Raiders try to rebuild under Cable
ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Al Davis has had an easy time changing coaches in recent years, with Tom Cable becoming the fifth coach of the Oakland Raiders in the past six years when he replaced the fired Lane Kiffin this week.
Altering the losing course of his once-proud franchise has proved much more difficult for Davis. The Raiders have lost 64 games since the start of the 2003 season, more than any other team in the NFL.
For a man who built three Super Bowl champions and one of the most successful franchises in professional football in his first 21 years with the Raiders, this recent stretch of ineptitude has been especially painful.
"We'll get back, we'll be back," Davis said. "The Raiders will be back. I have unshakable confidence, the will to win, and I just know that the fire that burns brightest in this building is the will to win, and we will win. We will win."
Davis' comments came during a news conference to fire Kiffin that unveiled much of the dysfunction in his franchise. Davis took 45 minutes to detail mistakes made by Kiffin, including such minute things as when to use his timeouts, and the owner described acts of what he called insubordination as part of a plan to avoid paying Kiffin the remainder of the $6 million he is owed.
Only after he was finished with that did Davis turn to the future, introducing Cable as his interim coach. The Raiders have a bye this weekend, so Cable's first game will be next Sunday in New Orleans.
But is there any reason to suspect Cable can succeed by winning and pleasing Davis where almost every one of his predecessors has failed?
"If (Jon) Gruden couldn't make it there and Bill Callahan couldn't make it there and then if Norv Turner couldn't make it there and then Art Shell couldn't make it there and then Lane Kiffin couldn't make it there, why does he think, all of a sudden, he's going to make it there? I don't understand," former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon told Sirius Satellite radio.
Gannon was one of many former Raiders who chimed in this week on the bizarre circumstances in Oakland. Dominic Rhodes called it a "circus" he was glad to have escaped. Warren Sapp said on "Inside The NFL" that Davis meddled too much and that the football he knows is "just '60s and '70s football."
It was not the best week for the 79-year-old former coach, AFL commissioner and visionary executive who is credited for breakthroughs in minority hiring, labor peace and much success in his nearly half-century in professional football.
Then again, there haven't been many great weeks for Davis since his Raiders lost the Super Bowl to Tampa Bay following the 2002 season. They have lost at least 11 games every season since, with few signs of improvement this year with a 1-3 start and a coaching change.
"It's hard for him. I've known him for a long time," said former Raiders coach Tom Flores, who won two Super Bowls for Davis before being fired in 1987. "I worked for him for 20 years and helped him win Super Bowls. I've been through the good days, the bad days. His whole life is this team. Until he can't, he'll never stop doing what he thinks is right for this team."
Davis showed signs of being ready to make some concessions to the way he has run the team. He talked about adding a senior personnel executive in the offseason, which could help both on the field and by creating a buffer between owner and coach.
He also talked about the increasing involvement by his son Mark, who is focused on stadium and business issues and will eventually run the team.
But Davis has no plans to go anywhere soon, saying he still wants to win two more Super Bowls and talking about how his mother lived until she was 103.
The man who gets the first chance to rebuild the Raiders is Cable, who brings a long love of the franchise that Kiffin lacked. Davis has always shown great loyalty to players and staff members, often not allowing new coaches to make changes.
Kiffin came on board talking about changing the culture in Oakland and that rankled Davis at times.
"I just don't operate that way," he said. "I couldn't get him to feel toward ex-Raiders the way I wanted him to feel. But I thought he would because when he came here for the job: 'Oh, I know about the history, I know about the organization, I know about the history, I know about this.'
"Bull."
That won't be a problem with Cable, who grew up in the Bay Area cheering for the Raiders and referred to "Mr. Davis" instead of "Al" at his introductory news conference.
Cable's only previous head coaching experience came at Idaho. He had just an 11-35 record in four seasons with the Vandals, but has had much more success as an offensive coordinator and line coach in both college and the pros.
