Capers to Be Expansion Coach Again

Former Carolina Panther coach Dom Capers agreed in principle Friday to direct the expansion Houston Texans.

“Discussions are progressing very well,” Texan owner Bob McNair said. “We have reached agreement on the financial terms but there are other terms still being negotiated.”

McNair said Capers agreed to a six-year contract.

The team owner also said he was so convinced the hiring would become official that the team scheduled a Sunday news conference to announce the signing.

“I’m extremely excited about the opportunity,” Capers said by telephone during a news conference called by McNair late Friday.

The Houston job will be Capers’ second shot at directing an NFL team from scratch.

He was the first coach in Panthers’ history and led them to the NFC title game in 1996, only the team’s second year. The performance, including a 13-5 record, earned him NFL Coach of the Year honors.

Capers, 50, was fired after the 1998 season when the Panthers slipped to 4-12, then was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars as defensive coordinator.

The Texans begin play in 2002.

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New York Giant defensive coordinator John Fox will interview for the Buffalo Bills’ head coaching job.

Fox received permission from the Giants to meet with the Bills after the Super Bowl, an NFL source said on the condition of anonymity.

Giant General Manager Ernie Accorsi refused to comment. Giant Coach Jim Fassel has refused to let his assistant coaches talk to the media except after games.

Buffalo General Manager Tom Donahoe was not immediately available for comment.

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Chris Palmer, fired as Cleveland’s head coach after two losing seasons, said he would like to become the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator.

Palmer interviewed with Coach Dick LeBeau and General Manager Mike Brown for the coordinator’s job, which opened when the club demoted Ken Anderson to quarterbacks coach.

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Minnesota Viking Coach Dennis Green made changes to his defensive staff for the second consecutive season by firing two coaches, moving two and reassigning another.

The team announced that outside linebackers coach John Fontes and defensive line coach Fred von Appen were let go. Defensive backs coach Richard Solomon will shift to inside linebackers in place of Trent Walters, who was reassigned to defensive assistant.

Former Kansas City Chief assistant Willie Shaw will become the new defensive backs coach and defensive assistant Chuck Knox Jr. will coach the outside linebackers.

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Miami linebacker Zach Thomas and Oakland offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy were among four players added to the NFL’s Pro Bowl rosters.

Thomas and Kennedy were added to the AFC team, and linebackers Brian Urlacher of Chicago and Mark Fields of New Orleans were put on the NFC roster for the Feb. 4 game in Honolulu.

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Cincinnati Bengal running back Corey Dillon, scheduled to go to trial Monday in Federal Way, Wash., on a domestic violence charge, has instead agreed to contribute $750 to a women’s shelter and undergo a certified treatment program. . . . Viking wide receiver Troy Walters was fined $5,000 by the league for hitting Giant defensive back Ramos McDonald in the head during the NFC championship game.