Shula Turns Down Baltimore

Don Shula will not be coaching in Baltimore and Hudson Houck isn’t coming to the Dolphins. This while Tony Nathan is bound for Tampa Bay and Bill Belichick seems closer to Miami.

The NFL coaching soap opera continued to play itself out Monday with as much news being made by coaches staying put as those moving to new jobs.

Shula, who was being wooed by Baltimore owner Art Modell, told Modell on Monday he had decided he wasn’t going to return to coaching.

“For sure, Shula doesn’t want to coach,” Modell said. “It’s not going to happen. I don’t think he wants to move out of South Florida.”

That also rules out Shula as a candidate to become the unnamed Baltimore team’s general manager, Modell said. Modell did tell The Baltimore Sun he remains close friends with Shula and would “consult” with the former Dolphins coach about certain decisions.

One of those decisions may be the firing of Belichick, whom new Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson wants to hire as Miami’s defensive coordinator.

Belichick, 43, has told associates he has not spoken with Modell in three weeks but expects to be fired soon. Modell, whose coaching search began with Shula, is expected to fire Belichick by the end of this week.

Johnson isn’t guaranteed of hiring Belichick, although the Dolphins are the clear favorites.

Belichick also may speak with the New England Patriots about the defensive backfield opening on coach Bill Parcells’ staff.

One coach the Dolphins won’t be getting is Houck, whom Johnson coveted but was prevented from interviewing this weekend by NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Johnson hoped to hire Houck for the second time in four years, this time as assistant head coach/offensive line coach. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones promoted Houck to assistant head coach last week and designated him one of two staff supervisors. That prevented Houck from making a lateral move, what the Dolphins were ready to offer.

Nathan, who was not retained when Johnson took over the Dolphins, was hired by new Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy on Sunday. The hiring effectively means the teams exchanged running back coaches this off-season because Kippy Brown was hired by the Dolphins off the former Tampa Bay staff last month.

Bills won’t re-sign Reed

The Buffalo Bills said they will not offer a contract to Andre Reed before Friday, allowing their all-time best wide receiver to begin searching for a new team.

Reed, 32, missed 10 games last season after sustaining a severe hamstring injury and had a fallout with teammates toward the end of the season. He was criticized heavily for a poor playoff performance against Pittsburgh.

Buffalo general manager John Butler told Reed’s agent, Jack Wirth, that the Bills would not offer the wide receiver a contract before the free-agent signing period begins.

Colts continue to pursue Infante

Lindy Infante is moving closer to becoming coach of the Indianapolis Colts, with his hiring possibly coming in the next few days.

“I think what’s been said is the truth at this point,” Infante said, confirming plans to meet this week with director of football operations Bill Tobin.

Infante and Tobin have been attending the NFL scouting combine, which ended Monday.

“At this time, I don’t think there is a need to talk with anyone else,” Tobin said. “I imagine we’ll have a public announcement to make within a few days.”

End zone

Minnesota quarterback Warren Moon is scheduled to appear in a Richmond, Texas, court today to face a spousal abuse charge… .Brian Baker, the defensive coordinator-outside linebackers coach at Georgia Tech last year, was named defensive line coach of the San Diego Chargers… . Reports in The Tampa Bay Tribune say former Tampa Bay quarterback Doug Williams will return to the Buccaneers as an assistant coach.