he can go low to catch passes and he can make the deep ball a threat," an unnamed NFC personnel director told Prisco. "I don't know why he isn't signed. It has to be something the Steelers are telling people."

Or maybe it's his agent.

According to Garafolo, Harrison's approach has left many observers questioning his strategy.

"The Giants don't deal with people like that," said one prominent agent. "They don't usually pull the plug and go to the media."

Another player representative told Garafolo: "Every year we get one of these guys who tries to overplay his hand. It looks like that's what happened there. ..."

So, after a week of rumors hinting a change was in the works, it came as no surprise to learn early this morning that Burress has indeed dropped the hammer on Harrison.

As first reported by Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio (and subsequently confirmed by other reports), Burress has notified the NFL Players Association of Harrison's firing and intends to retain the services of Drew Rosenhaus -- a move that all but ensures that Burress remains on the market through the week.

According to NFLPA guidelines, a player must wait five days after dismissing his agent to officially retain new representation. It isn't clear when notification arrived at union headquarters or when the five-day clock begins.

One last note on this one. ... Burress is a good friend of Fred Taylor and according to Prisco, the Jaguars could possibly get involved if the receiver's price comes down. ...

Following up on another ongoing situation. ... Rosenhaus on Friday mentioned seven teams that his client, Edgerrin James, might be interested in playing for.

"We are interested in Edgerrin playing for the Dolphins, the Buccaneers, the Cardinals, the 49ers and potentially for the Chicago Bears, Houston and Cleveland," the crafty agent said on ESPN Radio. "Those are the teams we think are interested in having Edgerrin James on their roster."

The Colts are believed to be asking for a second-round pick in return for James, whom they have tagged as their franchise player but are shopping.

As the Colts' franchise player, James is guaranteed an $8.1 million contract this season, but he has repeatedly said he wants a long-term deal.

The Cardinals have been contacted Rosenhaus, but have yet to tip their hand. The Bucs and Dolphins also have a shot while Chicago, Houston and Cleveland might not be as interested as Rosenhaus would like us to believe.

The 49ers, however, are a more interesting addition to the list.

As Indianapolis Star News beat man Mike Chappell noted, they have 11 picks in the draft, including the first in each round. The Niners also have adequate cap space and a need to improve their rushing attack. It ranked No. 30 in the league a year ago as leading rusher Kevan Barlow finished with 822 yards and averaged just 3.4 yards per carry.

Chappell added that if the Colts wanted to recoup a running back in the bargain, Barlow would likely be available. ...

In a semi-related note. ... ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli reports that Buffalo still hasn't received a viable offer for two-time 1,000-yard rusher Travis Henry. And efforts by Denver and Cleveland to trade Reuben Droughns and William Green, respectively, appear dead in the water. ...

Speaking of Cleveland and Green. ... In his first public comments since becoming the Browns offensive coordinator, Maurice Carthon wore a mysterious smile.

"I don't want to get into my scheme," he said Friday. "I'm not gonna give somebody else an advantage.

"Heck, we could use a run and shoot."

But seriously folks. ... According to Canton Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk, Carthon probably will install a run-oriented attack featuring Lee Suggs, shooting for effective play-action passes by Trent Dilfer, with many of the important throws going to Kellen Winslow.

"The most important thing," Carthon said, "is to be disciplined."

If that means it's a bad weather day and sticking to the run is indicated, Carthon said, "It's important for me to stay disciplined and stick to the run."

He refused to characterize his philosophy as smash-mouth.

"If we've got to play smash-mouth, that's what we'll do," he said. "If we've got to air it out, we'll do that."

Whatever the case, Green doesn't appear to be a major factor in Carthon's planning. "If he's here," the coach said, "quite naturally, we'd want to see more than what he's done so far."

Carthon seemed more encouraged by Suggs, who finished 2004 with three straight 100-yard rushing games. Carthon's big question: "Is he gonna be healthy enough to play 16 games, and then, hopefully, playoff games and eventually a Super Bowl?"

He's right. That is a big question. But Fantasy owners would be more than willing to settle for those 16 games. ...

In New York. ... Chad Pennington wanted so much to be reunited with wide receiver Laveranues Coles that, when early trade talks stalled because of Coles' contract demands, the quarterback approached the Jets and volunteered to take a $2 million pay cut, multiple sources told the New York Daily News.

