Switzer Most Likely To Be Looking For Job

Every day, there’s another report about Barry Switzer’s successor in Dallas: George Seifert, Lou Holtz, Terry Donahue, Dennis Green or, of course, Jerry Jones himself.

But Switzer won’t go quietly.

“I expect to be back next year,” he said after last Monday night’s loss to Carolina all but guaranteed the Cowboys will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1990. “But only Jerry can answer that. I have a loyalty to Jerry and this team. We’ll discuss the job candidly and honestly. I want nothing but the best for this football team.”

Most likely, Jones will let Switzer “retire,” and give him around $2 million in severance pay.

He’ll be the most prominent coach to leave after the season, but certainly not the only one. While there will be nothing like the 11 changes during or after last season, there will be some turnover.

Such as:

Likely to go: 1, Switzer. The main reason he’ll probably go is Troy Aikman, who still harbors resentments that go back more than a decade, wants a change. That’s one reason Donahue is a candidate - he coached Aikman at UCLA.

The real requirement: a coach who will accept the active participation of “Coach” Jones. Seifert’s name keeps surfacing, but it would be hard to see him or Green, the highest-profile guys, having Jones call plays.

2, Dennis Green, Minnesota. Whether or not he makes the playoffs for the fifth time in six years, he’s probably gone because he doesn’t like many of the 10 owners and they don’t like him, particularly after the peculiarly timed book in which he threatened to take them to court.

3, Dennis Erickson, Seattle. Erickson’s record is 21-25 and Paul Allen, the new owner, didn’t hire him. This is probably Seifert’s job if he wants it.

4, Joe Bugel, Oakland. When you’re 4-10 with 17 former first-round draft picks plus two former Super Bowl MVPs, you’re supposed to win. Some of the problems are Bugel’s, more are Al Davis’ - like the financial commitments to Larry Brown and Desmond Howard, and the departure before last season of defensive coordinator John Fox, who would have made a big difference.

Possibly gone: 1, Dave Wannstedt, Chicago. Normally, this would seem a no-brainer, because coaches who go downhill usually get the ax. But Wannstedt signed a contract extension after last season that will take him through 2001 and it would cost the Bears around $3 million to buy him out.

2, Vince Tobin, Arizona. Who knows, with owner Bill Bidwill the real problem. Yes, six of the 11 losses are by three points or less or in overtime, but this is an era of parity and the coach can make a difference in tight games.

Others: 1-2 . Mike Ditka, New Orleans and Dick Vermeil, St. Louis.

It was a surprise when they both came back and it would be no surprise if they left. The day after Ditka said he was finished, he said he’d be back.

The line changes daily.

3, Ted Marchibroda, Baltimore. If anything, he’ll retire. The antsy Art Modell isn’t very happy with a 5-8-1 record, but look at what happened to the Colts after Marchibroda was forced out.

4, Ray Rhodes, Philadelphia. This would be a resignation. It’s unlikely, but he’s had differences with owner Jeff Lurie and the personnel department. If he goes, he’d be everyone’s first choice to fill an opening.

A class act

This could be the final two weeks of Jim Jeffcoat’s career, and he’ll sit them out with a knee injury.

Jeffcoat is 36 and has been one of the NFL’s classiest players for a decade-and-a-half.

He turned down big bucks from the USFL in 1983, choosing to stay at Arizona State because he promised his family he’d get a degree. He was Dallas’ first-round pick in the 1983 draft, endured the lean years there, and (with Bill Bates, Nate Newton and Mark Tuinei) survived Jimmy Johnson’s purge of Tom Landry’s players.

After getting two Super Bowl rings, he moved on to Buffalo and had played 224 straight games before getting hurt. So while the Bills probably won’t bring him back, he may go looking for work elsewhere.

“I have more money than I’ll probably ever use, but I just enjoy playing,” he says. “I know there’s going to be a time for me to hang it up, but I want to make sure I got it all out of my system.”

Bills’ Tasker to retire

Buffalo Bills special teams star Steve Tasker will retire after the season, leaving behind a 13-year career that includes four Super Bowls and seven Pro Bowls.

Tasker made the announcement Saturday, a day before the Bills were to play the Jacksonville Jaguars in their next-to-last game of the regular season. He is one of five Buffalo players remaining from all four Super Bowl teams.

“It’s been one long list of gifts,” said Tasker, who is planning a career in broadcasting. “As I looked around here the past week, I realized I received another gift - the gift of wisdom to know when to walk away.”

Second half unkind to Kaufman

At the midway point of the season, Napolean Kaufman was an NFL most valuable player candidate with his 896 rushing yards. He ran for at least 100 yards in five of his first eight games, including a 200-yard day against Denver. He led the league with an average of 5.7 yards per carry and had touchdown jaunts of 83, 68, 58 and 55 yards among his six scores.

But Kaufman has disappeared over the second half of the season, rushing for only 268 yards in the last six games. He has been held under 10 yards once and under 20 yards in two other games. He also hasn’t scored a touchdown in 78 carries during those six games. His collapse down the stretch - plus the collapse of the Raiders - cost him a spot on the Pro Bowl team.