Coach Richard Dent needs no introduction, even if some of the players he's working with now were just youngsters when he was one of the NFL's great pass rushers.
His credentials are well-documented: Dent is fifth on the NFL's career quarterback sack list with 137 1/2, he holds the Bears' single-season record with 17 1/2 and he was the Most Valuable, Player of Chicago's only Super Bowl championship following the 1985 season.
Now, Dent is back on the practice fields at training camp with a different assignment as an assistant defensive line coach. His job is to convey his expertise to a younger generation.
Dent, hired in April, is working with players including young defensive ends Alex Brown, who is in his second season, and rookie first-round draft pick Michael Haynes.
Packers
In Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Green Bay Packers signed tight end Luther Broughton on Sunday.
Broughton, a six-year NFL veteran, has played in 62 games with eight starts.
He was drafted by Philadelphia in 1997 and also has played for Carolina. In 1999 with the Eagles, he had 26 catches for 295 yards and four touchdowns. He was out of football during the 2002 season. The Packers also waived tight end Joey Knapp, who has a hamstring injury.
Texans
In Houston, Jabar Gaffney and the Texans believe a year of experience and a new role will allow the former University of Florida star to flourish.
Gaffney started 14 games in his rookie year last season and caught 41 passes for 483 yards and a touchdown last season. But he is projected as the slot receiver on passing downs with veteran Corey Bradford and rookie Andre Johnson starting as the primary wideouts. Coach Dom Capers believed the new role would have better suited Gaffney last year, but the depth-starved Texans needed him to start.
"Jabar's a better football player than he was at this time last year, and he should be with the experience," Capers said. "He has ability, he can run routes, he has good quickness, and he has a feel for open areas in zone [defenses].
Patriots
In Foxboro, Massachusetts, the New England Patriots wanted to put the tight end back in their offense when they made Daniel Graham their first-round draft pick in 2002.
But Graham never became the regular contributor he was expected to be during an injury-plagued rookie season in which he injured his right shoulder in September.
Now, in his second camp, Graham appears to be living up to his potential.
Seahawks
In Cheney, Washington, Seattle Seahawks free safety Damien Robinson will miss three-to-four weeks with a separated right shoulder.
Robinson, who played the last two seasons with the New York Jets, was injured during Saturday's scrimmage in Seattle when he made a low dive to break up a pass.
Rookie Ken Hamlin, who has been working with the starting defense at free safety and strong safety, will step in.
Reserve defensive tackle Norris McCleary will miss two-to-three weeks after elbow surgery.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB