The Associated Press

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Dick LeBeau joined the Buffalo Bills as an assistant after being fired as coach of the Cincinnati Bengals at the end of last season.

He is scheduled to begin work Monday, team spokesman Scott Berchtold said Sunday.

LeBeau, a respected defensive strategist, will serve under coach Gregg Williams and work with defensive coordinator Jerry Gray. He will try to improve a defense that ranked 27th in points allowed, 29th in yards rushing per game and 32nd in takeaways last season.

The Bills made LeBeau an offer in January and created a new post to bring him in. The 65-year-old LeBeau has 44 years of NFL experience as a player and coach. He was fired in Cincinnati after going 12-33 overall over three years, including a franchise-worst 2-14 finish this past season.

He was defensive coordinator on two AFC championship teams - the 1988 Bengals and 1995 Steelers. He worked with Bills president Tom Donahoe when the two were in Pittsburgh in the mid-1990s. LeBeau has been credited for designing the zone-blitz defense in the 1980s.

The Bills, 8-8 this past year and last in the AFC East, already have begun addressing their defensive needs since the free agency period opened Feb. 28.

Along with signing former Houston Texans linebacker Jeff Posey, the Bills on Friday made an offer to Bengals linebacker Takeo Spikes. The Bengals have a week to match the offer or lose the player without compensation.

Sehorn fires back at Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Jason Sehorn says he was more than willing to take a pay cut to play again for the New York Giants.

The veteran cornerback was released Friday after nine seasons with the team. He was due to make $4.3 million next season and receive a $1 million roster bonus this month.

Sehorn and the Giants had talks about reducing his salary this season to $1 million, but the team refused to guarantee that he wouldn't be cut before training camp.

He also had offered to move to safety, with Will Peterson and Will Allen entrenched as the Giants' cornerbacks. Sehorn lost his starting job to Peterson last season.

"My opinion is that I must have worn out my welcome with some in the organization, as not everyone was as excited about the prospect of me playing safety as others were," Sehorn said in a letter to the "Giants family and fans" posted on his Web site (www.sehornscorner.org) .

"And quite frankly, some may not have appreciated my voice and opinion, or I'd still be wearing Giant Blue," he added. "Or perhaps it was strictly about money for them, as I was more than willing to take a significant pay cut. If that's the case, then I'm simply another cap casualty because I would have been cheaper to keep than let go."

Releasing Sehorn will cost the Giants $8 million against the salary cap this season, but he will be off the cap next year.

A former second-round draft pick out of Southern California in 1994, Sehorn transformed from an average safety into one of the league's top cover cornerbacks.

He had a combined 11 interceptions in 1996 and 1997, but his career took a downward turn when he seriously injured his right knee and missed the 1998 season.

Colts re-sign defensive lineman Scioli

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indianapolis Colts have re-signed defensive lineman Brad Scioli, the team announced Sunday.

The 6-3, 274-pound Scioli had his best season as a professional last year, recording career-highs with 76 tackles and seven sacks.

Phone messages left Sunday at the office of Scioli's agent, Brett Senior, were not returned.

Coles on verge of signing with Redskins

The Washington Redskins certainly like the Jets' roster, and they're about to sign another New York player, wide receiver Laveranues Coles.

The Redskins, who already have signed former Jets guard Randy Thomas and kicker John Hall as unrestricted free agents, also have an offer sheet pending with Jets kick returner Chad Morton. Now, they have their sights on Coles, who had a breakout 2002 season.

Coles, who said he was disappointed by the Jets' initial contract offer - believed to include a $6 million signing bonus - expects to receive the offer sheet from Washington on Monday. The Jets would have one week to match it.

ESPN.com reported Monday that the Redskins will offer a $13 million signing bonus. The deal would cover seven years for $35 million, though the salary cap hit for 2003 would be only $2.31 million.

Coles' agents, Eugene Parker and Roosevelt Barnes, could not be reached for comment.

In signing Coles, the Redskins would be forced to give up their first-round draft pick, 13th overall, if the Jets don't match the offer sheet. While New York has enough money under the salary cap - more than $5 million - it also must match the offer to Morton by Thursday.

The Redskins told Morton he would get an opportunity to play running back for them, and he signed a five-year, $8 million deal, with a $2.5 million signing bonus. New York would receive a fifth-round draft pick as compensation for Morton.

Coles, called the team MVP by coach Herman Edwards, developed rapidly in his third season - and first with Chad Pennington at quarterback. He had 89 receptions for 1,264 yards and five touchdowns, displaying skills on long passes and short ones, over the middle and on the outside.

"He has become very good," Edwards said. "Compare him to anyone. He gets the ball a whole lot, and that is important. He is a playmaker, he shows it every time and he wants the ball. The more you think he can do things, he does."

Pennington often admitted he meshed best with Coles, who broke into the NFL the same year as Pennington (2000).

"He's an inspiration to me and he keeps getting better," Pennington said. "He never gets down, he keeps focusing on what he needs to do for us to win."

Coles planned to play the 2003 season under the Jets' one-year tender offer of $1.3 million, making him a free agent next year. But the kind of money the Redskins are offering is similar to what Peerless Price got from Atlanta after he was traded there by Buffalo last week.

So far in the 11 days of free agency, the Redskins have signed 10 players and traded for one. They added running back Trung Canidate in a trade with St. Louis, and added through free agency guards Thomas, Dave Fiore, Tre Johnson and Lennie Friedman; quarterback Rob Johnson; defensive end Regan Upshaw; defensive tackle Brandon Noble; and Hall.

In addition to the offer sheet to Morton, they signed Green Bay safety Matt Bowen to an offer sheet.

Next up: Coles.

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