Former Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski was to interview with the San Francisco 49ers last night for their vacant offensive coordinator position.
Jagodzinski was fired by BC Jan. 7 after he interviewed for the Jets' head coaching position against the school's wishes. He has experience as an NFL assistant in Green Bay and Atlanta, even spending one season as the Packers' offensive coordinator before taking over at The Heights in 2007.
San Francisco coach Mike Singletary and general manager Scot McCloughan were to interview Jagodzinski at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., as they keep trying to fill the gap created in their coaching staff by Mike Martz's firing Dec. 30.
San Francisco's next offensive coordinator will be the team's seventh in seven seasons. The 49ers offered the job to Scott Linehan last week, but the former Rams coach declined it Sunday.
McCloughan was a Packers scout during Jagodzinski's first stint on Green Bay's coaching staff.
Counting on Ward
Hines Ward needs extensive work to rehabilitate his sprained right knee for the Super Bowl, but Steelers coach
Mike Tomlin still expects the receiver to play.
"We're definitely not going to count him out," Tomlin said yesterday. "We're going to save a seat on the bus for 86."
Ward, the Steelers' career receiving leader, sprained a medial collateral ligament while making a catch in the first quarter of the AFC Championship game against Baltimore Sunday. If the Steelers played this week, he may not have been ready.
Yesterday was the players' scheduled day off, yet Tomlin observed Ward doing extensive rehabilitation work in the practice complex. The Steelers leave Monday for Tampa and the Feb. 1 game against Arizona, but only after they go through a regular week of practice.
Dolphins deal done
New York real estate billionaire
Stephen Ross became majority owner of the Dolphins, completing his purchase of 95 percent of the franchise for $1 billion, with
Wayne Huizenga retaining a 5 percent interest.
Ross takes over with the franchise's fortunes on the upswing. When the first phase of his purchase was completed, the Dolphins were coming off a 1-15 season, worst in franchise history. Under the new Bill Parcells regime, they improved to 11-6 this season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
The sale triggers a clause in Parcells's contract allowing him to leave and still receive the $9 million-$12 million remaining on his four-year contract. Scouting players at the Senior Bowl, Parcells was asked if he planned to remain.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" he said. "What do your eyes tell you?"
When asked why he wouldn't commit outright to staying, Parcells said experience taught him never to rule anything out. He said if something happened to change his mind, he'd "hate to be called a liar."
But Parcells said he likes Ross and is not seeking a new contract. "It's not about money," Parcells said. "I've got more than I can spend."
McDaniels chooses
New Broncos coach
Josh McDaniels, formerly the Patriots' offensive coordinator, has hired
Mike McCoy as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and added four other assistants to his staff. The Broncos announced the hiring of McCoy and
Mike Priefer as special teams coordinator,
Adam Gase as wide receivers coach,
Wayne Nunnely as defensive line coach, and
Ed Donatell as secondary coach. McCoy, 36, spent the last nine seasons with the Panthers as offensive assistant, quarterbacks coach, and passing game coordinator. The only holdovers from fired coach
Mike Shanahan's staff will be running backs coach
Bobby Turner and offensive line coach
Rick Dennison . . .
Ron Meeks has resigned after seven seasons as Colts defensive coordinator. The team announced the move eight days after coach
Tony Dungy retired. Dungy hired Meeks in 2002. The Colts led the NFL in scoring defense in 2007 but dropped to seventh last season and were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by San Diego.
Pranksters nabbed
Eagles quarterback
Donovan McNabb, whose team was beaten by the host Cardinals in the NFC Championship game Sunday, had to play defense at his offseason home in Chandler, Ariz., before the big game. Two Cardinals fans hung their team's flag in a tree and burned "Go Cards," "Go Kurt," and "I heart AZ" in McNabb's yard with diesel fuel, Chandler police Sgt.
Joe Favazzo said. Favazzo said the fans hung the flag Thursday, and McNabb laughed it off and even left it hanging. Then the fans returned Saturday and left a cardboard box in the driveway with "Go Cards" written on one side and "Beat Philly" on the other. McNabb laughed that off, too, when he discovered it at about midnight, Favazzo said. But McNabb stopped laughing when he went outside Saturday morning, smelled diesel fuel, and realized someone had burned Cardinals cheers into his lawn, causing about $2,000 in damage. Favazzo said officers found an address label on the box that had been left, and it led to Chandler resident
Rex Perkins, 37, who later admitted to the pranks along with co-worker
Ryan Hanlon, 28 . . . Dolphins rookie offensive tackle
Jake Long was selected to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for Buffalo's
Jason Peters, who had a late-season knee injury . . . Hall of Famer
Dante Lavelli, a sure-handed receiver who helped the Browns build a dynasty in the 1940s and 50s, died in a Cleveland hospital of causes that weren't immediately known. He was 85.
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