The Stankoniforous Files

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The linebacker, who had a career-high 16 sacks to set a team record
and led the NFL with a career-high seven forced fumbles, beat Dallas' DeMarcus Ware
in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters announced Monday. Pittsburgh was the league's stingiest in total defense, pass defense and points allowed. Harrison was its main hammer.

"That's something that everybody in the league would love to have, to be voted the top player in the league for that year," Harrison said. "In my mind, I think I do -- and it's going to sound boring -- what the defense allows me to do and what my teammates allow me to do."

So, because he was on the league's stingiest D, he's Defensive Player of the Year? 

Harrison earned 22 votes to 13 for Ware.

Baltimore safety Ed Reed, the 2004 winner, got eight votes. Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth had five and Harrison's teammate, safety Troy Polamalu, got two.

"It couldn't happen to a better guy," Steelers veteran receiver Hines Ward said. "He's worked his tail off to get to where he is. You appreciate it more, considering where he came from and how he got here."

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Executive vice president of football operations Bill Parcells will
return to Miami next season and not exercise an escape clause in his
contract, team owner H. Wayne Huizenga said on Sunday.

Sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that the Patriots
will use a franchise tag on Cassel that will give the team two options:
Trade him if all goes well with Tom Brady's rehabilitation from a knee injury or keep him because all is not well with Brady.

That would mean the Patriots would have about $29 million in salary
cap space tied up in two quarterbacks, with Brady earning almost $15
million and Cassel guaranteed over $14 million.

However, the cap jumps to $123 million per team, which gives the Patriots $94 million to manage the rest of their roster.

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Despite the threat from athletic director Gene DeFilippo,
Jagodzinski plans to do the interview with the Jets, the sources said.
Those sources said that in the event Jagodzinski is fired, BC would
promote offensive coordinator Steve Logan to head coach.

According to the sources, DeFilippo first told
Jagodzinski on Saturday that he would fired if he interviewed and then
reinforced the school's position Sunday. Jagodzinski declined to
comment when reached by ESPN.

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I'm starting to think that Ed
Reed is the best defensive secondary player since Deion Sanders. I
really can't think of anyone who makes more "plays" than Primetime
himself.

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That still depends largely on Marbury's ability to negotiate his release from the Knicks after weeks of fruitless and oft-contentious buyout talks, but sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com this week that Boston is Marbury's preferred destination if he manages to become a free agent and that the Celtics are indeed hopeful of signing him.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge did not immediately respond to a request for comment on a New Year's Day holiday for the entire league and has generally refused to address the possibility of signing Marbury. Yet it's believed that the Celtics' concerns about their depth, after losing James Posey and P.J. Brown from last season's title team, have swelled noticeably since they followed up the best 29-game start in NBA history at 27-2 by losing three of the next four games on the road.