According to a New York Post report, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf has contacted Bill Parcells about running the team.

Parcells, 71, has had talks with the Saints about coming out of retirement to coach the team for a year while Sean Payton serves his suspension. According to the Post, Parcells told the Saints that Wilf offered the former Patriots coach to “name his price” to oversee Minnesota’s football operations and run the team.

The Vikings were 3-13 last season under Leslie Frazier, who replaced Brad Childress in 2010.

Parcells has a 172-130-1 record in 19 seasons with the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys. He won two Super Bowl titles with the Giants and got the Patriots to the title game once. He last coached in 2006 with the Cowboys. He served as executive vice president of football operation for the Dolphins from 2008-10.

Bill Parcells is no longer working for the Dolphins, team spokesman Harvey Greene said Thursday.

“He’s not associated with the team anymore in any official capacity,” Greene said.

Parcells turned control of the Dolphins’ football operations over to general manager Jeff Ireland before last season, but he still served as a consultant to the team during the season.

Parcells will tape a 90-minute special about the inner workings of the NFL draft for ESPN next month. Parcells worked as a studio analyst for ESPN in 2001-02 and 2007, but the network said the special “is all that’s planned at this time” for Parcells.

Welcome to Friday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY FRIDAY:
NBA: Jazz at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI)

SATURDAY:
NHL: Bruins at Avalanche, 3 p.m. (NESN)
NBA: Celtics at Wizards, 7 p.m. (CSNNE; WEEI)

SUNDAY:
No games scheduled

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said his feelings were hurt by criticism from new Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks last month, but Guillen admitted that his son Oney crossed the line when he tweeted details of a meeting in the manager’s office with Jenks. Jenks had criticized his former manager’s handling of the pitching staff, and Oney Guillen responded by suggesting Jenks had problems with his drinking and marriage, and that Jenks cried in a meeting in the manager’s office.

“When Oney [tweeted] that, the only thing I was upset about [was] clubhouse stuff,” Guillen said Thursday at U.S. Cellular Field. “He grew up in baseball, and he knows the clubhouse stuff — whatever happens in there, everybody knows. … In the past, our clubhouse was a temple. Now you can do what you to do and people find out what happened in the clubhouse. That’s not the first time it happened.”

Added Guillen: “That’s the only thing I regret, when he [tweeted] about Bobby crying in the clubhouse.”

♦ In The Palm Beach Post, Greg Stoda takes Bills Parcells to task for his performance leading the Dolphins and suggests the team will be better off with him out of the way.

♦ With the frustrated Nets pulling out of the Carmelo Anthony trade talks, Kelly Dwyer at Ball Don’t Lie writes that the Nuggets appear to have made a costly mistake. At The Denver Post, Dave Krieger writes that the Melodrama needs an ending. In the New York Post, Marc Berman writes that the Knicks’ four-game losing streak may spur them into making a bigger push for Anthony.

♦ Lakers star Kobe Bryant will become the first athlete to have a hand and foot print ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The ceremony will be held Feb. 19, the day before the All-Star Game at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Jan. 21, 1993, Bill Parcells was named coach of the Patriots. Who did he replace?

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With Sunday’s Patriots-Jets matchup sure to add a new chapter to the storied rivalry, we take a look back at some of the players and coaches who have played starring roles in the rivalry. Although the rivalry dates back to 1960, it has really taken off in terms of bitterness over the last 15 years. And Rex Ryan and Antonio Cromartie have made it clear that it is not going away any time soon. Here are the top 10 most notable figures of the Pats-Jets rivalry.

10. Pete Carroll

Carroll cracks this list mostly because he is one of just two people who have served as head coach on both sides of the rivalry. His first NFL head coaching job came with the Jets in 1994, but he ended the season with five straight losses to finish 6-10, resulting in him being fired after just one year. He took over the reigns in New England in 1997 and led the Pats to the AFC East title over the Jets and new coach Bill Parcells. Carroll lasted just three years in Foxboro, though, as he was fired after a late-season slide in 1999 and replaced by Bill Belichick.

