Dolphins Hope to Hear From Saban Soon

LSU's Nick Saban has rejected previous overtures from NFL teams, but some think he might go to Miami. (Patrick Dennis - AP File Photo)

The Miami Dolphins hope to get an answer today from Nick Saban after offering their head-coaching job Wednesday to the LSU coach.

Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga spent Wednesday negotiating contract terms with Saban's agent, Jimmy Sexton, and Sexton was to speak later in the day to Saban to go over the proposed deal. The Dolphins apparently offered Saban more than $4 million per season -- and perhaps close to $5 million a year -- and power over all their football-related decisions. He makes about $2.3 million per season at LSU.

Club officials were under the impression that Saban would respond today or Friday. Saban rejected previous overtures from NFL teams, including the Chicago Bears a year ago, but some of his associates say they think there's a very good chance he will go to Miami, barring any late snags in talks.

Saban's camp pressed for the issue to be resolved before the LSU team's departure Saturday afternoon to Orlando, Fla., for its Jan. 1 meeting with Iowa in the Capital One Bowl.

Saban, 53, is 48-15 in five seasons at LSU and won a share of the 2003 national championship. He is 91-41-1 in an 11-season career as a collegiate head coach that also included stints at Toledo and Michigan State.

His background as an NFL assistant made him attractive as a pro head-coaching candidate even after Steve Spurrier's failure with the Washington Redskins in 2002 and 2003 produced a virtually league-wide wariness of hiring college coaches. Saban formerly was the Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator under Bill Belichick, now the two-time Super Bowl-winning coach of the New England Patriots.

Don't Wait

The Dolphins' courtship of Saban has sent a clear message to other NFL teams mired in bad seasons who must decide whether to retain coaches: Don't wait.

When Dave Wannstedt resigned as the Dolphins' coach on Nov. 8, that enabled the club to start earlier than teams that will be looking for head coaches after the season. The Dolphins were prohibited from talking to coaches under contract to other NFL teams, but they could openly pursue prospective coaches from two other candidate pools -- college coaches and unemployed former NFL coaches.

If things work out with Saban, they will have gotten their top choice without competition from other NFL teams. If things don't work out, the Dolphins still can turn to a list of other candidates that probably would include former New York Giants coach Jim Fassel (now a coaching consultant to the Baltimore Ravens), Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress and Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.

It's not a new way of doing things. Last year, Fassel and former Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves were told their fates before the regular season ended. Fassel coached out the season. Reeves didn't. But people around the league say the Dolphins, by making such a push to hire their new coach before the season ends, have underscored the fact that clubs that know they're going to get rid of their coach should consider doing it sooner rather than later.

"The coaching market is getting so competitive, you can't even wait until the end of the season any more or you're behind," one NFL general manager said this week. "Don't try to tell me the Saints wouldn't have wanted to go after Saban if they decide to get rid of [Jim] Haslett. If there's a good candidate out there who's available early, teams are going to have to make their decisions early."

The Browns are in the same position as the Dolphins, with Butch Davis having departed as their coach on Nov. 30 as part of a financial settlement with owner Randy Lerner, but have held off on their search because they probably will hire a general manager first. Browns officials have said they don't intend to interview any GM or coaching candidates until after the season. Ravens personnel director Phil Savage appears to be the front-runner for the Cleveland GM job, provided that the two top candidates -- Patriots front-office chief Scott Pioli and Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome -- remain unavailable . . . .

Davis probably would be the favorite to replace Saban at LSU, if he wants the job. He was on the school's list of candidates before Saban was hired. Davis has indicated that he plans to take a year off coaching, and he doesn't have to work if he doesn't want to. Lerner agreed to pay him the approximately $12 million owed to him over the next three years under his contract.

But it might be possible that Davis could be persuaded to make a quick return to coaching at LSU. Even before he left the Browns, NFL sources said that he was gauging the possible interest in him at LSU and the University of Florida through intermediaries. The Florida job was filled by Urban Meyer . . . .

One of the best indications that Saban might keep Jim Bates, the Dolphins' interim coach, as his defensive coordinator is that Saban's defensive coordinator at LSU, Will Muschamp, reportedly is a candidate for the defensive coordinator job at Clemson and the head-coaching position at the University of Miami (Ohio).

