Rod Marinelli

Mike Shanahan became the latest and most stunning victim of the NFL coaching purge, fired yesterday by the Denver Broncos after a late-season collapse knocked the team out of the playoffs for the third straight year. Shanahan joined Eric Mangini, Rod Marinelli and Romeo Crennel on the unemployment line after going 24-24 over the last three seasons, including three straight losses this season that turned a three-game division lead to an 8-8 record. Despite that, and the 52-21 loss to the Chargers that ended Denver's season Sunday, this was a shocker: The ouster of a 14-year coaching veteran who won two Super Bowl titles for Denver and was considered my many in this town to be a lifer.

Batting practice If Lions coach Rod Marinelli insists on lobbing us softballs every week, we'll just keep whacking them back. Here's how Coach M described his team of merry men as they prepare for tomorrow's game in Chicago. "We've got great players here in terms of attitude. They are unbelievable," Marinelli said. Attitude? Rod, at 0-7, you better have an attitude. A bad one. "I wish you could feel the spirit and the energy here," he continued. "It's awesome.

Dennis Green, one of the winningest NFL coaches in the 1990s, signed a 5-year contract yesterday to guide the struggling Arizona Cardinals. Green, 54, who had a 97-62 record in 10 seasons with Minnesota and led the Vikings into the playoffs eight times, spent the day in San Diego exchanging faxes and phone calls with Cardinals officials in Tempe, Ariz. The Cardinals did not release details on his salary. The team announced his hiring through e-mail, and neither vice president Michael Bidwill nor football operations vice president Rod Graves, the driving force to land Green, returned calls to their offices and cell phones.

The Dallas Cowboys agreed to terms with free-agent offensive lineman Leonard Davis on a 7-year contract worth nearly $50 million. The story was reported on the team's official Web site yesterday. A Cowboys spokesman later confirmed the deal and said a formal announcement was expected today. The 6-6, 366-pound Davis was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2001 draft out of Texas. He spent his first six seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, at guard for the first four seasons before switching to left tackle in 2004.

Josh McDaniels, the man behind the New England Patriots' scoring machine, was named the head coach of the Denver Broncos yesterday. The 32-year-old McDaniels signed a 4-year deal believed to be worth $8 million, to replace Mike Shanahan. McDaniels guided an offense that had led New England to 18 straight victories before a stunning loss to the New York Giants in last season's Super Bowl. That team scored an NFL-record 75 touchdowns and 589 points. "Josh McDaniels is one of the finest people and brightest, most talented coaches I have ever worked with," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement.

The St. Louis Rams hired Miami offensive coordinator Scott Linehan yesterday, making him the sixth man to land a job as a first-time NFL head coach in the last two weeks. The team called a news conference for today to introduce its fourth head coach since moving to the Midwest in 1995. Linehan, 42, helped the Dolphins finish 9-7, winning their last six games. He had been one of three finalists along with Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera and Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.

Here's a head coaching resume for you: In 11 years, coaching three franchises, this guy reached one Super Bowl and lost. After that, he had a 1-3 record in the years his teams made the playoffs. The coach was Bill Parcells, a sure Hall of Famer for the two Super Bowls he won with the New York Giants - the most recent of which was almost two decades ago. Then there's a guy who won a Super Bowl in his fifth season - his first with Tampa Bay - then failed to win another playoff game in his next six seasons before getting fired this month.

Here's a head coaching resume for you: In 11 years, coaching three franchises, this guy reached one Super Bowl and lost. After that, he had a 1-3 record in the years his teams made the playoffs. The coach was Bill Parcells, a sure Hall of Famer for the two Super Bowls he won with the New York Giants - the most recent of which was almost two decades ago. Then there's a guy who won a Super Bowl in his fifth season - his first with Tampa Bay - then failed to win another playoff game in his next six seasons before getting fired this month.

Josh McDaniels, the man behind the New England Patriots' scoring machine, was named the head coach of the Denver Broncos yesterday. The 32-year-old McDaniels signed a 4-year deal believed to be worth $8 million, to replace Mike Shanahan. McDaniels guided an offense that had led New England to 18 straight victories before a stunning loss to the New York Giants in last season's Super Bowl. That team scored an NFL-record 75 touchdowns and 589 points. "Josh McDaniels is one of the finest people and brightest, most talented coaches I have ever worked with," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement.

Mike Shanahan became the latest and most stunning victim of the NFL coaching purge, fired yesterday by the Denver Broncos after a late-season collapse knocked the team out of the playoffs for the third straight year. Shanahan joined Eric Mangini, Rod Marinelli and Romeo Crennel on the unemployment line after going 24-24 over the last three seasons, including three straight losses this season that turned a three-game division lead to an 8-8 record. Despite that, and the 52-21 loss to the Chargers that ended Denver's season Sunday, this was a shocker: The ouster of a 14-year coaching veteran who won two Super Bowl titles for Denver and was considered my many in this town to be a lifer.

The New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and winless Detroit Lions fired their coaches yesterday, a day after the end of the NFL regular season. However, Dallas coach Wade Phillips retained his job after Sunday's humiliating 44-6 loss to the Eagles that deprived the Cowboys of a berth in the playoffs. The Jets axed Eric Mangini, the Browns fired Romeo Crennel, and the Lions gave Rod Marinelli his exit after he became the first coach to go 0-16. "I'd accept it and move on," Marinelli said about how he may be remembered.

Batting practice If Lions coach Rod Marinelli insists on lobbing us softballs every week, we'll just keep whacking them back. Here's how Coach M described his team of merry men as they prepare for tomorrow's game in Chicago. "We've got great players here in terms of attitude. They are unbelievable," Marinelli said. Attitude? Rod, at 0-7, you better have an attitude. A bad one. "I wish you could feel the spirit and the energy here," he continued. "It's awesome.

The Detroit Lions had confidence in themselves back in training camp, when Jon Kitna boldly declared he would be disappointed with anything short of 10 wins. They're not alone now because people outside their locker room are believing in them, too. Kitna (16-for-31 for 252 yards) threw two touchdown passes and host Detroit scored twice on defense, leading to a 44-7 rout over Denver yesterday. The Lions (6-2) have established themselves as a legitimate contender in the NFC and perhaps the surprise team in the entire league at the midway point of their season.

The Lions did it all in a record-breaking fourth quarter, scoring on the ground, through the air, on defense and special teams. Quite a difference from the drubbing they suffered last week at the hands of the Eagles. "Luck is turning our way," Roy Williams said yesterday after Detroit beat Chicago, 37-27. "We're a 3-1 ballclub and not a lot of teams can say that. " No other team in league history can say it scored 34 points in the final quarter as Detroit did against the defending NFC champions.