Rypien Sets Sights On Hawks

The Kootenai County NFL Quarterbacks Club has two members - Coeur d’Alene’s John Friesz and Post Falls resident Mark Rypien. Friesz already is a Seattle Seahawk. Rypien would love being one, too.

“I just like the scenario of being in the Pacific Northwest with a team that I grew up watching,” said Rypien, a backup at Philadelphia most of last season. The former Washington State Cougar was signed after Rodney Peete’s knee injury.

Rypien obviously would like a crack at a starting job, but doubts that will happen. His next option is Seattle, or somewhere on the West Coast.

“My agent (Missoula-based Ken Staninger) is seeing what the Seahawks’ situation is,” Rypien said. “Obviously they’re going to go with John, which is the correct thing to do. With (Rick) Mirer’s situation, it’d be a pretty good fit.

“It would be nice to finish in this area, nice for my family and I. We wouldn’t have to go as far for games.”

Seattle is hoping to trade Mirer, who lost the starting job to Friesz. Friesz has signed a two-year contract.

Rypien, 34, believes he has at least two or three years of football left. He didn’t rule out a return to the Eagles, where Peete’s health status isn’t clear. Rypien played in one regular-season game and one playoff game, going 15 of 25 for 153 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

“I was told at the East-West Shrine game that (Philadelphia) probably would have an interest in re-signing Mark, but that didn’t necessarily come from a source with all the answers,” Staninger said.

Staninger likes Rypien’s marketability.

“The league truly exposed the lack of experienced quarterbacks this year,” said Staninger, who expects talks to heat up when Rypien’s contract with the Eagles terminates on Feb. 13. “The two teams in the Super Bowl had healthy quarterbacks all year, but any NFL coach will tell you that it takes two good quarterbacks to win.

“He’s had three pretty easy years with Cleveland, the Rams and Philly, where he didn’t take a lot of bumps and bruises. Couple that with his playoff experience (Super Bowl MVP) and his intelligence from the standpoint of adjusting to different offenses and I definitely think there’s a market for Rypien.”

Rypien sees one potential drawback to playing in Seattle - getting tickets for numerous friends and relatives.

“Maybe I could hit up Ed Pepple,” he joked. In high school, Rypien’s Shadle Park basketball team defeated Mercer Island in the state championship game. Pepple contends the winning shot came after the buzzer and the coach reportedly still counts the game as a victory.

Chargers hire Gilbride

Kevin Gilbride got his first NFL head coaching job Saturday when he was hired by the San Diego Chargers to replace Bobby Ross.

Gilbride received a five-year contract.

Gilbride, 45, had been offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars the last two years.

Gilbride beat out Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and former New Orleans Saints coach Jim Mora for the job. Gilbride also had been a leading candidate for the St. Louis Rams’ job and Mora is now considered the leading candidate to take over the Rams.

Packers fever hits Kiln

These are normally quiet days in the tiny Gulf Coast town of Kiln, Miss. It’s too cold for the beach, too early for Mardi Gras.

Of course, these aren’t normal days. Tabloid television is covering high school pep rallies, cheese has replaced jambalaya as the favorite food and Packers gear is on every dress code.

With the Super Bowl headed for New Orleans, about an hour west of Kiln, the hometown of Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre has suddenly become a mecca for Packers fans and media.

“This is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened around here,” said Judi Johnson, 15. “I hear John Madden is going to come here and they may do ‘The Tonight Show’ from the school.”

Even if Madden and Jay Leno don’t come, enough reporters and fans have arrived to keep things buzzing in the town, which has less than 5,000 people.

“It’s been pretty wild,” said Irvin Favre, Brett’s father. “I guess we’ve had half a dozen television crews and at least 15 newspapers, not counting the local people, out here wanting to talk to us.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Jim Meehan Staff writer Associated Press contributed to this notebook.