The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page E02

E2 www.philly.com THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Tuesday, January 24, 2006 The Sports Coach Pat Summitt, on her Tennessee Vols' fame: "When we were at Temple, I was amazed at how many people were in orange. We're very proud of our support around the country" The Sports Scene, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sports Department, Box 8263, Philadelphia, Pa. 19101 E-mail sportslettersphillynews.com More information 215-854-4550 Calendar DHome On the NFL By Ashley Fox game Staley inactive but overjoyed TUE. WED. THUR.

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29 JAN. 30 KINGS I I MAGIC I I KNICKS I MAGIC I 7:00 7:00 8:00 6:00 CSN CSN CSN CSN CANADIENS LIGHTNING RANGERS 7:00 2:00 7:00 CSN CH. 10 OLN I I I Manitoba I bridgeportI providence I 7:05 7:05 4:05 I I I I CHICAGO I CHICAGO I 7:05 5:00 Show Available from Featuring Flyers Weekly Update http:go.philly.comflyerscast 76ers Roundball Roundtable http:go.philly.comsixerscast was very rebellious," Staley told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in May. "I didn't know enough about him, didn't know a lot about him. As you continue to grow up and become a man, you become more rebellious because now you hear things from different sources, some caring people, some not.

You don't know which way to go. Some things that were said and talked about never got closed." Staley is working on that closure with his father, but his football career is far from over. He is under contract with the Steelers through 2008. Next season, he should challenge Parker for playing time, and, at the very least, assume the role now occupied by Bettis, who in all likelihood will retire after the Super Bowl. On Sunday, Staley was asked if the Steelers victory was bittersweet since he didn't get to play.

"This game? No," Staley said. "Next game? You can ask me that question when it's all said and done. But this game, no. It's been a great ride. It's been fun.

We started off good, then we had a little period there where we missed some games back-to-back. Now we're going to Detroit. I've enjoyed the ride. And it's a great feeling knowing we have a chance to take Bettis, a Detroit native, home. "That's all he wanted all year, was to go home.

Like I said, it's been a great ride. To be in this situation and be able to step back, words can't describe it." Then Staley's cell phone rang. He answered it, smiled, and said: "Thanks, man. It's great. It's really great." The nice thing was, Staley meant it.

Tim Panaccio, Don McKee, Thursdays Jeff McLane 11 a.m. Joe Juliano, Don McKee, Fridays Jeff McLane 11 a.m. Don McKee, Sam Carchidi, Thursdays High School Report DENVER Tucked in one corner of the Steelers' victorious locker room was a face familiar in Philadelphia, but increasingly foreign in Pittsburgh. It was Duce Staley. And he was happy.

The former Eagles running back hasn't played in a game since Dec. 4, but he proudly displayed his white AFC championship T-shirt after his Pittsburgh teammates crushed the Denver Broncos, 34-17, on Sunday at Invesco Field. There were many days as an Eagle when Staley was disgruntled, angry, irritated and downright surly. At having to share the football with Correll Buckhalter and Brian Westbrook. At his contract situation.

At his perceived treatment by the Birds' brass. But on Sunday, Staley was a different man, one joyous at finally having won a conference championship game after losing four straight. "I've been here five years now," Staley said, while a pack of reporters crowded around the locker next to his, the one belonging to Jerome Bettis. "I've been in the championship game five years, that's why the payoff is much greater now." It speaks a lot about Staley that he enjoyed Sunday's payoff, even though he watched the game from the sideline while wearing sweats, inactive. Again.

In those previous four conference title games, Staley was a proud participant, three times for the Eagles from 2002 to '04, and last year for the Steelers. After signing a five-year, $14 million deal in March 2004, Staley has had spotty success in Pittsburgh. He got off to a quick start in 2004, gaining 707 yards in the first seven games, but he had to learn to cede the spotlight to Bettis once the team was near the goal line. Essentially, Staley did the heavy lifting, while Bettis got the touchdown glory. But a hamstring injury limited Staley to three appearances in the final nine regular-season games, and he finished the season with 830 yards on 192 carries, with one touchdown.

During training camp in August, Staley had surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee, a procedure that essentially wrecked his season. Bill Cowher turned to little-known Willie Parker, an undraft-ed rookie free agent for the Steelers in 2004, and Parker emerged as Pittsburgh's go-to back. Bettis still saw action in short-yardage and goal-line situations, with Ver-ron Haynes working on third downs. By the time Staley was healthy, Cowher didn't have room to activate four halfbacks for games. Although Staley gained 76 yards in a Nov.

6 game at Green Bay logging his first 15 carries of the year and ran for 64 yards as a starter the next week against Cleveland, he has been the odd man out since then, with just six carries. He has not played in the last seven games. Staley clearly would like to play, but he has not made an issue out of it. Maybe that is because Staley has become close to Bettis, who took a pay cut to remain with the Steelers two years ago, and never complained about having his role reduced. Maybe Staley, who will turn 31 next month and is the father of two, has matured from his days in Philadelphia.

Or maybe Staley has learned that life is awfully short. After roughly a 20-year estrangement from his father, Staley recently reconnected with him upon learning that Lannie Staley has cancer. "During the time he wasn't around, I 11 a.m. http:go.philly.comhighschoolcast Rob Parent Sport Time Event Station NBA 7 p.m. Kings at 76ers CSN; WIP-AM 610 NHL 8 p.m.

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Penn Tom Gola Arena College Basketball Soul Roster Contact staff writer Ashley Fox at 215-854-5064 or amcgeachyphillynews.com. Soul hope Mitchell answers their call Bills hire Jauron as new head coach Seattle owner is a billionaire with a dream No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt.

91 Ernest Allen OLDL 6-4 305 Yardon Brantley WRDB 6-0 195 70 Cyron Brown OLDL 6-5 300 11 Mike Brown WRDB 6-0 195 96 E.J. Burt OLDL 6-2 275 2 Keita Crespina WRDB 5-8 195 24 Reggie Doster DS 5-10 185 32 Chad Dukes FBLB 6-1 255 3 Todd France 6-0 200 18 Kevin Gaines DS 6-2 210 7 Tony Graziani QB 6-3 210 56 Donny Klein OLDL 6-1 296 12 Marcus Knight WRDB 6-1 192 69 Dan Koons OLDL 6-4 305 65 Mike Mabry OLDL 6-1 295 5 J.J. McKelvey WRLB 6-4 225 15 Rob Milanese WRDB 5-9 180 95 Dwayne MissouriOLDL 6-5 280 21 Eddie Moten DS 5-10 185 50 Raheem Orr FBLB 6-3 268 40 Wes Ours FBLB 6-0 300 9 Matt Sauk QB 6-2 225 88 Sean Scott WRDB 6-2 200 By Marc Narducci INQUIRER STAFF WRITER The Soul are still reaching out to former Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell with one major message call us. Soul president Ron Jaworski reiterated yesterday that the team would be very interested in signing Mitchell, but contacting him has been the problem. "I have three phone numbers for Freddie but I haven't heard back from him," Jaworski said yesterday before boarding a plane back from Denver, where he covered the AFC championship game for ESPN.

"One number I called, an elderly lady answered and said he doesn't live there." Mitchell's agent is David Dunn of Athletes First LLC, in Newport, Calif. Dunn was unavailable for comment for this story. When asked why he doesn't call Mitchell's agent, Jaworski said he wanted to talk to the receiver first to get his pulse on possibly playing for the Soul. "I need to talk to Freddie first," Jaworski said. "He needs to play football and the Arena League and Philadelphia Soul could provide him that opportunity." Jaworski feels that Mitchell could return to the NFL.

"He has NFL talent but he needs to be catching footballs every day and showing people he is ready to play," Jaworski said. Mitchell, the Eagles first-round draft pick in 2001 out of UCLA, was cut by the Birds on May 16 and signed by the Kansas City Chiefs on June 18. Bothered by torn knee cartilage, Mitchell was cut by the Chiefs on Sept. 2 and didn't play this season in the NFL. Considered a disappointment by the Eagles, Mitchell had 90 receptions for 1,263 yards and five touchdowns in 63 games during his four seasons.

