"  DAVIE, Fla. (AP) Safety Tyrell Johnson has signed a contract with the MiamiDolphins as a potential replacement for departed starter YeremiahBell.Johnson, a second-round draft pick by Minnesota in 2008, started15 games for the Vikings in 2009 but a total of only five over thepast two years. He had surgery in November to repair a torn righthamstring tendon and says he's 85-percent recovered.Last month, the Dolphins released Yeremiah Bell, a starter atsafety since 2006. They haven't ruled out re-signing him.The Dolphins also announced Thursday that they have re-signedreserve linebacker Austin Spitler."

"  NEW YORK (AP) SAVE THE DATE NFL preseason is a chance to get a first look at your 2012 team. Top 10 games The Super Bowl champion New York Giants will face Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets in Week 2 of the NFL preseason. The league released the full, 65-game exhibition schedule Wednesday, noting that all 12 playoff teams from last season will appear on national television this preseason. That includes Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning's Giants, of course, whose game against the visiting Chicago Bears on Aug. 24, at 8 p.m. ET, will be shown on CBS. Exact days and times for most games will be announced later. Manning's older brother Peyton gets his first chance to suit up wearing No. 18 for the Broncos in a Week 1 game, when Denver plays at Chicago sometime from Aug. 9-13. Peyton Manning, cut after 14 years with the Indianapolis Colts, could play against two teams that courted him in free agency, because the Broncos host the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3, and are at the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4. DRESSED UP Nike gets into the game as it launches a new line of NFL uniforms. In Week 3, the Colts, who are expected to take quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 overall choice in the draft, will be at the Washington Redskins, who are expected to take Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III with the second pick. The NFL already had announced the Aug. 5 preseason-opening Hall of Fame game will be between Arizona and the New Orleans Saints. The Saints and their head coach, Sean Payton, are in the process of appealing penalties for the bounty system the league said the team ran from 2009-11. The next week, the Saints will play at the New England Patriots. In the final preseason week, the Patriots will be at the Giants in a rematch of last season's Super Bowl, which New York won 21-17."

"  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Indianapolis Colts have signed free agent defensive tackleBrandon McKinney.In 61 career games with the San Diego Chargers (2006-07) andBaltimore Ravens (2008-11), the 6-2, 345-pound McKinney had 82tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.McKinney was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by theChargers in 2006. He was released in 2008 and was signed by theRavens four days later.McKinney was part of a Ravens defense that has ranked third inthe NFL in total defense over the last four seasons, allowing anaverage of 202.0 yards per game. During that time, Baltimore'sdefense also ranked second in the league in points per game allowed(16.3), second in total net yards allowed (292.3) and second inrushing yards allowed (90.3)."

  LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with formerIndianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons cornerback KelvinHayden.Hayden appeared in eight games for Atlanta last season beforegoing on injured reserve with an injury that the Falcons did notspecify. He spent six seasons in Indianapolis before that and waspart of the 2006 team that beat the Bears in the Super Bowl.He has appeared in 85 games and made 47 starts over sevenseasons, contributing 312 tackles and 11 interceptions.Hayden wasn't the only free agent cornerback the Bears landed onThursday. They agreed to a one-year contract with Jonathan Wilhite.He played in 15 games for Denver last season after spending hisfirst three in New England.

"  SAN DIEGO (AP) The San Diego Chargers have re-signed defensive end LuisCastillo to a one-year contract. He was released on March 5.Castillo broke his left leg in the 2011 season opener. He wasplaced on injured reserve on Dec. 8. This will be his eighthseason.The Chargers also signed former Tampa Bay wide receiver-kickreturner Michael Spurlock to a one-year contract. The Chargers willbe his fourth team.Spurlock is one of only two players in Tampa Bay history withboth a punt and kickoff return touchdown to his credit. He was thefirst Buccaneers player with two kickoff returns fortouchdowns."

"  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) When Rachel Bradshaw was a little girl, her father, Hall of Fame quarterback and part-time singer Terry Bradshaw, would pull out a guitar and employ the four chords he knew to sing Patsy Cline's ''Crazy'' with his daughter. SAVE THE DATE NFL preseason is a chance to get a first look at your 2012 team. Top 10 games Two decades later, father joined daughter Wednesday night at a dinner to celebrate her signing a record deal with Bigger Picture Group. The younger Bradshaw came to Nashville from her hometown of Dallas to go to Belmont University, but had an ulterior motive. ''My parents wanted me to be in college but I came here to find out everything about music and about songwriting, who do I talk to, how do I talk to them?'' said Bradshaw, daughter of the four-time Super Bowl champ and star of FOX NFL Sunday's pregame show since 1994. ''I spent a few years just meeting people and getting to know everybody I possibly could and I made friends and we'd start to write songs together.'' One of those friends was Jerrod Niemann. Bradshaw co-wrote his hit, the somber heartbreaker ''What Do You Want,'' sang backup on the song and played Niemann's former lover in the video. The 24-year-old country singer will soon begin recording her debut album with Keith Stegall, Bigger Picture's chairman and chief creative officer and a producer known for his work with Alan Jackson and Zac Brown Band. ARE YA READY? Get up to date on the latest NFL Draft info. Watch videos. Turns out she's not the only member of the family about to start work on new music. Terry Bradshaw, who signed a deal with Mercury Records in the mid-1970s at the height of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has released five albums with various labels and plans to begin work on a sixth soon. ''I'm doing a Christmas album with (producer) Jerry Crutchfield,'' Bradshaw said. ''Matter of fact I was on the phone before I came down trying to set up time. So I'm doing a Christmas album, you know totally out of my own pocket book, but I've always wanted to do a Christmas album. Always. I started one in LA, but it was horrible. Long story there ... .''"