"In order to succeed you have to fail," Cable said. "I've said that from Day 1, never be afraid to make mistakes."
He brought in his zone-blocking philosophy to Oakland last season, rebuilding a line that had been atrocious under Art Shell in 2006. The Raiders ran for the sixth-most yards in the league last year and cut their sacks total from 72 to 41.
Cable has earned the adulation of his linemen in Oakland, who frequently praised his teaching ability and intensity as a coach. Now he will try to carry that over to the rest of the team, something his former colleagues believe he can do easily.
"Sometimes people have trouble seeing offensive line coaches as coordinators or head coaches because they put him in a certain category, or a certain silo," said Seattle assistant Jim Mora, who had Cable on his staff in Atlanta in 2006. "Tom always saw the big picture very well. He's had very, very good success as an offensive coordinator, a lot of success. I'm excited for him. I think he'll do a tremendous job."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Millen's mess will haunt Lions
ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Detroit Lions fans got what they wanted when one of the most vilified executives in sports was fired.
But Matt Millen's mess might linger for years even if the franchise finally finds a miracle worker or two to be its general manager and coach.
The Lions face a daunting task of making up for draft-day busts such as quarterback Joey Harrington and receiver Charles Rogers, the No. 3 and No. 2 picks overall in 2002 and 2003.
Instead of leading Detroit in the prime of their careers, both are out of the league.
"They can't do it alone," Millen said in a 2003 interview with The Associated Press. "But in order for us to get where we want to get, we can't look back and say we missed with those guys."
Unfortunately for the Lions, they did miss on those guys, as they whiffed on many other draft picks, and firing Millen won't change that.
Receiver Mike Williams, the No. 10 pick in 2005, also is an ex-NFL player.
The list of Detroit draftees who made an impact in the league is much shorter than the one filled with busts. That fact hurts the Lions now and will in the years to come.
Of course, the men in charge of running the franchise for the rest of the season disagree.
"The perception inside the building is what matters to us," Lions executive vice president Tom Lewand told beat writers Thursday. "You focus on the positive. You remove the negative."
Coach Rod Marinelli has been sticking with the similar mantra for two-plus seasons and the results have not been good on Sundays. The Lions are an NFC-worst 10-25 since hiring Marinelli, making Millen's final record an NFL-worst 31-84 since 2001.
Detroit fell behind 21-0 in its first two games and 21-3 in its third en route to routs and an 0-3 record.
But Lewand and new general manager Martin Mayhew insisted it's not time to invest in the future by playing younger players such as second-year quarterback Drew Stanton over veteran Jon Kitna.
"Sacrificing the season, that's like you're speaking a foreign language," Mayhew said to a reporter.
One would think Marinelli is motivated to win as many games as he can to save his job by playing Kitna over Stanton or fourth-year QB Dan Orlovsky, both of whom haven't had much a chance to show what they can do in games.
Even though playing the young quarterbacks would give the franchise a better idea what it has behind center, Lewand and Mayhew said such decisions will be left to Marinelli.
After a bye this week, the Lions will host the Chicago Bears.
"This is about beating the Chicago Bears, then going on the road to beat the Minnesota Vikings and the next game," Lewand said. "For everybody. Myself. Martin. Rod Marinelli.
"We are in complete lock step that we're going to create a culture immediately to support the coaches and players because we have a lot of football left to play this year. This is a 13-game season for us and we're going to make the most of it."
When team owner William Clay Ford announced Millen was fired Wednesday, he declared in a statement that the front-office leaders would report directly to him and be in place until the end of the season, when an evaluation of the franchise will be done.
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Tom Heckert, who concedes final say on decisions to coach and executive vice president Andy Reid, would be a great candidate if he's willing to return to his home state to save the Motor City's NFL franchise.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher would be a great choice to be on the sideline if he could be convinced the Lions aren't as hopeless as they seem -- and if Cowher wants to return to coaching at all.
