Projo Pats Blog

It's been a real shame for Boston College that on a week in which the Eagles basketball team upset the number-one ranked North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, the biggest news story to come out of The Heights has been Jeff Jagodzinski's decision to end his tenure with the team by interviewing for the New York Jets head coaching job. While Jagodzinski is not believed to be a leading contender for the Jets job, Boston College athletic director Gene DeFillippo said publicly that Jagodzinski's career with the Eagles would be over if he went through with the interview. Well, Jags did the interview, and The Boston Globe is reporting that DeFillippo will do the deed of firing him at a meeting today.

A news conference is scheduled later today, The Globe reports. Hopefully we'll get some details on what was said at the face-to-face meeting, where the topic of what BC intends to do about the three years remaining on Jagodzinski's contract is sure to come up.

MORE INTEREST IN PATS COACHES: As we wait for word on whether the Broncos (or someone else) will hire away offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels from the Patriots, NFL.com was reporting yesterday that the Seattle Seahawks have received permission to talk to special teams coach Brad Seely.

SEYMOUR NEEDS FINGER SURGERY: The Herald's John Tomase reports this morning that defensive end Richard Seymour will have minor finger surgery in Boston on Friday.

DETAILS ON BUSH'S SURGERY: Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says that Reggie Bush had microfracture surgery on his left knee after Bush was placed on injured reserve, in mid-December (New Orleans Times Picayune). That's a more serious procedure than the Saints had first indicated, but Loomis says that the team still expects Bush to be ready for the 2009 season.

NOT GOING UNDER THE KNIFE: Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer will not need offseason elbow surgery, the team said yesterday (700-AM WLW, Cincinnati). Palmer is expected to be healthy for the start of a season in which the Bengals will try to pick up the pieces from a disastrous 2008.

THOSE FUN-LOVING CARDINALS: Arizona apparently has some characters on its defensive line; that's why they need nicknames, I guess. Defensive end Antonio Smith is referred to as "The Strongest Right Arm," while defensive tackle Darnell Dockett is known by the equally self-explanatory moniker "Fart Box." (East Valley Tribune) "He takes these protein shakes where he's trying to keep himself healthy, but when it comes out we all suffer. It's nasty," linemate Bryan Robinson explains.

WAIT AND SEE: Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin (hamstring) hopes to play in Carolina on Saturday but will be a game-time decision; meanwhile, incredibly, Edgerrin James still can't stop complaining about the way the team treated him during the regular season (Arizona Republic).

BLAME THE REFS: Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney isn't exactly taking his team's playoff loss in San Diego in stride. He said that the Chargers held him on "every single damn play" and described some calls that went against Indy as "Those were the worst [expletive] calls I've seen in a long time." (Yahoo Sports)

PLEADING HIS CASE: Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson has got to be bonehead of the week -- unless he is telling the truth when he denies the charge that he was driving drunk in San Diego at 2 in the morning yesterday, just five days before the Bolts' divisional playoff meeting with the Steelers (projo.com).

BOWLING WITH BIG BEN: Speaking of the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger proves in this video (if it is really him) that the bowling alley might be just as dangerous a place for him as the football field:

LIONS UPDATE: Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reports that Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has interviewed for the Detroit coaching vacancy.

IVY LEAGUE TRAILBLAZER: Jacksonville assistant coach Tom Williams will become the first black coach in the history of the Ivy League when he succeeds Jack Siedlecki at Yale University. Siedlecki is moving up to assistant athletic director (Florida Times Union).

INGRAM IN CUSTODY: Former Giants wide receiver Mark Ingram, who disappeared about a month ago, before he was to report to prison for bank fraud and money laundering, was arrested on Friday in Flint, Mich., and may make an appearance in a Long Island court today, the Associated Press reports.

RANDOM THOUGHT OF THE DAY: How can Drew Brees be Offensive Player of the Year if Peyton Manning is the Most Valuable Player?

Tom Curran, writing on NBCSports.com, quotes "a source who will be directly involved in the call" as saying that the Patriots have not made a decision to use the franchise-player tag on free-agent-to-be quarterback Matt Cassel, as had been reported by other media sources over the weekend.

