Trent Cole has been named to the NFC Pro Bowl roster. Seattle Seahawks end Patrick Kerney will sit out the game with a shoulder injury. Cole is the youngest Eagles’ defensive end to earn a Pro Bowl. Cole comes off a season in which he ranked sixth in the NFL with 12 1/2 sacks. Cole notched 103 tackles this past season and he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after a 3 1/2-sack performance against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8. Cole was voted Defensive Most Valuable Player by his Philadelphia teammates

Mike McCarthy made a commitment to youth when he became coach of the Green Bay Packers in 2006. McCarthy stuck to it through the bad times.  He lost eight of his first 12 games but didn’t panic. With five of his nine draft picks in the starting lineup, the Packers won their final four games of the 2006 season to finish at .500. Green Bay expected to be a playoff contender in 2007.  McCarthy kept nine of his 2007 draft picks and 10 rookies total. He started three rookies in the season opener and the Packers went on a 4-0 tear to propel themselves to the top of the NFC North. Green Bay stayed there all season, finishing as the second seed in the NFC playoff bracket with a 13-3 record. That rookie class combined to start 31 games .

The Dolphins  will return with some assistants for new head coach Tony Sparano’s staff, and ousted Dolphins coach Cam Cameron could be on the verge of joining the Baltimore Ravens as their next offensive coordinator.Three Dallas Cowboys defensive assistants the Dolphins have had their eye on will become available Tuesday. Their contracts expired at the end of business today.The Cowboys reportedly have offered extensions to keep secondary coach Todd Bowles, linebackers coach Paul Pasqualoni and defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers.Any or all could be officially reunited with Sparano as soon as Tuesday. Sparano was the Cowboys assistant head coach and offensive line assistant .As for the offensive side of the ball, longtime Bill Parcells associate Dan Henning has emerged as a candidate to be the next offensive coordinator.

 Mike Tomlin announced that defensive end Aaron Smith might be out for the season because of a torn bicep muscle.  Tomlin’s initial suspicions were confirmed correct later. First came a 21-point defeat to the New England Patriots. A lot has been said about Pittsburgh’s offensive running game and how it dictates the team’s performance.  the Steelers were third in the NFL in rushing ‘D’ in 2005 and ‘06, and they were first in ‘04.  Pittsburgh was once again third in the NFL in that department.  And Aaron Smith was a major reason why.

Prime space is given to the exploits of LaDainian Tomlinson. He is the face of the San Diego Chargers. There is the ball he carried into the end zone for his 100th career touchdown, which required just 89 games. No one in NFL history has reached that mark quicker.  While Tomlinson will forever be part of Chargers lore, many of his records perhaps will be broken.   He had a third of the team’s league-leading 30 interceptions during the regular season, and has one of the Chargers’ three picks in the playoffs. The sad part is San Diego coach Norv Turner knows Cromartie’s interception against Peyton Manning in last Sunday’s divisional playoff win over the Colts will never get the credit it deserves because a questionable holding call against Eric Weddle nullified an 89-yard return for a touchdown.

Broncos fans would be able to sell their season tickets for any price they can fetch and to whomever they please under a bill sponsored by Sen. Lois Tochtrop. The Thornton Democrat said the bill was prompted by the Broncos’ crackdown last year on fans who were selling their season tickets online or through brokers. Fans selling their tickets through newspapers, the Internet or any other media could face losing their season tickets, the letter said. Tochtrop said the policy means even people trying to sell their tickets to neighbors or through the office bulletin board could lose their season tickets.