Saban and Bates coached together in Cleveland. One of the major reasons for Spurrier's failure with the Redskins, many people around the league believe, was his decision to surround himself with too many assistants who were with him at Florida but lacked NFL coaching experience. The Dolphins wouldn't want to see Saban make the same mistake . . . .

If the Dolphins hand Saban the final authority over football decisions, that probably wouldn't bode well for the team's current general manager, Rick Spielman. It already was a bad sign for Spielman that after he said recently he'd been assured by Huizenga that he'd be with the team next season, outgoing club president Eddie Jones quickly indicated that all such decisions would be subject to review after the new coach is hired.

There has been plenty of talk that Saban's front-office chief in Miami could be Floyd Reese, the Tennessee Titans' general manager who is a former Houston Oilers coaching cohort of Saban and has had his differences with Titans Coach Jeff Fisher.

Wannstedt Takes Pitt Job

The University of Pittsburgh has scheduled a news conference for this afternoon to announce the hiring of Wannstedt as its coach. He replaces Walt Harris, who left for Stanford. Wannstedt, a Pitt alum, reconsidered his candidacy after initially withdrawing his name from consideration.

Vick Agrees to Record Deal

The Atlanta Falcons and quarterback Michael Vick have agreed to a 10-year contract worth more than $100 million, including a record $37 million in bonus money.

That surpasses the $34.5 million signing bonus that quarterback Peyton Manning received in the seven-year, $98 million deal that he signed with the Indianapolis Colts last offseason. The agreement, negotiated by agent Joel Segal, runs through the 2014 season, although it was not immediately clear how the contract is structured and whether it will have to be renegotiated at some point for salary cap purposes. Vick reportedly had reached incentives in his previous contract that would have enabled him to void the remaining two seasons and become a free agent during the upcoming offseason.

Vick, 24, has led the Falcons to an 11-3 record this season and the NFC South title.

Gruden Takes Blame

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach Jon Gruden isn't the "Golden Boy" any more, not even in his own locker room. Less than two years removed from his Super Bowl triumph with the team, Gruden this week was criticized by his players. Defensive end Simeon Rice said Monday that the club suffers from a lack of discipline and a lack of attention to detail under Gruden, and cornerback Ronde Barber said during his weekly radio show Tuesday that, while he regards Gruden as his leader, he essentially agreed with Rice's comments.

Gruden said Wednesday he accepts the blame for the Buccaneers' 5-9 record on top of last season's 7-9 post-Super Bowl failure. They have become the first team ever to follow a Super Bowl triumph with consecutive losing seasons.

"I deserve the criticism," Gruden said during his news briefing. "A head coach is going to get criticized. I'm not the only one who is being criticized. You've got to be able to take the good times [and] the bad. You've got to have a thick, resilient skin. I know this. I've got a lot of friends of mine calling up and asking me why I'm so lax. Hell, I don't know where that's coming from. I have a hard time cooling out and calming down.

"People are going to say what they've got to say. You don't have to agree with everything that's said . . . . I do respect what was said. And I respect what we have to do to turn this around. That's what we're out here working on doing."

Gruden indicated he'd spoken to Rice about the matter.

"I try not to overreact," Gruden said. "I've talked to a couple of the players -- all the players, honestly -- and they're very frustrated at the way we just lost another game in a very similar fashion to the way we've lost several. I believe everything is in order here. We know what we have to do to turn this around, and it's up to us to roll our fists up together and get that done.

"I talked to [Rice] about where those comments are coming from. I'm comfortable with our conversation . . . . I'm very comfortable with the way this program is being run, and I think he is also."

Gruden and General Manager Bruce Allen parted with franchise cornerstones John Lynch and Warren Sapp last offseason, and Gruden benched Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson during the season in favor of first Chris Simms, then Brian Griese. Gruden won a Super Bowl with a team that he basically inherited from predecessor Tony Dungy, and now he and Allen must find a way to turn the club back into a winner.