"  DALLAS (AP) Former Dallas Cowboys special teams coach Joe Avezzano, whosewild sideline antics made him a fan favorite when the Cowboys wonthree Super Bowls in the 1990s, died Thursday. He was 68.Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple confirmed that Avezzano died inItaly. He had moved to Milan earlier this year to coach an ItalianFootball League team, the Milan Seamen. That team said on itswebsite that Avezzano died of a heart attack. Attempts toresuscitate Avezzano were unsuccessful, the team said.Avezzano had a 12-year run with the Cowboys and became a popularfigure in North Texas. He was the Cowboys' special teams coach from1990 to 2002, prowling the sidelines as the team won Super Bowls in1993, `94 and `96. Avezzano was named the NFL's special teams coachof the year three times.Known affectionately in the Dallas area as ''Coach Joe,'' hemaintained a high profile after he left the Cowboys when BillParcells was hired as head coach in 2003.''There are not many days that go by where we are not sharing alegendary Joe Avezzano story or using a trademark Joe Avezzanoexpression,'' Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. ''He was awonderful friend. We loved him very much, and he will be sorelymissed.''He spent two seasons as head coach of the Arena FootballLeague's Dallas Desperadoes, which were owned by the family ofCowboys owner Jerry Jones. He became a regular on Cowboys-relatedTV and radio shows in the Dallas market and opened a ''CoachJoe's'' restaurant in the area.''Joe Avezzano was a very special part of our Dallas Cowboysfamily and our organization's history,'' Jones said in a statementreleased by the team. ''No one enjoyed life more than Joe, and noone that I know had a greater appreciation for the people that heloved and the lives that he touched. There was no one else likehim.''Avezzano also coached special teams for the Oakland Raiders fortwo years under Norv Turner until Turner was fired after the 2005season. Avezzano and Turner were on the staff together inDallas.''Joe Avezzano was a great coach and a super guy,'' NFLspokesman Greg Aiello said. ''We are saddened by his loss.''In February, Avezzano took over the Seamen. Italians in Dallasthrew Avezzano a send-off party before he left, Dallas televisionstation WFAA reported.''I am the long lost heir to the throne,'' Avezzano joked,according to the station. ''They've been looking for me in Italyfor years. Now they've found me and I'm going back and I willreturn to Avezzano. And that's going to be part of mytravels.''---Associated Press Writer Frances D'Emilio in Rome contributed tothis report."

"  BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Joel Thompson gave up his Buffalo Bills season tickets two yearsago. Now he's back on the bandwagon.All it took to get Thompson to ''Bill-lieve,'' as fans put it inBuffalo, was a span of three days last month. That was the time ittook prized free-agent defensive end Mario Williams to arrive intown to negotiate and sign a whopping six-year, $100 millioncontract.''When Mario came in for a visit, I got together with the guys,and said, `All right, if this happens, if he signs, we'll goback,''' Thompson recalled Friday. ''And sure enough, that's whathappened.''The day Williams signed, Thompson sent an e-mail to his formerBills ticket representative to lock up six season tickets. And thepurchase was completed a week later.''This looked legit,'' said Thompson, who had previously heldseason tickets for eight seasons - from 2002-09 - in which theBills failed to make the playoffs. ''Adding Mario, I thought,`Maybe this team can win sooner than later.'''Thompson is not the only one buying in.The Bills' offseason spending spree - they also signedfree-agent defensive end Mark Anderson and re-signed top receiverStevie Johnson - is already paying off.CEO Russ Brandon said the team has already sold 4,320 newseason-ticket packages, and added that renewal orders are coming inat the fastest pace in 15 years.Brandon credits the spike to the team's offseason splashes and agrowing optimism around town that the Bills just might be turningthe corner after missing the playoffs for 13 consecutive seasons -the NFL's longest active postseason drought.''With the additional signings, it certainly was a huge boost,''Brandon said, before also crediting the work of general managerBuddy Nix and coach Chan Gailey. ''And one of the things that'sreally resonated is that people feel the team is headed in theright direction under the guidance of Buddy and Chan. ... Peopleseem very pleased that the arrow's pointed up.''Nix and Gailey are entering their third seasons on the job. TheBills are coming off a 6-10 finish in which they got off to asurprising 5-2 start before losing eight of nine.The surge in sales comes a year after the Bills sold 37,355season tickets, the team's lowest total since 2001 and about 7,000fewer than the previous year. The Bills also failed to sell outtheir final three games last season.Part of the blame for the drop fell on the NFL lockout, whichwiped out much of the offseason, the prime time for teams togenerate ticket sales.This offseason, the Bills have made it a priority to increasesales. Buffalo already has one of the NFL's lowest average ticketprices at about $53. Aside from not raising ticket prices thisseason, the Bills also dropped prices in two separate sections -including a family section - of Ralph Wilson Stadium to spursales.Brandon won't make projections, but considers 50,000 seasontickets as a realistic goal for the market.Sales and free-agent signings are one thing. For Brandon and theBills, the next step is to prove they're capable of winning on thefield.''Yeah, we're in a prove-it business,'' Brandon said. ''Wecontinue to work as an organization in order to get back to wherewe need to be.''Thompson is upbeat about the Bills, though wary because he'sbeen disappointed before. The first time Thompson and his friendspurchased season tickets was in the spring of 2002, days afterBuffalo acquired quarterback Drew Bledsoe in a trade with NewEngland.Bledsoe lasted three seasons with the Bills before beingcut.''Obviously, we're a bit prone to impulse, perhaps,'' Thompsonsaid. ''But the thing for me is this team doesn't seem like it'sfar off from being good.''"