But even if the Ford family finally finds the right people to lead the Lions, it might be moot because of the mess Millen left behind.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Chiefs ask Thigpen to clean up quarterback mess
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The pride of Coastal Carolina is stepping up in class.
Injury, uncertainty and Kansas City's fervent desire to develop young players have thrust Tyler Thigpen from third-team quarterback to starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
To some fans of the Chiefs (0-2), it's a welcome sign that management is serious about biting the bullet and building for the future. To others, it's an admission the season is already doomed.
But for a 24-year-old stuck deep on the bench and with an NFL experience until last week consisting solely of six passes, it is a "dream come true."
"It's a great feeling," said Thigpen, the first player from Coastal Carolina selected in the NFL draft. "It's something you dreamed of as a kid and the actuality is here now."
The rebuilding Chiefs have 15 rookies on their 53-man roster and a bit of a mess at quarterback. They're the only team in the NFL that's had four quarterbacks complete a pass in the first two games, and they're beginning to wonder about the reliability of their designated quarterback of the future.
In seven starts, Brodie Croyle has had three injuries. A separated shoulder sustained in the season opener is expected to keep him out at least one more week, if not longer.
Career backup Damon Huard, who started last week's game against Oakland but came out with a stiff neck, is 35 and not in anybody's long-term plans.
So the door has suddenly swung wide open for a native of Winnsboro, S.C., who didn't even play quarterback his senior year in high school. If Thigpen does well in his first NFL start, Croyle could meet with unexpected competition for the job everybody thought he owned.
"Look around the league. This is the way this league works," Thigpen said. "Guys get hurt all the time. It's an opportunity for me to step in there and perform and get us a win."
A sturdy 6-foot-1, 220-pounder, Thigpen has shown a quick release and a strong arm. There is some question about his touch, but his mobility fits the bootlegs and rollouts the Chiefs are trying to feature in a new offense specifically designed for Croyle.
Coach Herm Edwards, while insisting the Chiefs are doing all they can to avoid an 0-3 start, also admits he's eager to get a look at the former small-college quarterback who came into the league as a seventh-round draft choice of Minnesota.
"We're constantly trying to evaluate players," Edwards said. "We say we're trying to grow a quarterback. When do you grow them? You can't grow them unless they play. And he needs to play."
In his only extended action since throwing for 6,598 yards and 53 touchdowns in college, Thigpen was 14-for-33 after coming off the bench in a 23-8 loss to Oakland last week. Several of his first few passes glanced off defender's hands before he settled down and threw a 2-yard TD pass to Tony Gonzalez. He also threw an interception.
"That was a game for me to get warmed up in a way," he said. "I get a feel for how the NFL works. I got a little time last year. It wasn't much. So it was nice to go out there and go against those guys and see the live bullets coming at you."
He and Gonzalez, who needs only 85 yards receiving to set the NFL tight end record, have been putting in overtime, trying to get a feel for one another. He also expects the Falcons to test a young quarterback.
"Me being a young guy, I imagine they'll probably try to bring some different stuff at me to try to confuse me," he said. "But we're going to stick to our game plan and get the ball out of my hands and let our playmakers make plays.
"I'm going to go down there with confidence and know I'm the starting quarterback and there's no reason to put any extra pressure on myself."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Can the Broncos make the Chargers eat their words?
DENVER -- The Denver Broncos are determined to keep LaDainian Tomlinson from running the ball down their throats again, Philip Rivers from running his mouth anew, and the San Diego Chargers from running up the score like they did last year.
The Broncos were bothered more by the smackdowns than all the trash talk when the Chargers walloped them by a combined 64-6 in 2007.
But Denver's spoiled season and the gap between the teams was best epitomized on Christmas Eve when television cameras caught Rivers, the Chargers' smack-talking quarterback, taunting his counterpart, Jay Cutler, in the waning minutes of San Diego's 23-3 win.
