The Californian from Salinas, California • 12

Californlan PRO FOOTBALL 4BWEDNESDAY, January 1 6, 2002 RAIDERS Patriots on their toes NFL From Page IB Digest Compiled from wire reports TAMPA, FLA. Bucs expected to hire Pa reel Is Tony Dungy was fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneerss on Monday night, and the team is believed to be close to agreeing to terms with Bill Parcells to succeed the winningest coach in last three weeks, the Patriots are healthy. Falling behind might limit Oak? land's offensive options. Sp might the weather. 1 With a tarp covering most of the Foxboro Stadium field and snow surrounding it, the Patriot? boarded three buses Tuesday for the 45-minute trip to Boston College, where they practiced on the Eagles' 100-yard indoor field'.

The Patriots' indoor facility is smaller. The outcome might be determined by more common factors. Can cornerbacks Ty Law and Otis Smith control Rice and Brown? Rice caught nine passes for 183 yards and a touchdown, and Brown caught a touchdown pass in last Saturday's 38-24 win over the New York Jets. 1 Can the Patriots stop a running game based on power that also showed it could go outside when Garner ran 80 yards against the Jets? "We'll find out early if what they're doing is too much for us," linebacker Ted Johnson said. "I don't anticipate that." 1 ments.

"That's a huge challenge," Belichick said, "but I can't sit here and say I look forward to playing a team like the Raiders and coaching defense against them. That's a lot of work." He said the Raiders add two receivers to the lineup, making an opponent think they're using a four-receiver setup, then pull Rice and Brown out before the ball is snapped. They'll send players in motion sometimes the same player twice on one play and present different offensive looks to create confusion. "We've seen everybody but the quarterback go in motion," Belichick said. "They're going to keep giving you those kind of problems to deal with." But Belichick has a knack for confusing opposing offenses, and his defense has been solid.

Despite allowing more yards than all but seven teams, New England gave up only 77 points in winning its last six games. And, after two weeks off in the THE ASSOCIATED PRESS San Francisco 49ers coach Steve Mariucci listens to a question about Sunday's playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers, during a news conference at 49ers headquarters in Santa Clara on Monday. MariuccFs future bright AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots Saturday, 5 p.m. PST (CBS) (regular-season statistics) DV-VD Pet. PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div.

5-3 7-5 3-1 6-2 5-3 8-4 3-1 6-2 Oakland 10 6 .625 399 327 5-3 New England 11 5.688 371 272 6-2 general manager Terry Donahue affirmed their commitment to Mariucci on Sunday. Mariucci said Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White contacted the 49ers last month with "preliminarily serious" interest in pursuing Mariucci for the school's coaching vacancy, though a contract never was NFL's upper echelon despite a young roster and remnants of the salary-cap problems that helped tear down a dynasty that won five Super Bowls. After winning just 10 games over the previous two seasons, San Francisco returned to prominence with an explosive offense and a young defense that emerged as a dominant By Greg Beacham AP Sports Writer SANTA CLARA Coach Steve Mariucci isn't going anywhere. He wants to be around to see where his San Francisco 49ers go next. A day after a 25-15 loss at Lam-beau Field ended the 49ers' remarkable season, Mariucci reaffirmed his commitment to the franchise.

Though he talked in unusually candid detail about approaches made by Notre Dame last month and the general uncertainties of Individual team leaders Oakland New England Rich Gannon 3,828 Passing yards Tom Brady 2,843 Antowain Smith 1,157 Charlie Garner 839 Rushing yards 1,199 Tim Brown 1,165 Receiving yards TroyBrown offered. After a meeting with York, Mariucci bowed out of the running and told York he wanted to be back in San Francisco with force by December. Their loss to the Green Bay Packers was a missed opportunity, but the 49ers did not feel too bad about 43ERS Team comparison Average yards per game 0akand New England HH coaching in the NFL, Mariucci brushed off all suggestions he was unhappy with his San Fran Offense Total yards Defense Total yards 316.9 335.1 cisco contract, which has two years remaining, or his future. 334.5 I want to stay here, and I'm the season. "I think once we get some space and look back on things, we'll see that we took a lot of steps toward the direction we want to go," said quarterback Jeff Garcia.