"  HOUSTON (AP) The Houston Texans have re-signed free agent safety QuintinDemps.The 5-foot-11, 206-pound Demps had a career year with Houstonlast season with 22 tackles, two interceptions and two passesdefended in nine games. He also returned five kickoffs for 169yards (33.8 average), including a 50-yarder against Carolina, thelongest by a Texans player last season.The fifth-year veteran originally signed with Houston inDecember 2010. Demps was a fourth-round draft pick out of UTEP bythe Philadelphia Eagles in 2008. He has 34 career tackles, one sackand three interceptions, and 63 kickoff returns for 1,638 yards(26.0 average) and one touchdown."

"  COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson was sentenced Thursday to 15 days in jail and three years' probation on a drug-related charge. ARE YA READY? Get up to date on the latest NFL Draft info. Watch videos. A judge in Covington reduced the jail time from the 60 days recommended by prosecutors in their plea agreement with Simpson, now an unrestricted free agent after four seasons with the Bengals. Simpson pleaded guilty March 1 to the felony charge resulting from about 2 pounds of marijuana shipped to his northern Kentucky home in September. He was indicted on a felony charge of marijuana trafficking, but the plea agreement changed the charge to a prohibited act relating to controlled substances, also a felony. Simpson, clad in a dark suit, took the stand briefly and apologized to his family, the community and his team. ''I take full responsibility for my actions,'' he said. He also told the judge that he thinks that ''because of this I am a better person.'' Simpson told the judge that he would try through community service to help others not to make the same mistake. Several people testified at the hearing on his behalf, including his agent and a woman who works with him as a volunteer at a church in Covington that feeds the homeless and needy. They praised Simpson for his community service, a point that the judge noted in his remarks before sentencing. Judge Gregory Bartlett of Kenton County Circuit Court said that he was impressed with the testimony and letters sent to him on Simpson's behalf. He said Simpson appears to be ''a good person'' who made a ''serious lapse in judgment.'' But despite the community service Simpson was doing long before he was charged, he still committed a felony, the judge said. `We can't ignore that,'' the judge said. Both the prosecutor and the judge said that they don't believe Simpson was trafficking in marijuana but that it was for the use of him and probably his friends. ''I don't think that Mr. Simpson was selling drugs on the street,'' said Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders, who added that was satisfied with the sentence, noting that Simpson had no prior criminal record. The judge agreed to the defense request to allow Simpson to wait until 6 p.m. to turn himself in at the jail. Simpson also will have to serve 200 hours of community service, undergo drug testing and pay a $7,500 fine plus court costs. He had been under investigation since agents from California tracked the package shipped to his home. They said it contained 2 1/2 pounds of marijuana. Authorities said a search of Simpson's home turned up one more pound of marijuana. Simpson did not comment after the hearing. His attorney, Burr Travis said that they were disappointed that he got any jail time at all, ''but that was the judge's call.'' ''It's fair overall,'' Travis said. Simpson was a second-round draft pick from Coastal Carolina. He caught 53 passes for 758 yards and four touchdowns last season. A heels-over-head flip over a defender to score a touchdown became a staple of NFL highlight films. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, who sent a letter in support of Simpson to the judge, said last month that the team is open to offering Simpson another contract despite his legal problems. The Bengals said in a statement after the hearing that they believe Simpson ''has, and will continue to, deal accountably with the consequences of his actions. ''Jerome is presently a free agent, and the Club will continue to review his status,'' the Bengals said. Simpson's attorney and agent say he faces discipline from the NFL that could include suspension from multiple games for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Some of Simpson's teammates, including Adam ''Pacman'' Jones attended the hearing. Along with Simpson, Jones is one of four Bengals either arrested or indicted since last July. The others were linebacker Rey Maualuga and running back Cedric Benson."