The trade might have died if it weren't for Pennington's unprecedented gesture the sources added.

Pennington told friends that he did it in the interest of winning, and that he felt Coles would be a tremendous addition. Still, when was the last time an athlete gave up money without being pressured?

"I've never heard of anything like this," one agent told the Daily News. "It's bizarre."

So bizarre in fact, that Daily News columnist Gary Myers suggested this morning the move could backfire on him in the locker room. "He becomes management," one GM said. "I don't think you cross that line."

In a relate note. ... Coles said this week that his reluctance to have toe surgery stems from the risk of permanent damage. Before being traded, Coles rebuffed the Redskins' suggestion to undergo an operation.

Coles fractured his right big toe in the third game of the 2003 season, and has played with the injury since. The Redskins believe that there is a correlation between the ailment and Coles' decreased yards-per-catch (a career-low 10.6 last season).

But Coles believes the explosiveness that made him a deep-threat earlier in his career remains, in the right system.

"The doctor said it's not a guarantee that I'll be the same player after I have surgery. That's why I don't want to have surgery," Coles said Tuesday. "It's a big risk. I'm still productive the way I am, especially with peace of mind. I was miserable and I caught 90 balls. So all I can say is wait until next season and judge if I need the toe surgery."

According to Pasquarelli, Coles is wary of going under the knife, he has hinted, because similar toe surgery prematurely ended the career of former NFL wide receiver O.J. McDuffie. That onetime Miami starter remains in litigation, having brought charges against the surgeon who performed his operation. ...

So, is the toe really an issue?

From his arrival in the league in 2000 through the third game of the 2003 season, the outing in which he suffered the toe injury, Coles averaged 15.0 yards per reception and scored a touchdown every 13.8 catches.

In the 29 games since the injury, Coles has averaged 11.8 yards per reception and has scored a touchdown every 24.8 catches. ...

In Miami. ... According to FOXSports.com insider John Czarnecki, the Dolphins are fighting internally over their next quarterback. General manager Rick Spielman is still supporting A.J. Feeley while new coach Nick Saban is listening to offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, who wants to sign Gus Frerotte.

However, the Dolphins aren't offering Frerotte enough money and he's scheduled to visit the Broncos on Monday.

Although he'd prefer a chance to start, Frerotte hasn't ruled out returning to the Vikings. "I'm definitely open to coming back to Minnesota," he said. "My family is comfortable there. It would be a good fit."

At this point, it also looks like his best choice financially. ...

In San Francisco. ... Pasquarelli reports the 49ers are indeed interested in receiver David Boston, released by Miami this week and still not able to pass a physical exam because of the knee injury that sidelined him all last season.

The rationale of the 49ers is that Boston had his best seasons in Arizona under Jerry Sullivan, the new San Francisco receivers coach.

But as Pasquarelli correctly noted: "The Dolphins thought that, too, but the knee injury suffered in training camp rendered the matter moot. ..."

In Atlanta. ... Sporting News columnist Dan Pompei advises readers not to be surprised if the Falcons cut Peerless Price this offseason.

Price has not played up to the big contract the Falcons gave him when he was acquired from the Bills two years ago and his attitude has not endeared him to teammates and coaches. According to Pompei, there is a school of thought that says eliminating Price would be addition by subtraction.

Cutting him would not come without a price, however.

If the Falcons let him go after June 1, they would take cap hits of $1.7 million this season and $5.7 million in 2006. Cutting him before then would cost the team a whopping $7.4 million in cap space in 2005, or $3.8 million more than keeping him would cost. In other words, if the Falcons retain Price, he will have been saved by his contract. ...

In Dallas. ... Add former Patriots star tight end Ben Coates to the list of observers who think former teammate Drew Bledsoe can resurrect his career with Dallas.

Coates, who signed on as tight ends coach in Cleveland last week, says Bledsoe missed having a reliable tight end to throw to in Buffalo but will have one of the NFL's best in Jason Witten with the Cowboys. ...

And finally. ... Also according to Pompei, Willis McGahee should be faster next season because he will be able to train for speed for the first time since blowing out his knee at the end of his college career, in January 2003.