The source termed as "speculation" reports that Cassel will be franchised, although -- as Curran notes -- it seems more likely than not that the Patriots will not allow Cassel to go on the open market given the uncertain status of rehabbing quarterback Tom Brady.

The Pats cannot make a decision on using the tag until Feb. 5, and it seems fair to assume that they will say nothing publicly until then (and if they don't use the tag, they won't say anything publicly at all). So stay tuned for more contradictory reports to come.

DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) - A former NFL lineman and high school football coach in Walpole will be released on bail as he awaits trial on charges he raped a 15-year-old girl.

Daniel Villa posted $7,500 bail and was being fitted for an electronic monitoring bracelet. He was expected to be released later Tuesday, after the device had been set up.

The conditions of Villa's bail include staying away from children under 16.

The judge refused to release Villa's new address.

Villa played six seasons for the New England Patriots during a 12-year NFL career. He pleaded not guilty last week to charges including three counts of rape of a child over 14.

Prosecutors say Villa was once the girl's coach, and at one point sent her 500 text message in a single month.

One of them they probably would have kept, if they could only afford to do so. The other one -- well, most of you probably didn't even notice when he was gone. But both of them -- former Patriot cornerback Asante Samuel and former Patriot tight end Stephen Spach -- played huge roles in their new teams advancing to the second round of the playoffs last week.

Spach, who started this season with the Patriots before being released and picked up by Arizona, hadn't had a three-catch game in his entire NFL career before he grabbed three passes -- including the game-clinching 23-yarder on a third and 16 -- for the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday. Earler in the second half, Spach extended what turned out to be an Arizona touchdown drive when he caught a short pass from Kurt Warner to convert a third-and-two. During five game appearances for the Patriots in 2007 and 2008, Spach did not catch a single pass.

Samuel, who was questionable for Sunday's Eagles game against the Vikings with a hip injury, set a new NFL record with his fourth postseason interception return for a touchdown. In the fashion that we became so accustomed to seeing in New England, Samuel jumped in front of Vikings receiver Sidney Rice to grab a badly underthrown pass from Tarvaris Jackson, and raced 44 yards to the end zone.

Ron Borges, writing in today's Boston Herald, tells Patriots fans that if they want to know why their team really isn't among the postseason competitors this season, they could have found their answer racing down the sidelines in Minnesota on Sunday. To be fair, Samuel's production this year was probably not what Philadelphia had in mind when they signed him to a six-year, $57-million contract ($20 million of which was guaranteed). He did lead the team in interceptions (four) and passes defensed (21) -- the passes defensed number was up from last year, but the interception total was his lowest in three seasons. Still, he has been a big-time presence in a secondary that was dead-last in the NFL in interceptions last season (11) -- and his absence was noticed by Patriots fans time and again this season.

WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED TO ME: Speaking of Sunday's Eagles-Vikings game, it seems that Gus Frerotte felt that he should have been the starting quarterback for Minnesota, not the man standing on the sidelines watching Jackson struggling (Minneapolis Star Tribune).

THREE CHOICES: The Boston Globe's Mike Reiss examines why Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli has not made a decision on his future yet, and writes that Pioli is weighing three options: sticking with the Patriots, joining the Browns and joining the Chiefs. He predicts that "some kind of movement" should be coming in the next few days. The Herald reports that Pioli met with Chiefs owner Clark Hunt yesterday. ProFootballTalk.com reports that it received several tips about the Chiefs preparing a news conference to announce the hiring of Pioli, but the rumor turned out to be unfounded.

HE WANTS TO STAY: One man who apparently does want to be in Foxboro for the start of next season: linebacker Tedy Bruschi. An anonymous source told The Globe that if the Pats want Bruschi back for a 14th season, he'll be there.

DIFFERENT PLOT, SAME RESULT: Gerry Callahan examines the battle between Jeff Jagodzinski and Boston College and sees the depressing continuation of a trend in which BC is unable to hold onto a coach who could put a lasting stamp on the program (Boston Herald). It's an interesting point -- how many Top 25-type programs burn through four coaches in fewer than 20 years?