9. Danny Woodhead

Woodhead started the 2009 season on the Jets’ practice squad before ultimately dressing in 10 games and registering 151 total yards. His fight to make the 2010 team was featured prominently on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” but he ended up getting cut after Week 1. The Pats signed him before their Week 2 meeting with the Jets and Woodhead went on to become a key cog in the Pats offense, amassing 926 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns. Rex Ryan recently made the somewhat controversial claim that Woodhead “was in football because of the New York Jets. We kept him around for two years.” Regardless, the Pats are happy to have him, as is Modell’s.

8. Curtis Martin

Martin began his career with three straight 1,000-yard seasons and two Pro Bowls for the Pats, but after the 1997 season, he became a Jet when the Pats did not match a six-year, $36 million offer sheet. Martin churned out seven more 1,000-yard seasons and appeared in three more Pro Bowls with the Jets. The Pats have had just four 1,000-yard rushing seasons since losing Martin, but they also have won three Super Bowls.

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Jed York, president of the 49ers, intends to contact Dolphins consultant Bill Parcells about his feelings concerning where the team is headed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Parcells, according to ESPN, will also be asked about his opinion on current 49ers vice president of player personnel Trent Baalke, who was hired by Parcells while with the Jets.

After firing coach Mike Singletary following the 49ers’ loss on Sunday to the Rams, the team is in search of a new coach for the 2011 season. The 49ers are also seeking a general manager, but have started the interview process with Tony Softli, a former Panthers and Rams personnel man.

This season will mark the eighth straight season in which the 49ers have missed the playoffs. The new GM for San Francisco will choose the successor for Singletary at the coaching position. Notable names mentioned in talks to fill the vacancy at head coach include current ESPN analyst Jon Gruden along with Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.

Welcome to Tuesday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY TUESDAY:
No games scheduled

AROUND THE WEB:

♦ Giants coach Tom Coughlin dealt with the Giants’ disastrous loss to the Eagles on Sunday in his own way. At Monday’s press conference, he told reporters: “What did I do? I sat in a room with the lights out for about two and a half hours. It’s not funny. It’s not the way it’s supposed to be.” Coughlin said he is moving forward with punter Matt Dodge, despite berating him on the field for not kicking the ball out of bounds as instructed on the game-winning touchdown that completed a fourth-quarter meltdown. Dodge received the support of his teammates, and normally reserved quarterback Eli Manning attempted to rally the troops by calling a team meeting.

♦ With the Dolphins eliminated from the playoffs, Greg Stoda of The Palm Beach Post writes that Bill Parcells deserves the blame for the mediocre season.

♦ Darren Rovell at CNBC’s Sports Biz writes that colleges need to stand up to bowl organizers and say no to the ticket arrangements that force them to shell out big bucks whether or not the seats are filled. He uses UConn as an example of a team that will lose at least $2.5 million for its Fiesta Bowl appearance.

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Dec. 21, 1937, which legendary Bruins goalie became the first in NHL history to surrender a goal to his brother?

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For Patriots and Jets fans, Monday night can’t come soon enough. With the two teams tied for the best record in the NFL  at 9-2, the Monday Night Football tilt between the AFC East rivals could decide which team gets home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and which team ends up as a wild card.

With so much attention being paid to this game, we started thinking about some of the other memorable moments in the rivalry. Over the past 15 years, there have been major personnel switching places, career-changing injuries that reshaped the faces of the franchises, and claims of cheating between the two teams. Here are 10 memorable moments in the rivalry.

10. Sept. 20, 2009: Rex Ryan enters the rivalry

The outspoken coach of the Jets has not backed away from any challenge. When hired by New York last year, he said: “I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings.” Ryan backed it up in the teams’ first meeting as the Jets won 16-9, their first home victory over the Patriots since 2000. Mark Sanchez outplayed Tom Brady, throwing the only touchdown of the game without turning the ball over. While the Jets won the game, the Patriots would go on to win the second meeting in 2009 and capture the AFC East.

9. Oct. 24, 2004: Pats beat Jets in matchup of unbeatens

The Patriots and Jets both entered the Week 7 matchup at 5-0, the first time two undefeated teams had met that late in the season since 1973. In a defensive showdown, the Patriots scored the only touchdown of the game with 11 seconds left in the first half and fought to hold off the Jets. With 2:14 left and the Jets trailing 13-7, New York decided to go for it on fourth-and-8 from the Patriots’ 30. Chad Pennington’s pass was broken up by Rodney Harrison, giving the Patriots the NFL’s regular-season record for wins with 18 (the Pats broke their own record four years later with 21 in a row).