The Broncos didn't appreciate the Chargers rubbing it in, but what could they really say?
"To the victor the spoils -- something like that," Broncos receiver Brandon Stokley said. "They beat us up twice last year, so they can talk all they want. Until we get the edge on them, it's hard to say anything."
The Broncos (1-0) are hoping they can make the Chargers (0-1) eat their words Sunday at Invesco Field, where San Diego handed Denver its worst home loss since 1966 with a 41-3 trouncing last year.
"It was a pretty good beating both times," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "The only thing that was different was the field."
Despite a rookie-laden roster, the Broncos believe they've narrowed the gap with the two-time defending AFC West champs, and not just because the Chargers lost star linebacker Shawne Merriman for the season with a knee injury.
Denver's defense has been retooled, largely in reaction to how Tomlinson & Co. shredded them last season.
"Them guys came out and dominated us last year. I think we scored a total of six points and gave up a total of it seemed like 100," Broncos cornerback Dre' Bly said. "But we're a different team now."
The Broncos sport a new defensive boss (Bob Slowik); two new defensive tackles (Dewayne Robertson and Marcus Thomas); two new safeties (Marlon McCree and Marquand Manuel); and a reshuffled linebacking corps, with newcomer Boss Bailey joining D.J. Williams and Nate Webster, who flip-flopped their positions, Webster moving to the middle and Williams returning to the weak side.
Denver has two rookies starting on offense: left tackle Ryan Clady, who kept Cutler's jersey clean in Oakland, and wide receiver Eddie Royal, who wasted no time in making his mark on the NFL, catching nine passes for 146 yards in the Broncos' 41-14 rout of the Raiders.
And Brandon Marshall returns from his one-week suspension for violating the league's conduct code.
"This just opens up a lot of possibilities for us," Cutler said. "We anticipated B-Marsh getting a lot of double coverage up top, and now you can't, because Eddie is on the other side."
Nobody's more excited about Royal's emergence than Marshall, who caught 102 passes for 1,325 yards last year, but figures to see fewer safeties sticking to him over the top with Royal on the other side now.
Cutler can't want to unleash this terrific tandem Sunday, when he'll have the added benefit of not having to worry about Merriman, who announced Tuesday he was opting for season-ending surgery.
"You want to get their best shot, and obviously with Shawne out, we're not going to," Cutler said. "But they're still a talented defense. They still have a lot of guys that'll pick up the slack. We played without Brandon Marshall last week and we got along just fine. They're going to find a way to make it happen."
The Broncos swear they're not breathing sighs of relief over his absence.
"With or without him it's going to be tough," Denver tight end Daniel Graham said. "There's a lot of good players on that defense."
Cutler admittedly knows little about Merriman's replacement, Jyles Tucker.
"Who?" Cutler responded when asked about him on a conference call.
Jyles Tucker, it was repeated.
All Cutler knew about Tucker was that he got a new five-year contract recently despite playing in just seven regular-season games in his two-year NFL career.
"He's going to come out and want to fill the role that Merriman had. I don't know if he's going be able to play at that high level right away, but he's definitely going to make some plays for them," Cutler said.
As for Rivers, Cutler said he has no beef with him, downplaying any animosity that may exist between the two young quarterbacks.
"He doesn't play defense," Cutler said. "I'm not worried about him."
Rivers said his trash talk is "all in fun." His antics, however, have made him public enemy No. 1 in Denver. "You always expect it to be hostile and it always is going to Denver," Rivers said. "I'm sure it'll be a little more revved up for this one."
The Broncos sure are.
"It's embarrassing what they've done to us," defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban said. "We definitely have something to prove. We want to be competitive."
And get in the last word for a change.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Panthers prepare for first game without Smith
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Three large boxes filled with shoes sat in Steve Smith's cluttered locker Wednesday. Smith wasn't around to open the shipment, and wasn't there when his Carolina Panthers teammates voted to replace him as a team captain, either.
