Kubiak

ANNAPOLIS -- It was a simple Blue-Gold game that meant little to the few fans who bothered to attend. But for Navy coach George Chaump, at least the spring practice ended with the knowledge that his offense next season will be in good hands.Those hands belong to Jim Kubiak, who in his first spring practice completed 18 of 28 passes for 316 yards, as the Blue team defeated the Gold squad, 33-7, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.Sure Kubiak, who'll be a sophomore, played most of the game with the protection of a red jersey that made him untouchable to the Gold defense.

The Ravens aren't the only team preparing for the rest of 2012 without Ray Lewis. The Houston Texans, Sunday's opponent, must also adjust their game plan on attacking a Ravens defense that will rely on Jameel McClain, Dannell Ellerbe, Brendon Ayanbadejo and perhaps Albert McClellan to fill the void created by the absence of the 13-time Pro Bowl inside linebacker, who tore his right triceps in Sunday's 31-29 win against the Dallas Cowboys. Houston can empathize with the Ravens after losing inside linebacker Brian Cushing in a win against the New York Jets on Oct. 8 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- There had to be an anxious moment on the Navy sidelines yesterday on the game's second play from scrimmage when Jim Kubiak was sacked by 249-pound Virginia defensive end Matt Mikeska.It had been almost a full year since Kubiak was last hit during a game. That was also against Virginia, when he was knocked out with a separated shoulder in the third quarter of a 53-0 loss.Yesterday, Kubiak was able to get up. More importantly, he withstood the heat from an aggressive Virginia team and finished the game.

The Texans don't expect Jacoby Jones to be as good as Andre Johnson. That's not the issue. Even at his best, Jones is nowhere close. Almost no one in the NFL is. From the moment Johnson got hurt, the Texans knew everything they do on offense would be more difficult. They guessed Arian Foster might have less room to run and Matt Schaub might have less time to throw and that they'd have less margin for error across the board. But the thing that both excites and frustrates them about Jones is that he can and should be so much better than he has been the last two weeks.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Gary Kubiak, heading into retirement after a nine-year career as backup quarterback to John Elway in Denver, gave the Broncos something to remember him by yesterday.He gave the Broncos' offense some life when Elway was benched in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game, and he gave them a late touchdown, but he couldn't deliver a comeback victory."I'm going to look for a job, I guess, in the next few weeks," Kubiak said after his relief bid to get the Broncos to their fifth Super Bowl fell short in a 10-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Rich Stadium.

In the third quarter of a Week 6 game in Seattle, Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan turned to offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak and told him to assume play-calling duties.What followed was certain to grab the attention of several needy teams around the NFL.With Denver's Super Bowl victory over Green Bay, Shanahan has surpassed the Packers' Mike Holmgren as the league's reigning offensive mastermind.The fact Shanahan calls all the plays in Denver was one reason Kubiak didn't get the vacant head-coaching job in Dallas last winter.

Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak has emerged as the front-running candidate for the head coaching position at the University of Colorado, a move that could have significant impact on the availability of Chris Palmer as one of the lead candidates for the Ravens' coaching job.Palmer, the Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive coordinator, interviewed for the Ravens' job Tuesday and was in strong consideration for the same position at Northwestern University...

ANNAPOLIS -- For Jim Kubiak, it began with a feeling of hope nearly three years ago when, after just a year as starting quarterback at St. Francis High School in Athol Springs, N.Y., a recruiter from Connecticut was at his doorstep requesting his services."

Naval Academy graduate Jim Kubiak will be allowed to pursue his dream of playing professional football after reaching an unprecedented settlement with the Navy that will release him from the bulk of his Navy duties.Kubiak, who for the past year has sought a job with the Indianapolis Colts, sued the Navy in January. Rather than go to trial, the Navy reached an agreement with Kubiak two weeks ago. The five-page settlement was confirmed by Navy officials yesterday."I think the Navy decided it was a win-win situation," said Mary Pat Fleming, an assistant U.S. attorney who represented the Navy.

It was 11 months ago that Navy quarterback Jim Kubiak began what would become "the worst year of my life."In the third quarter of the season opener against Virginia, Kubiak tried to make a tackle after an interception, fell over another player and landed heavily on his right shoulder."