Mitchell made more headlines with his brash comments than his productivity. Still, he would appear to be a good drawing card for the Soul, who open their third season Sunday at the Wachovia Center against the Tampa Bay Storm. ASSOCIATED PRESS Former Chicago Bears coach Dick Jauron was hired yesterday by the Buffalo Bills to replace Mike Mularkey, who abruptly resigned two weeks ago. "In our business, it comes out in wins and losses. And if you win, it was a great decision.

And if you don't win, it was not a great decision," Jauron said. "And we know that our back is against the wall to win." Jauron coached the Chicago Bears for five seasons, going 35-46 with one playoff appearance before being fired in 2003. He became the Bills' fourth coach since Marv Levy retired after the 1997 season. Jauron is taking over a team that is coming off a 5-11 season and missed the playoffs for the sixth straight year. Jauron had one winning season with Chicago, going 13-3 in 2001, when he was named the NFL's coach of the year.

That team lost in the playoffs to the Eagles. Redskins. Joe Gibbs is turning over the reins of the Washington offense, a significant role change for a Hall of Fame coach who found himself trying to handle too many jobs. Al Saunders was formally introduced and given the title of "associate head coach-offense." The former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator will call the plays and essentially replace Gibbs as the offense's chief game-planner. Saints.

Sean Payton, New Orleans' new coach, named Dallas Cowboys assistant Gary Gibbs as defensive coordinator. Gibbs was the linebackers coach in Dallas for the last four seasons. Noteworthy. A 17-year-old high school student in Beaver Falls, said he was humiliated when a teacher made him sit on the floor during an exam in his ethnicity class for wearing a Denver Broncos jersey. The teacher, John Kelly, forced Joshua Vannoy to sit on the floor and take the test Friday two days before the Steelers beat the Broncos, 34-17, in the AFC title game.

Kelly also made other students throw crumpled up paper at Vannoy, whom he called a "stinking Denver fan," Vannoy said yesterday. Kelly said Vannoy, a junior at Beaver Area Senior High School, just didn't get the joke. "If he felt uncomfortable, then that's a lesson; that's what the class is designed to do," Kelly told the Denver Post. "It was silly fun. I can't believe he was upset." SEAHAWKS from El the loud crowd that packs the team's stadium.

He seemed truly honored by the exercise. "There were a lot of people up there saying thank you, and that kind of got to me, actually," said Allen, a Seattle native who purchased the Seahawks in 1997 and hired Holmgren two years later. "Wow, how intense was that today? It's just so rewarding." As much of a blast as it must be to form a computer company with your childhood friend (Bill Gates) that becomes the preeminent name in the marketplace and makes it possible to buy professional sports teams (Allen also owns the NBAs Portland Trail Blazers), you could still tell that owning a team that's headed to its first Super Bowl was right at the top of Allen's long list of accomplishments. "In sports, you have these peak moments," Allen said. "Winning an NFC championship and going to a Super Bowl if you're involved with a franchise or even just rooting for a franchise, that's a peak moment.

I certainly haven't had many like today. It's fantastic." You can tell that Holmgren has an incredible admiration and appreciation for his owner. The Seahawks' head coach, in his seventh season with the team and 14th as an NFL head coach, knows that another owner may have fired him after the team failed to win a playoff game in his first six years. "I thanked him in front of the players for being patient with me in a rather volatile business," Holmgren said. "To allow your coaches to build something and to believe in them, you don't always see it as much as you should, and he's been great with me." There have been plenty of difficult moments and decisions for Allen, although they probably couldn't compare to his resignation from Microsoft after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in 1983.

The Seahawks stripped Holmgren of his general manager role following the 2002 season. After last season, Allen JOHN FROSCHAUER Associated Press Seahawks owner Paul Allen holds the trophy aloft after Seattle beat Carolina to win the NFC title. "In sports, you have these peak moments," he said. fired team president Bob Whitsitt, whose relationship with Holmgren was contentious at best. "Paul Allen had to make a choice: Holmgren or Whitsitt?" Holmgren's agent, Bob LaMonte, said.