Farther down the same row of lockers, the man whose nose was broken by Smith's sucker-punch a month ago at training camp insisted they'll overcome being without their three-time Pro Bowl receiver as he serves a two-game, unpaid suspension to start the season.
"It showed the character of this team for us to have the ability to move on," cornerback Ken Lucas said. "People could still be dwelling on it, but we haven't. If anything, it has brought this team much closer than where we were at first. We realize how much we care for each other once the incident happened.
"It's like two brothers fighting. You're going to fight sometimes with your brother, but you're still going to love your brother."
Lucas acknowledged players discussed perhaps seeing if Smith's team-imposed suspension could be lifted. But the Panthers practiced Wednesday without Smith, leaving them with only three healthy receivers for Sunday's season opener at two-time defending AFC West champion San Diego.
"It has been a topic of discussion, but because of the rules, it can't happen," Lucas said. "All we can do is come out and win for him."
But it was clear Smith punching Lucas while he was on one knee with his helmet off during a break in practice Aug. 1 has changed the way Smith's teammates look at him. After overcoming early transgressions in his career that included a one-game suspension for punching teammate Anthony Bright during a film session in 2002, his teammates voted Smith a team captain last year.
On Wednesday, players voted to keep quarterback Jake Delhomme an offensive team captain -- and replace Smith with veteran receiver Muhsin Muhammad.
"It's a little unexpected," said Muhammad, beginning his second stint with the Panthers after spending the previous three years in Chicago. "There are a lot of great leaders on the field and guys that get it done."
The Panthers will not only need Muhammad's leadership Sunday, but plenty of production on the field, too. He'll start opposite either D.J. Hackett, who returned to practice Wednesday after missing nearly a month with a toe injury, or Dwayne Jarrett, who caught six passes as a rookie last year.
With Ryne Robinson and Jason Carter out with injuries, the only other healthy receiver is kick returner Mark Jones, who was signed Monday and has never caught a pass in the NFL.
Lacking options in the passing game, the thinking is the Panthers will try to quickly establish the run against the Chargers, especially after the solid preseasons by running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.
"It seems like you're all downgrading the fact that we have Muhsin Muhammad, D.J. Hackett and Dwayne Jarrett," Williams said. "If I were them I'd consider that a slap in the face for the media to say with Steve Smith being down, the running game has to shoulder the burden."
Players were quick to defend their teammates Wednesday. It was part of a strikingly confident, relaxed atmosphere in the locker room. Perhaps it was because of the absence of the scowling Smith and his shrieking air horn used to shoo reporters out of the locker room at the end of the media access period.
But Smith's suspension leaves Carolina without its top receiver for the past three seasons and its only serious downfield threat. Dating to 2004, the Panthers have lost four straight games when Smith hasn't played. They started 0-2 in 2006 while he was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Despite the obstacles, the Panthers feel they can prevent another 0-2 start. And the most confident player appeared to be the guy who had his nose rearranged by the missing star receiver.
"I know once he comes back, the desire to play football is going to be burning in his stomach," Lucas said. "I know he's going to be ready to play once he comes back. I'm just excited about this season and the potential we have. I'm just telling everybody to grab their popcorn. It's going to be a good season."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Chargers finally get over hump
SAN DIEGO Midway through a game that meant everything to a frustrated franchise, exactly nothing was going according to plan for the San Diego Chargers.
Heavy favorites in Sunday's first-round playoff clash against the Tennessee Titans at Qualcomm Stadium, the Chargers were getting manhandled on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Tennessee had outgained San Diego 178-94 in the first two quarters, with just six of those yards coming from star halfback LaDainian Tomlinson. The Titans led by six points, and it could have been much worse.
It was even raining in America's Finest City.
With a 13-year playoff victory drought spooking the 65,640 fans at Qualcomm and Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates knocked out by a toe injury, the Chargers sat in their locker room at halftime, listened as their coaches made a few strategic adjustments and calmly prepared to fight their way into the divisional round by any means necessary.