After months of speculation and rumors about everything from locker-room conflicts to hurt feelings, the 49ers almost certainly will be going forward under their current power structure. Both owner John York and Passing Passing or without a contract extension. From the team's record alone, it's clear Mariucci did an outstanding job in his fifth season in San Francisco. The Niners put their top three offensive players Garcia, Terrell Owens and Garrison Hearst in the Pro Bowl, and their defense posted three shutouts in its last six regular-season games. "Those guys in the locker room shook up the league this year," Mariucci said.

going to stay here," he said. "I'm 192.7 231.7 a 49er, and that's that. I believe this organization is back on track 1 193.1 218.6 Rushing after a rough patch." Mariucci was the driving force behind the 49ers' 12-4 regular season, which dramatically returned San Francisco to the Rushing ImXi! 112.1 SOURCES: NFL; Associated Press AP SCHEDULE ODDS E-Z Transmission Automatic Standard AFC vs. NFC, 1 :30 p.m. Latest line Divisional Playoffs Saturday FAVORITE OL TL OU UNDERDOG at Chicago 2Vi 2'j(32'il Philadelphia at New England 3 3 (42) Oakland Sunday at Pittsburgh 6V, 5 (32) Baltimore at St.

Louis 9 10 (54' j) Green Bay Divisional playoffs Saturday Philadelphia at hicaqo, 1 :30 p.m.(FOX) Oakland at New Enqland, 5 p.m. (CBS) Sunday Baltimore at Pittsburgh. Green Bay at St. Louis, 1 p.iruFOX) Conference championships Sunday, Jan. 27 NFC Championship 9:30 amor 1 p.m.

AFC Championship 9:30 a.m. or I p.m. Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3 At New Orleans AFC Champion vs. NK Champion.

3 p.m. Pro Bowl Saturday, Feb. 9 At Honolulu Maintenance MONTHLY SPECIAL January 2002 franchise history. Dungy's agent, meanwhile, said he hopes to speak to the Indianapolis Colts about a shot for Dungy. "It's been a great six years," Dungy said Tuesday during a packed press conference at the team's headquarters.

"When you're a Christian, you kind of look at things from a different perspective. Some things that are supposed to be bad, even though they're sad, they don't necessarily strike you as bad times. I think that's how I look at today. We came with the idea of winning the Super Bowl. We didn't get that done, but we accomplished a lot." WASHINGTON Spurrier pledges to put a winner in D.C.

Steve Spurrier took over the Washington Redskins and immediately pledged to return the team to the greatness it enjoyed under coach Joe Gibbs. The former Florida coach also made it clear Tuesday who was in charge, saying he was "in complete agreement with the way Dan Snyder wants to run this team." If there's a disagreement with the yet-to-be-hired general manager, Spurrier said he would look to the owner to resolve it. The originator of the Fun 'N Gun said he would run the offense and that "hopefully we'll get an excellent defensive coordinator in here." "That's why I left college to see if my style of coaching can work in the NFL," Spurrier said. Snyder replaced coach Marty Schottenheimer on Monday, giving Spurrier a record five-year, $25 million deal even though he's never coached an NFL game. MINNEAPOLIS Stringer's family sues Vikings The Minnesota Vikings forced lineman Korey Stringer to practice the day after he fell ill at training camp and didn't attend to him fast enough when he was stricken a second time, his family says in a $100 million lawsuit announced Tuesday.

Stringer, a 335-pound offensive tackle, died Aug. 1 of complications from heatstroke. His body temperature was at 108.8 degrees when he arrived at a Mankato hospital 15 hours before his death. In their lawsuit, the Stringer family contends that on July 30, the first day of training camp, then-offensive line coach Mike Tice called the 27-year-old player a "big baby" for struggling in the summer heat. It also says that on July 31, Tice taunted Stringer by showing him a newspaper photo of Stringer doubling over and gasping for breath.

CHICAGO A-Train gets offensive rookie honors Anthony Thomas of the Chicago Bears rolled to a performance that earned him The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year award on Tuesday. Thomas, a second-round draft pick out of Michigan, was a backup to James Allen at the start of the season. By midsea-son, he was an overpowering presence in the Bears' backfield. Thomas rushed for 1,183 yards and seven touchdowns, with four 100-yard efforts. Thomas earned 20 votes, beating San Diego's LaDainian Tom-linson, who had 16.

Tomlinson was a first-round pick, the first running back chosen in the draft. Thomas was taken 38th overall one spot in front of Pittsburgh linebacker Kendrell Bell, the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year. PITTSBURGH Bell is Defensive Rookie of Year Kendrell Bell of the Steelers was an easy winner of The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award, getting 41 of a possible 50 votes from writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL. Salinas Jaycess present annual awards Transmission Service $5S)95 (most cars) (filter, fluid, pan gasket) mm i i i i i Mi mm 389 Market St. Salinas 771-2045 riixiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimxzu: nniimmc Thursday in Local news Californian SBgJgii Attention Advertisers: WW: 1 tlSnl the winners of the organization's Distinguished Service Awards iXC'W-sjL and highlights the past year of HMMIHH' service to the community.

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