NO CHARGES AGAINST HARRISON, YET: Philadelphia prosecutors have concluded that a gun owned by Indianapolis Colts star Marvin Harrison was used in an April shooting, but they still can't determine who pulled the trigger. Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham today announced that five bullet casings found at the North Philadelphia shooting scene came from Harrison's handgun. But investigators have conflicting witness accounts of who fired it. No charges have been filed in the April 28 shooting, but Abraham says the investigation continues. The victim has sued Harrison.

PARCELLS' FUTURE NOT ASSURED: Despite Dolphins' owner Wayne Huizenga's assurances on Sunday that Bill Parcells on as vice president of football operations, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes that the sale of majority control of the team to Stephen Ross might throw everything into doubt, particularly since Ross is old friends with former Chiefs GM Carl Peterson and might be interested in offering Peterson a job.

TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE? Al Davis has never been known as the picture of integrity, but he's the one calling ESPN's Chris Mortensen a liar following Mortensen's report that Davis plans to sell the Raiders to a group with plans to move the team to -- wait for it -- Los Angeles (Oakland Tribune).

MATCHING STRENGTH FOR STRENGTH: We all know how good Baltimore's defense is, but Tennessee has a great unit too, and that defense should be fully healthy for the first time in weeks when the Titans host Baltimore in a hard-hitting Divisional Playoff Game.

UNDER THE KNIFE: Bills quarterback Trent Edwards might require shoulder surgery (ESPN Insider).

'A BUNCH OF HOCUS POCUS': That's how Chargers running back Michael Bennett describes the charges that he and former Tampa Bay Bucs teammate Anthony Davis beat up a fitness trainer in the parking lot of a Tampa restaurant.

THIS IS THE BIG TIME: On a final note -- you know it's a big game for the Steelers when the "Terrible Tree" returns to the Allegheny County Courthouse (Pittsburgh Post Gazette).

By Erik Matuszewski
Bloomberg

Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is the favorite to get the New York Jets' coaching job, followed by Steve Spagnuolo of the New York Giants, according to the Internet gambling Web site BetUS.com.

Ryan was given 3-2 odds to replace Eric Mangini after spearheading a defense that was second in the National Football League during the regular season, helping the Ravens to a 12-5 record. Spagnuolo, the Giants' defensive coordinator, is listed as the 2-1 second choice to take over the Jets and the 3-2 favorite to become coach of the Denver Broncos.

The 46-year-old Ryan has spent the past four seasons in charge of Baltimore's defense. Last year, he interviewed for the team's head coaching post that eventually went to John Harbaugh.

"He's sitting at 3-2, which almost makes him a lock in the world of money lines,'' BetUS spokesman Reed Richards said in a telephone interview from the Costa Rica-based Web site's office. "Our analysts look at a lot of different things. We look at who would be the right fit for that kind of an offense, we look at who the coordinators would be, and it looks like Rex Ryan has got to be the guy.''

With odds at BetUS of 3-2, a winning $200 bet on Ryan would return $300.

Ryan's father, Buddy, also a defensive specialist, was an assistant on the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl-winning team in 1986. He also coached the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles, compiling a 55-58-1 record.

More Choices

Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is one of three candidates with odds of 4-1, along with former Ravens coach Brian Billick and ex-Oakland Raiders and University of Nebraska coach Bill Callahan. Callahan spent last season as an assistant head coach for the Jets.

Mike Martz, former head coach of the St. Louis Rams, has odds of 8-1 to join the Jets, according to BetUS.com. Those were the only former coaches and assistants listed by the gambling site.

The Jets fired Mangini after losing four of their last five games to miss the playoffs with a 9-7 record. Team officials have already conducted interviews with Ryan, Spagnuolo, Schottenheimer and Callahan.

Trying to determine who will be the Jets' ninth coach in the 20 years is as popular among bettors as placing wagers on the team's regular-season games, BetUS's Richards said. Among those who play in fantasy football leagues, it's more prevalent.

"They really tend to look at the proposition betting and outside of the mainstream betting lines,'' Richards said. "They opt for this type of play because they get caught up in the drama. This is the male soap opera, they love this stuff.''