Derrick Mason played six seasons for the Ravens, and he also saw them just two weeks ago while he was with the New York Jets. That prompted the obvious question to Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak on whether the decision to acquire the veteran receiver Tuesday night was motivated partly by a desire to get more information on the Ravens, their opponent Sunday.   "Not at all. We're going through some issues right now as a football team," Kubiak said this morning on a conference call with Ravens reporters.

The Baltimore Ravens, rarely a sympathetic bunch, can at least empathize with their opponent on Sunday. The Houston Texans are expected to visit M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore without three starters. They also listed 18 players on their first official injury report of the week. Outside linebacker Mario Williams will sit out the remainder of the season after suffering a torn pectoral in the Texans' 25-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Fullback James Casey, who is nursing a strained pectoral, is described as being "day-to-day" by coachGary Kubiak.

Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak said five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson (right hamstring) is out for Sunday's contest against the Ravens. Speaking on a conference call with Baltimore media Wednesday morning, Kubiak mentioned Johnson's status while discussing the reasoning behind acquiring former Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason from the New York Jets Tuesday night. Kubiak said the timetable for Johnson's return is still undefined. “He's day-to-day,” Kubiak said.

While there is no timetable for the return of Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson, many reports have the five-time Pro Bowl selection at least missing Sunday's game against the Ravens and likely the Oct. 23 game against the Tennessee Titans. Johnson underwent surgery last week to repair his injured hamstring, which would suggest at least a few weeks on the shelf. But Houston coach Gary Kubiak wouldn't rule out Johnson during his weekly news conference Monday. “I don't know,” Kubiak said in comments distributed by the Texans.

Samari Rolle is expected to play in the Ravens' game against the Houston Texans on Sunday. What he can't predict is how his surgically repaired neck will hold up. Despite being limited in practice yesterday, Rolle said he hopes to play in Houston for the first time in seven weeks. But the 11th-year cornerback is understandably cautious about testing his neck and being susceptible to suffering even further damage. "Yes and no," Rolle said when asked whether he was looking forward to his first physical contact since suffering a bulging disc in his neck in the team's 28-10 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sept.

Boxing Dedicating fight to father, Laila Ali victorious in China Laila Ali, fighting where her father never did during his much-traveled career, proved a big hit, just like Muhammad Ali was wherever he boxed. "I did it for you, Dad," Ali said yesterday in Guangzhou, China, after stopping prison guard Kristina King in the fourth round. Ali brought the biggest name in boxing to town and was the undisputed star of a show that featured heavyweight Andrew Golota. Golota stopped Marcus Rhode in the third round -- almost knocking him out of the ring as Rhode went down for the fourth time.

ANNAPOLIS -- Just the prospect of dressing for his first varsity game was exciting enough for Navy quarterback Jim Kubiak. But, until just before yesterday's game against Air Force, he had no idea what the afternoon had in store for him.Based on an impressive two weeks of practice, coach George Chaump made the decision two hours before the game to start Kubiak. With the second-largest crowd in the history of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium looking on, Kubiak admitted being a little nervous.

BaseballAL: Named Red Sox 1B Brian Daubach Player of the Week.NL: Named Rockies OF Dante Bichette and Expos OF Vladimir Guerrero Players of the Week.Angels: Recalled P Jarrod Washburn from Triple-A Edmonton.Astros: Optioned IF Russ Johnson to Triple-A New Orleans.Expos: Recalled P Tony Armas Jr. from Double-A Harrisburg. Optioned P Shayne Bennett to Triple-A Ottawa.Giants: Optioned P Julian Tavarez to Triple-A Fresno. Recalled P Joe Nathan from Fresno.Indians: Transferred OF Jacob Cruz from 15-day to 60-day DL.Padres: Placed P Brian Boehringer on 15-day DL, retroactive to Aug. 14. Recalled P Stan Spencer from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Naval Academy graduate Jim Kubiak will be allowed to pursue his dream of playing professional football after reaching an unprecedented settlement with the Navy that will release him from the bulk of his Navy duties.Kubiak, who for the past year has sought a job with the Indianapolis Colts, sued the Navy in January. Rather than go to trial, the Navy reached an agreement with Kubiak two weeks ago. The five-page settlement was confirmed by Navy officials yesterday."I think the Navy decided it was a win-win situation," said Mary Pat Fleming, an assistant U.S. attorney who represented the Navy.