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No One Wants To Coach Cutler??

There are reportedly "rumblings at the Senior Bowl" that the Bears can't find an offensive coordinator because candidates are turned off by the prospect of having to coach Jay Cutler, says the National Football Post.  The perception is that Cutler ran ex-Bears OC Ron Turner out of Chicago.  Turner certainly did take the fall for the Bears offensive woes.   It would also be hard to argue that Turner did a good enough job in the first place. There is a more logical perception that OC candidates don't want to work under head coach Lovie Smith, who's entering a "win or else" situation in 2010.

Dwight Freeney To Play In Super Bowl??

Colts RE Dwight Freeney sprained his right ankle in the AFC title game, but is fully expected to play in the Super Bowl, says the Associated Press.  The two-week layoff between conference championship week and the Super Bowl will get players on both sides back to at least close to 100%.

Bengals To Let Larry Johnson Go??

The Bengals are not expected to re-sign free agent Larry Johnson, says the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Bernard Scott will be Cedric Benson's primary backup from here on out. and has the talent for more.  Johnson is 30 and has well documented attitude problems.  If the Bengals don't re-sign him, some team will certainly give him a look. 

Will Jets Need A New Secondary Next Season??

Three-fifths of the Jets’ starting secondary may not return next season, including safety Kerry Rhodes, as upgrading the unit is a top priority this offseason, says the Newark Sar-Ledger.   First, the Jets don’t plan to pick up the $10 million roster bonus due cornerback Lito Sheppard in March and it’s unlikely he’ll return. Sheppard, a former two-time Pro Bowler with the Eagles, battled injuries all season and was benched for the Jets’ 30-17 loss to the Colts on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game, playing sparingly in nickel and dime situations. Sheppard, who was replaced by Dwight Lowery, finished with just one interception in 11 games this season. He cost the Jets a fourth-round pick. Also, rumor says,  the Jets is leaning toward releasing nickel back Donald Strickland, who can’t seem to stay healthy. He injured his right hand last week before the AFC Championship Game against the Colts and then injured his groin in the first quarter. His loss was a huge blow to the Jets secondary. Strickland played in just nine games this season, also having a quad injury and a concussion.

Is Willie Parker Done In Pittsbugh??

The possibility that Willie Parker will now longer be a Steeler is creeping closer to reality because Parker is an unrestricted free agent who sounds as if he has played his last game with the Steelers, says the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.   After losing his starting job to Rashard Mendenhall in Week 4, Parker played sparingly the rest of the season. At age 29 and with an average of 244 carries in each of his past five seasons, he wants to, and thinks he still can, be a starting running back in the NFL. Even though his 5-foot-10, 209-pound frame has absorbed a lot of blows. “I’m a starter always looked at myself as starter, that’s what I want to be,” said Parker, who was an undrafted free agent from North Carolina in 2004. “So, till I hang up pads, that’s how I’m going to look at myself. Rashard is a great back and he had a great season and, hopefully, he’ll carry it on. “I had six great years here with the Steelers. We won two Super Bowls. I want to thank the organization and thank everybody. You know how the business goes. I love these guys. I love the organization. I’m a Steeler by heart. We’ll see what happens in the future.”

What Will Vikings Do If Favre Retires??

If you’re Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, whose job it is to procure talent for the team, you have to check on whether the Philadelphia Eagles are ready to move on without QB Donovan McNabb, as rumored. says the Pioneer Press.   With McNabb, who might cost the Vikings two second-round draft picks plus Rosenfels, the Vikings could retain their league-wide buzz. It’s unclear whether new Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll wants to go with QB Matt Hasselbeck. McNabb and Hasselbeck — they would seem to be the Vikings’ only options among proven QBs if Favre decides he’s finally had enough.

How Hurt Is Cedric Griffin??

The Vikings fear that CB Cedric Griffin tore his ACL and MCL in Sunday's NFC Championship Game, says the Chicago Sun-Times.  Griffin went down while covering the opening kickoff of overtime. The results of his MRI are unknown, but tearing both ligaments would almost guarantee that Griffin starts 2010 on the PUP list. With Antoine Winfield turning 33 and Benny Sapp being a free agency, such a serious injury to Griffin would vault cornerback to the top of Minnesota's list of offseason needs.

No Official Word On Tom Cable

Raiders spokesman John Herrera said Monday that the Raiders still have not decided the fate of head coach Tom Cable.  Al Davis continues to toy with the media while hiring assistant coaches with direct connections to Cable. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported three days ago, it is likely Cable will stay. Word is that Davis and Cable are meeting "regularly" to discuss the future, just a day after claiming the Raiders never gave any indication Cable's job was in danger.

What Will Bears Do With Ogunleye??

Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye is recovering just fine from the broken fibula he suffered in the Week 15 loss at Baltimore. “The leg is good. I’ve just been resting it,” Ogunleye told the Staten Island Advance. Ogunleye suffered a small fracture in his left leg and was placed on season-ending injured reserve, but he should be fully cleared or close to it before free agency opens March 5. The Bears have a decision to make. They are expected to let Ogunleye test the open market to gauge his value. He has said he would like to return, and their need for a defensive end has been heightened after the death of Gaines Adams.

Latest On Viking Stadium News

A new wrinkle developed in the Minnesota Vikings’ stadium strategy on Friday, when team officials said they are looking at federal stimulus money to help them build a new home that just might be located in the suburbs, says the Star Tribune.   Vikings’ spokesman Lester Bagley told a real estate gathering in Minneapolis that private developers and local government officials have also approached the team about a half dozen potential Twin Cities suburban sites. Bagley would not say where, but some signs pointed to Dayton, near Interstate 94 in western Hennepin County, as a possible home. To help finance the deal, the Vikings are exploring federal Build America Bonds, along with a possible 2 percent increase in the hospitality tax across the seven-county metro area.

Brian Westbrook To NOT Retire??

Pro Football Weekly hears that the talk of RB Brian Westbrook’s career being over might be highly premature. Westbrook’s balky left knee — and not the multiple concussions he suffered this season — reportedly is the issue that might cause him to retire, but he is not believed to have suffered any further injury to the knee this past season. Westbrook might not remain with the Eagles given their preference not to pay $7.5 million to a part-time player, which is what he would be in Philly next season if he stayed. But he is not likely to retire at this point.