Spagnuolo, Broncos

Spagnuolo is the favorite to replace Mike Shanahan as coach of the Broncos, according to BetUS. The 49-year-old Spagnuolo has spent the last two years directing a defense that helped the Giants win the Super Bowl in February 2008 and claim the top seed in the National Football Conference playoffs this season with a 12-4 record.

Spagnuolo was considered for the Washington Redskins' coaching vacancy last year before returning to the Giants. He signed a three-year contract that made him one of the NFL's highest-paid coordinators at more than $2 million annually.

The Broncos fired Shanahan last week following a 14-year tenure that included two Super Bowl titles. Denver has missed the playoffs the last three years and has won only one postseason game since quarterback John Elway retired after the 1998 season.

Other NFL teams looking for head coaches are the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders.

SEEDING CRAZINESS: You knew there was something wacky about these NFL playoffs when all four of the road teams were favored to win in Wildcard Weekend (it turned out that only two of them did). But the strangeness won't stop now. Thanks to the rule that the lowest remaining seed plays the number-one seed in each conference in the Divisional Playoff round, the New York Giants have to face the tough Philadelphia Eagles next week (NBC Sports). Had they lost to the Carolina Panthers in Week 16, therefore falling to the number-two seed, they would get the much softer Arizona Cardinals. Of course, the Giants will get home field in the conference championship game if they do win, but ironically, winning the number-one seed has seemingly made it much more difficult for them to advance.

The more logical thing would be for the Giants, as the team with the best record in the regular season, to face the team that had the worst regular-season record, which would be Arizona (the Cards were 9-7, compared to Philly's 9-6-1). It will be interesting to see if the NFL considers changing the rules for playoff seeding. Sentiment for such a move must be growing in Indianapolis, where the 12-4 Colts had to travel to San Diego to play the 8-8 Chargers, who ended Indy's season in overtime.

LIKE 2001 ALL OVER AGAIN: Two of the divisional playoff games will be rematches -- in the same two venues -- of second-round playoff games following the 2000 season. The Baltimore Ravens will travel to Tennessee, where the Ravens upset the top-seeded Titans in January 2001, on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Eagles head to the Meadowlands, where they lost to the Giants in the Divisional Playoff Game on the same day as the aforementioned Baltimore-Tennessee matchup. The Titans will hope for better results this season behind quarterback Kerry Collins -- the same man who quarterbacked the Giants to victory over the Eagles eight years ago.

L.T. MAY BE ALL DONE: Saturday night was a discouragingly familiar scene for LaDainian Tomlinson, who missed most of last season's AFC Championship Game in Foxboro because of an injury. Tomlinson tried to play against the Colts on Saturday night, but he ended up on the sidelines for most of the game as Darren Sproles took over the hero's role. Today, the word in the San Diego Union-Tribune is that no one in the Chargers organization expects Tomlinson to play in Pittsburgh on Sunday, and it is quite possible L.T. won't return no matter how far the Chargers go.

ANOTHER HIGH-PROFILE INJURY: It is certainly conceivable that the Chargers can beat the Steelers with or without Tomlinson, but the Cardinals' already slim chances to beat the Panthers will be even more remote if Anquan Boldin can't play. Boldin injured his hamstring in the victory over the Falcons on Saturday.

LAST STAND: Now that the Colts' season is over, the speculation is building about Tony Dungy's future. ProFootballTalk.com reports today that, according to an unnamed source with knowledge of the Colts organization, the team is counting on Dungy to retire. Meanwhile, Bob Kravitz of the boosterish Indy Star has a column in today's newspaper saying that retirement would be the best thing for Dungy and the team, which has gone one-and-out in the playoffs four times in Dungy's tenure. The appropriate replacement, Kravitz writes, is already in-house, in the person of associate head coach Jim Caldwell.

COULD BE A DIFFERENT GROUP OF COLTS: Another Indianapolis mainstay who may have appeared in his last game on Saturday night: wide receiver Marvin Harrison (Indy Star). The NFL's number-two all-time leading receiver wouldn't comment about his future yesterday as he emptied out his locker.

MONDAY MORNING MASSACRE: The National Football Post reports this morning that almost the entire defensive coaching staff is being fired in Green Bay, including coordinator Bob Sanders. The Packers were 20th in the league in defense this season.

Get all the details here.