NFL ROUNDUP \ News and notes

Dolphins: The latest candidate in a seven-season search for a successful successor to Dan Marino has thrown one touchdown pass in his three-year career. The score came Monday night, and by the Dolphins' feeble standards, that means Cleo Lemon is tearing up the league. With Lemon at quarterback, an offense that had gone seven consecutive quarters without any points scored 10 in the fourth quarter against the New York Jets. Miami lost 13-10, but Lemon's performance makes it likely he'll share time with Joey Harrington in the season finale Sunday at Indianapolis. "It's very important for my career," said Lemon, an unrestricted free agent after this season. "The more you play and the more people see you play, the more opportunities that creates." Miami's third-string quarterback when the season started, Lemon has replaced Harrington in the past two games, coming off the bench to complete 20 of 31 passes for 202 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. He entered the Jets game to start the third quarter with the score 0-0. His first two series failed to gain a yard, but he threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Randy McMichael and directed a 35-yard drive that produced a tying field goal with two minutes left. "He seemed like he got more confident," Saban said. "He looked a little shaky in the beginning, but after the first couple of series he made some nice plays, did a good job and made some good throws." Lemon is the flavor of the week at a position that has been a bitter subject since Marino's retirement following the 1999 season. Among those unable to approach the standards set by the Hall of Famer have been Jay Fiedler, Damon Huard, Ray Lucas, Sage Rosenfels, Brian Griese, A.J. Feeley and Gus Frerotte.
Texans: Houston can't reach .500 this season, but they did reach one huge milestone, finally beating the Colts. The 27-24 victory Sunday was the Texans' first win over Indianapolis since their inception in 2002. The Texans (5-10) had dropped nine straight to the Colts. This win has been called everything from a fluke to a miracle, but a more apt description would be progress. The win doesn't mean much outside of Reliant Stadium, but inside it has reinvigorated players and will serve as a stepping stone for 2007. "This is real big because as an organization we're building our team right now to beat this team," said safety Jason Simmons said.
Falcons: Starting wide receiver Ashley Lelie suffered a left shoulder separation against Carolina and will miss the game at Philadelphia on Sunday. Lelie, who has 28 catches for 430 yards and one touchdown, likely will be replaced by former starter Roddy White. Adam Jennings, who does not have a reception, will move up as the No. 3 receiver.
Giants: Tom Coughlin relieved offensive coordinator John Hufnagel of his play-calling duties on Tuesday, just four days before the Giants face the Washington Redskins with a playoff berth on the line. Quarterbacks coach Kevin Gilbride, a former offensive coordinator with the Houston Oilers, Jacksonville, Pittsburgh and Buffalo and a head coach with San Diego, will call the plays on Saturday night in Washington. Hufnagel, hired as the coordinator after Coughlin was hired in 2004, will continue in an administrative role with the offensive staff. "This isn't about making John the scapegoat," Coughlin said. "Nobody on this staff works harder than John, and he has tried to do everything that I have asked of him. I have great respect for him and for his work ethic, and I feel a strong loyalty to John because of that, so this is a difficult thing for me to do. But we have to do something to give us a spark." The Giants (7-8) have lost six of their last seven games in seeing a once-promising season fall apart. The only reason they are still in the postseason hunt is the woeful state of the NFC, where five teams with 7-8 records are battling for the final wild-card berth. The Giants' offense was dreadful in a 30-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The unit was limited to 142 total yards and six first downs. New York did not snap the ball once in Saints' territory in the game.
Jaguars: Guard Vince Manuwai signed a contract extension Tuesday. Manuwai has started all 15 games this season, helping the Jaguars rank second in the NFL in rushing. They already have set the franchise record with 2,428 yards rushing and have 20 touchdowns on the ground. The offensive line has allowed only 27 sacks through 15 games. The team record of 28 was set in 2003, Manuwai's rookie season. Manuwai has started 61 of 62 games since being selected by the Jaguars in the third round of the 2003 draft.
Associated Press
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