"There's no quick fix," Gruden said. "There's no easy way to say, 'Hey, snap,' turn the lights on different or come up with some profound, philosophical speech now that's a cure-all . . . . The standards are very high here. It's championship football. We want to win a Super Bowl. And that's it, period. There's a lot of frustration here right now, and I'm glad there is. I know I'm frustrated. But at the same time, I'm confident we'll get this thing turned around."

The Buccaneers are coming off an exasperating defeat to New Orleans in which they lost a 10-point lead in the final four minutes. But they are among the NFC teams with losing records still clinging to playoff hopes, and they play the Carolina Panthers at home on Sunday.

"I take all the criticism upon myself, and I'll do everything I can to correct it," Gruden said. "We've got to get ourselves together and find a way to win a football game, and that's what we're going to do. Carolina has no pity for us. There are a lot of teams that have had disappointing seasons. It's up to all of us as professionals to rally around each other and find a way out of it.'' . . . Tampa Bay placed safety Jermaine Phillips on the injured reserve list because of a broken forearm and signed defensive end Bryant McNeal from the Denver Broncos' practice squad . . . .

Detroit put kick returner Eddie Drummond, who was named to the NFC Pro Bowl team Wednesday, on the IR list because of the broken shoulder blade he suffered on Thanksgiving. The Lions signed cornerback Mike Echols off Minnesota's practice squad . . . . San Francisco put defensive end Andre Carter on IR because of his ailing back . . . Chicago middle linebacker Brian Urlacher's second hamstring injury of the season sent him to the IR list Wednesday, the same day he missed out on being selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his five NFL seasons. The Bears were 5-4 this season with Urlacher, who also missed two games after undergoing surgery to relieve pressure from internal bleeding in his calf, and are 0-5 without him. Chicago promoted defensive end Alain Kashama from the practice squad to take Urlacher's roster spot.

Palmer Sits

Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer sat out the Bengals' practice Wednesday, still hampered by damage to the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He is to be re-evaluated Friday. Jon Kitna would make a second straight start if Palmer remains sidelined this weekend. That would ruin the matchup of the top overall selections in the last two drafts, with the Bengals set to face the Giants and quarterback Eli Manning on Sunday . . .

Giants cornerback Will Peterson probably won't start Sunday's game as punishment for missing a team meeting Monday . . .

Buffalo tailback Willis McGahee sat out practice Wednesday because of his bruised and hyperextended right knee. With Travis Henry sidelined by torn ankle ligaments, rookie tailback Shaud Williams might make his first NFL start Sunday at San Francisco . . .

New York Jets defensive end John Abraham did some light running Wednesday but is to sit out his third game in a row because of a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, and might not play again until the playoffs . . .

Arizona reached a tentative agreement with safety Adrian Wilson on a five-year, $21 million contract extension to keep him off the free agent market in March. The deal includes a signing bonus of about $4.5 million . . .

Seattle wide receiver Koren Robinson returned to the practice field Wednesday. He was reinstated to the active roster this week after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, that after Coach Mike Holmgren benched him for a game for an undisclosed violation of a team rule . . .

Minnesota gets back center Matt Birk and cornerback Antoine Winfield for Friday's game against the Green Bay Packers with the NFC North title on the line. Birk, who was picked Wednesday for his fourth Pro Bowl, missed the last four games after undergoing hernia surgery. Winfield was sidelined for two games because of a sprained ankle . . .

Rookie quarterback Matt Schaub practiced with Atlanta's starting offense Wednesday, with Vick sidelined by a sore throwing shoulder. There have been reports that Coach Jim Mora Jr. is leaning toward withholding Vick and tight end Alge Crumpler, who has a sprained knee, from Sunday's game at New Orleans, but Mora indicated he wouldn't make an official pronouncement about Vick's status before Friday. Mora did say, however, that Schaub will get some playing time during the final two regular season games. The Falcons are locked into the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs . . .

Pittsburgh rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is unbeaten in his 12 NFL starts. But he isn't headed to the Pro Bowl unless a fellow AFC quarterback gets hurt or bows out of the game, with Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady being named to the squad Wednesday . . .

Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress practiced Wednesday, but it remained unclear whether he will return to the lineup after sitting out four games because of a hamstring injury.