"Apparently, he made the right choice. Mike is much happier, and he's obviously the same coach he always was. This team probably isn't as good as it was two years ago, but this has a lot to do with chemistry." Allen, a man worth billions and owner of a lot more than a football team, basked in the Seahawks' winning formula Sunday night. "I don't think I could begin to understand what his day is like," Holmgren said. "With his interests and how he busies himself every day, there's a lot going on there.

But I know this: He's having fun and he's looking forward to the Super Bowl. What I saw Sunday was a gentleman in the locker room standing next to me who didn't want to leave. He was jumping up and down and congratulating players. He was excited." Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225 or mnarducciphillynews.com. I ac Votrac I BALL ST.

12 Cent. Michigan U09 VCgda LHIC NOTRE DAME Pick Georgetown is wo S. ILLINOIS 3 Creighton By Keith antz and Russe Cu ver tt. N. ILLINOIS 4Jfe Toledo VIRGINIA 2V2 Miami Super DOWl IOWA IV2 Indiana Favorite Today OAI Underdog WAKE FOREST 4Jfe Florida St.

1 Ipna 2 SIENA f5 LOYOLA, MP. 6 Fairfield In Detroit ninr-n Manhattan 5 RIDER Pittsburgh 4 47 Seattle NBA NCAA Basketball Une underdog Favorite Line Underdog 76ERS 5 Sacramento Villanova 14'fe SOUTH FLORIDA CLEVELAND 5 Indiana Kentucky 4 AUBURN Phoenix 4V2 ORLANDO MIAMI (OHIO) 3V2 Kent St. MIAMI 8V2 Memphis Buffalo 2V2 BOWLING GREEN Detroit 5 MINNESOTA OHIO 4V2 Akron SAN ANTONIO 14V2 Charlotte E. MICHIGAN 1'fe W. Michigan Home team in CAPITALS.

Contact staff writer Bob Brookover at 215-854-2577 or bbrookoverphillynews.com. Italian news agency ANSA reported. The torch is expected in Turin on Feb. 9. Security costs Italy has spent $107 million on security for the Olympics and expects to spend more during the coming weeks, Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu said.

Italian officials are "reasonably optimistic" that they can thwart any terrorist threats during the Winter Games, Feb. 10-26, Pisanu added. Greece spent about $1.4 billion for security at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, while the United States spent about $310 million on the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Associated Press failed drug test earlier this year. The U.S.

Olympic Committee said Lund would race in Turin, but did not announce whether Nardiello would coach the four American sliders. Nardiello was suspended last month over the allegations, which he has repeatedly denied. He went to arbitration with the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation last week in Albany, N.Y, over the merit of those claims. The sides agreed before entering arbitration that the ruling would be binding, and if no credible evidence against Nardiello was found, he would be reinstated as head coach.

But Nardiello was not immediately told what would happen, and the fed eration met last night to determine whether to allow him to coach the season's final World Cup skeleton race in Altenberg, Germany, on Thursday and Friday. Nardiello was suspended Dec. 31 after longtime team member Felicia Can-field wrote the federation's board of directors alleging that Nardiello tried to kiss her, touch her inappropriately and made comments of a sexual nature to her and other female athletes. Snowboarder appeals Two-time Olympic snowboarder Chris Klug has appealed the U.S. Olympic Committee's decision to leave him off this year's team.

Klug, who made the 2002 team after undergoing a liver transplant in 2000, was not among the list of 16 snow-boarders selected to represent the United States at the Turin Games. USOC spokesman Darryl Siebel said Klug filed his grievance yesterday and it would go to arbitration this week, possibly on Thursday. Torch protest Four protesters briefly grabbed the Olympic torch from Italian track star Eleanora Berlanda as the relay passed through the Italian town of Trento. The protesters known as "the disobedient ones" demonstrators associated with the anti-globalization movement nabbed the torch, and relay escort runners took it back, the Skeleton coach cleared of sexual harassment An arbitrator found no evidence to support claims that U.S. skeleton coach Tim Nardiello sexually harassed two members of his team, but even that wasn't enough to determine if he will coach at the Turin Olympics.

Top men's slider Zach Lund, meanwhile, can prepare to travel. The team's best hope for gold was publicly warned yesterday but not suspended by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency over a.