San Diego's response, a 17-6 triumph over the Titans that will send the Chargers to Indianapolis to face the defending Super Bowl champion Colts next Sunday, was an emphatic declaration that this team is no longer haunted by last season's playoff flameout. Unlike the 24-21 defeat to the New England Patriots in the same stadium last January, this was a game in which the Chargers were poised and clutch when they needed to be.
And just as former coach Marty Schottenheimer received a large share of blame for that defeat, ultimately getting fired in February after losing a power struggle with general manager A.J. Smith, replacement Norv Turner deserves credit for cultivating an atmosphere in which his players stayed cool in the face of adversity.
During that miserable first half, when the Chargers could have felt vulnerable and questioned their plan, the mood was resolute and businesslike.
"Nobody blinked," quarterback Philip Rivers said. "We've been through so much this season. It didn't get too big for us. Nobody panicked."
It's not surprising that Rivers, who completed 19 of 30 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown, viewed the team's second-half comeback as a metaphor for its season. Even before the Chargers played a game, the departures of Schottenheimer and coordinators Wade Phillips and Cam Cameron had many people questioning whether they could come close to matching their 14-2 regular season of '06.
Turner, with a 59-83-1 career record as a head coach, was viewed skeptically even by many of the Chargers' players – and those feelings intensified after the team absorbed a 38-14 defeat to the Patriots on the season's second weekend. San Diego struggled to a 1-3 start and was 5-5 in mid-November before the eventual AFC West champs closed the season with a six-game winning streak, including a 23-17 overtime victory over the Titans in Nashville.
As with that game, in which Tennessee held a 17-3 lead in the fourth quarter, the Titans took it to the Chargers from the start. They pounded the ball with halfback LenDale White, who gained 61 of his 69 yards in the first half, and second-year quarterback Vince Young shook off a strained quadriceps and played efficient, mistake-free football for most of the day. The Titans' bruising, swarming defense kept Tomlinson in check.
The Titans fielded the opening kickoff and marched 61 yards on 13 plays, taking a 3-0 lead on a 30-yard field goal by Rob Bironas. In eight previous home games the Chargers had outscored opponents in the first quarter 81-0, but Tennessee launched two impressive drives in the period. Two minutes into the second quarter, the Titans were 9 yards from scoring a pivotal touchdown when a hit by San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman forced a fumble by halfback Chris Brown that teammate Shaun Phillips recovered.
At halftime, Turner told his players, "We've taken their best shot."
Said center Nick Hardwick: "Six-zero? Hell, that s nothing. If you can't score seven points, you can't win a football game anyway. We knew we were fine."
In the end, though Rivers and receivers Chris Chambers (six catches, 121 yards) and Vincent Jackson (five catches, 114 yards, one TD) put up the big numbers, it was the Chargers' best player who provided the finest moment of all. With 9:47 remaining and San Diego holding a 10-6 lead, Tomlinson (21 carries, 42 yards) took over, catching a short pass from Rivers on third-and-goal from the 10-yard line and slicing to within half a yard of the end zone.
At Tomlinson's urging, Turner went for it on fourth down, and LT's leap was stopped cold by Titans linebacker Stephen Tulloch. Tomlinson, however, stayed with the play, reaching the ball over the goal line just before it was slapped away by linebacker Colin Allred.
"I was going over period," said Tomlinson, who won his first playoff game in three attempts. "We had to have that. It's been awhile since we've won a playoff game. I don't know what it means for the franchise, but for this team, it gives us confidence knowing that we can get it done on this level now."
Now the Chargers face a powerful Indianapolis team they defeated 23-21 Nov. 11 on a rainy night at Qualcomm. That strange game included a pair of special teams touchdown returns by San Diego's Darren Sproles, a career-high six interceptions by Indy quarterback Peyton Manning and a blown 29-yard field goal attempt by the Colts' Adam Vinatieri with 1:31 remaining which kept them from completing a 23-point comeback.
