Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Steelers: Linebacker Arnold Harrison was signed from the practice squad Tuesday to replace Andre Frazier, who will miss the Super Bowl with a broken right ankle. Frazier was injured during the Steelers' 34-17 victory over Denver in the AFC championship game Sunday. Harrison is a 6-foot-3, 236-pound free agent from Georgia. To replace Harrison on their practice squad, the Steelers signed defensive tackle Grant Bowman. He spent the 2004 season on their practice squad but was released during training camp last summer.
Bills: Warren native Bill Kollar was hired as Bills defensive line coach, marking Dick Jauron's first move since taking over as head coach. Kollar, a 17-year NFL assistant, spent the last five seasons as defensive line coach with the St. Louis Rams. He replaces Tim Krumrie, who was one of five Bills assistants fired earlier this month. Kollar joins Buffalo a day after the Bills hired Jauron, the former Chicago Bears coach. Jauron replaced Mike Mularkey, who abruptly resigned two weeks ago.
Dolphins: Dom Capers gives Nick Saban two new assistants with NFL head coaching experience. Capers, hired as special assistant to Saban, coached the Houston Texans for their first four seasons before being fired the day after they finished the 2005 season 2-14. He also coached the Carolina Panthers in their first four seasons, from 1995-98. On Sunday, Saban hired as offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, who coached the Buffalo Bills to a 14-18 record the last two seasons. Capers, 55, is a graduate of Mount Union College.
Falcons: Michael Vick has a new position coach after the Falcons hired Bill Musgrave to tutor the quarterbacks. Musgrave, 38, spent 2005 as quarterbacks coach of the Washington Redskins, who reorganized their offensive staff last Thursday with the hiring of former Kansas City coordinator Al Saunders.
Rams: Former Saints coach Jim Haslett was hired as defensive coordinator. Greg Olson was hired as offensive coordinator. He spent the last two seasons with Detroit, first as quarterbacks coach, then as co-offensive coordinator. Both will work under Scott Linehan, hired last week as head coach.
Vikings: Coach Brad Childress filled out his coaching staff, hiring linebackers coach Fred Pagac and secondary coach Joe Woods. Pagac coached linebackers at Kansas City last season and in Oakland from 2001-03. Before that, he spent 19 seasons at Ohio State, coaching linebackers from 1982-95 and serving as defensive coordinator from 1996-99, when he coached Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield. Woods was Tampa Bay's defensive quality control coach for the past two seasons, working with current Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin.
Also, quarterback Daunte Culpepper has decided to end his relationship with longtime agent Mason Ashe. Ashe confirmed the breakup Tuesday night, which had been rumored for days.
Jay Riemersma to retire: Jay Riemersma, a former Pittsburgh tight end who hasn't played since tearing his right Achilles tendon in a game more than a year ago, is retiring from the NFL, his agent said Tuesday. Given the nature and severity of the injury, it would be too difficult for Riemersma to play again, said Jack Wirth, his Chicago-based agent. Riemersma, 32, went undrafted in 1996 after a college career at Michigan but he signed that year with the Buffalo Bills, where he played until 2002. He joined the Steelers before the 2003 season and tore the tendon in a December 2004 game. Pittsburgh released him Feb. 25. In 112 career games, he caught 221 passes for 2,524 yards, an average of 11.4 yards per catch, and scored 23 touchdowns. Last fall, Riemersma served as the interim coach of the Zeeland East High varsity football team after friend Steve Turner resigned as coach. Riemersma's team, the Chix, went 0-9.
Associated Press