SUN WIRE REPORTS
Barry Switzer leaving after this year?
"Rubbish," says Dallas Cow boys owner Jerry Jones.
Jones on Tuesday gave his most ringing endorsement to date about his head coach, silencing rumors that Switzer was working with a short rope.
Jones said Switzer could be coaching the Cowboys well into the next century.
"Barry Switzer is more vital today than he was when he got here three years ago," Jones said. "I think of Barry Switzer coaching the Cowboys 10 years from now. He is my coach and my only coach for a long time to come."
Jones fueled the rumors himself when he said he wasn't adding another year to Switzer's five-year rollover contract. Instead, he was just letting it run. Jones admitted that was a mistake from a perception standpoint.
"I'm not talking about rollovers," Jones said. "I'm not biting that cheese any more ... (the rollovers) are not appropriate for how I feel about Barry as a coach. He is more strongly entrenched than ever since he got here. He's longer and stronger."
Since replacing Jimmy Johnson, Switzer has taken the Cowboys to an NFC championship game loss to San Francisco and a Super Bowl win over Pittsburgh. The Cowboys have stumbled out of the gate with a 1-2 record this season.
"Barry Switzer is young in spirit and has a very futuristic look to him," Jones said of his 59-year-old coach. "Barry Switzer inspires me. He makes me want to push the envelope. He has a go-for-it attitude."
* BEARS REPLACE HUERTA: The Chicago Bears have signed kicker Jeff Jaeger to a one-year contract to replace Carlos Huerta. Bears spokesman Bryan Harlan confirmed Tuesday that Jaeger had signed. The Chicago Sun-Times reported today that the deal was worth about $320,000. The 31-year-old Jaeger has 742 points in eight seasons, making 166 of 226 field goals (73.5 percent). He made the Pro Bowl in 1991, when he scored 116 points, and led the NFL with 132 two years later. Oakland decided this preseason to go with Cole Ford, who was 8-of-9 while an injured Jaeger missed five games last season. Bears coach Dave Wannstedt settled on Jaeger, who spent the last seven seasons with the Raiders, because he's "by far the best available experienced kicker." The coach said he also considered Eddie Murray, formerly of the Redskins, but avoided answering questions about possibly bringing back Kevin Butler, the popular Bears kicker cut in favor of Huerta. Jaeger, Butler and Murray -- who have a combined 3,331 points -- were waived in the final round of NFL preseason cuts. Wannstedt said he briefly thought about Jaeger then, but felt he already had made a commitment to Huerta. Huerta, who played for the CFL Las Vegas Posse two years ago, missed three of seven field goal attempts. His botched 44-yarder against Minnesota kept the Bears from taking a 17-14 fourth-quarter lead. Their eventual 20-14 loss put them at 1-2.
* CARDS SHUFFLE QBS: Timm Rosenbach is training for rodeos. Chris Chandler found new life with Houston. Tom Tupa now punts for New England. All have started at quarterback for the Cardinals since the franchise resettled in Arizona eight years ago. So have Neil Lomax, Cliff Stoudt, Gary Hogeboom and Jay Schroeder -- who are out of football -- and five others. Kent Graham will make it No. 13 on Sunday when he steps behind center against the New Orleans Saints. Coach Vince Tobin said Graham has earned his chance, even if it means putting Boomer Esiason, the NFL's 1988 MVP, on the bench. "He's a guy who really was kind of out of football for two years," Tobin said of Graham. "He hardly played at all in New York (Giants), and last year he never got in a ballgame. He hasn't had many reps (repetitions) and he was way behind in the preseason. But I thought he made progress and has continued to make progress." The Giants cut Graham in the preseason last year, and he missed Detroit's first game before he joined the Lions. It didn't do much good, because he spent the next 15 games and one playoff contest on the inactive list.
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