Tomlinson expects a much different game this time around, but after a rough season in which even he questioned the coaching staff's approach before buying in, he's thrilled the Chargers will have the opportunity to experience a rematch.
"It's going to be crazy out there," he said. "All season the talk has been about the Patriots, but these guys were the champs. You know they're going to be ready to play, because they're defending their championship."
Beating them sounds like a daunting task, but as the Chargers demonstrated Sunday, they're very capable of responding to stiff challenges.
Copyright 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
Judge drops NFL's Titans from 'Pacman' Jones lawsuit in Vegas
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A Nevada judge dropped the NFL's Tennessee Titans from a lawsuit by a strip club employee who was paralyzed in a triple shooting following a melee involving suspended player Adam "Pacman" Jones.
Clark County District Court Judge Jessie Walsh agreed with team lawyers who contended the Titans didn't do business in Nevada and couldn't be held responsible for Jones' behavior at the Minxx Gentleman's Club last Feb. 19.
I think what's happened to Mr. Urbanski is incredibly unfortunate, and we haven't lost sight of that," Walsh said Wednesday, with wounded club manager Tommy Urbanski sitting in a wheelchair before her.
"This litigation, however, has nothing to do with the Tennessee Titans."
Two Las Vegas lawyers representing the NFL who sat through the hearing said they intend to file a similar request next week asking the judge to also drop the league from the case.
"It's a tragic incident," said Paul Eisinger, a lawyer for the league, "but there's no legal or viable cause of action against the NFL."
The lawsuit filed Oct. 19 seeks unspecified damages from Jones, the NFL, the Titans and the owners of Harlem Knights, a Houston strip club that rented the Las Vegas club for the party the night of the shooting, during NBA All-Star weekend.
Lawyers for Jones and for the Harlem Knights and its representative, Chris Mitchell of Texas, did not attend Wednesday's hearing and declined comment when contacted by telephone.
Urbanski, who said he felt the Titans and the league "created a monster" by failing to discipline Jones for several run-ins with police in other cities before the Las Vegas strip club shooting, said he was disappointed in the judge's decision.
His lawyer, Matthew Dushoff, said he'll seek a rehearing.
Walsh rejected Dushoff's claims that the Titans failed to properly supervise Jones and that the league and team do enough commercial business in Nevada to be held accountable in Nevada courts.
Dushoff pointed to a computer displaying an Internet Web site on which the Titans sell game tickets, merchandise and fan club memberships in every state. He argued Jones would not have been invited to the club if he was not on the team.
"The NFL is all (over) the country," Dushoff said. "They have fans everywhere that they market to, not just the state of Tennessee."
Titans lawyer Nathaniel Hannaford called it "preposterous" to claim Jones' activity at a strip club in Las Vegas at 4:30 a.m. during the NFL offseason was to benefit the team.
He noted the team was a Delaware corporation that does business in Tennessee with no business ties, office, property, employees or phone number in Nevada.
"For all practical purposes, it is not located in the state of Nevada," Hannaford said.
The civil suit still names Jones, who pleaded no contest Dec. 6 to a reduced charge of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct, a gross misdemeanor, in the brawl inside the club.
Jones has been promised a sentence of one year of probation, and has agreed to testify about what he knew about the shooting outside. His lawyer, Robert Langford, has declined to say if Jones knew the identity of the gunman.
Witnesses told authorities that Jones grabbed money from a large plastic trash bag and showered strippers on stage with cash in an act known as "making it rain." A melee ensued inside, and shots were fired later outside the club. Urbanski, a club bouncer and a female patron were wounded.
No one has been charged in the shooting, but police called Jones an "inciter" of the fighting inside. Prosecutors have said they hope Jones can provide information leading to the arrest of the gunman.
Jones was suspended for the 2007 season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy after having been arrested six times since he was drafted.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
|