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After giving up control of football operations to general manager Jeff Ireland shortly before the beginning of the 2010 NFL season, Bill Parcells has once again reduced his role with the team. Parcells cleared out his office and will no longer be working at the Dolphins team complex. However, the Dolphins say Parcells will continue as a consultant to Ireland and coach Tony Sparano.

“Whether he is physically here or not is really immaterial to the contributions that he will make on an ongoing basis,” Dolphins chief executive officer Mike Dee said Tuesday. “From the football operations point of view, it really is business as usual. Nothing has really changed.”

The Miami Herald is reporting that Parcells is referring to the situation as a “leave of absence” and that he plans to eventually come back to the Dolphins in some capacity. He has no intention of taking his services to another franchise at this time. Dee denied that the leave had anything to do with a rift or other issues between Parcells, owner Stephen Ross, Ireland and/or Sparano.

The Patriots take on the Saints Thursday in a matchup between arguably the greatest NFL franchise of the last decade and the reigning Super Bowl champions. Too bad very few of the stars from either of those teams will actually spend much time on the field, as second- and third-stringers will account for most of the downs played in this preseason game.

Ah yes, the hotly debated NFL preseason is upon us. There is a current movement afoot to shorten the preseason. However, that would devoid football fans of some great moments surrounding the NFL’s version of spring training. As this list of the greatest Patriots preseason moments will prove, there’s the good (opening of new stadiums, team debuts), the bad (horrible, sometimes career-ending injuries) and the down-right entertaining (players trying out new roles).

10. Flutie tries out as punt returner

Any individual who has ever seen Doug Flutie play the game of football, and there are many given the popularity of the “Hail Mary,” knows that he’s a highly entertaining player to watch on the gridiron. The Patriots were trying to find a way to get Flutie on the field when they tried the Heisman-winning quarterback as a punt returner during a game against the Bengals on Aug. 26, 1988. Those in attendance might remember the Boston College product muffing the only punt that came his way. Obviously, the role never stuck, and neither did Flutie in New England. He headed to Canada after the 1989 season.

9. Pats play Cowboys in Mexico City

The Patriots and Cowboys played in front of what was the second-largest crowd in NFL history at the time when the teams took the field on Aug. 17, 1998, in Mexico City for a preseason game that was called the American Bowl. One more time, the second-largest crowd in NFL history for a preseason game. That means it was pretty memorable to the 106,424 individuals in attendance at Azteca Stadium, but for those Pats fans at home, it was just another preseason game as the hometown team beat the ‘Boys, 21-3.

Drew Bledsoe made his debut along with Bill Parcells in 1993, but neither could save the team from a 5-11 season. (AP)

8. Parcells, Bledsoe make debut

Two of the biggest figures in Patriots history — Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells — made their debut on Aug. 7, 1993, in a preseason game in San Diego. Parcells had just come out of retirement to coach the Pats, and Bledsoe was playing in his first NFL game after being drafted first overall out of Washington State. Sounds like it would be a pretty memorable affair, right? Well, the game, a 13-7 loss to the Chargers, was rather forgettable. Bledsoe went on to win the starting gig out of the preseason, but the Patriots suffered through a 5-11 record in the regular season.

7. First game at Schaefer, Plunkett’s first home game with Pats

The Patriots finally moved out of Boston for good in 1971 and moved into what was then called Schaefer Stadium in Foxboro. (It was later changed to Sullivan Stadium and eventually Foxboro Stadium.) In the building’s debut on Aug. 15, 1971, a whopping 60,423 fans showed up not only to see the new digs but also first-overall pick Jim Plunkett. Some fans might remember concerns about the stadium’s plumbing leading up to its opener.

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There seems to be a great deal of mutual interest between Scott Pioli and the Cleveland Browns, concerning their vacant general manager’s position. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports that Pioli is very interested in the gig while there could be an intriguing third party entering the picture. Should Pioli stay in New England or head to Kansas City or Detroit, Bill Parcells could quickly enter the picture since he has a lucrative buyout clause in Miami if owner Wayne Huizenga sells his interest in the team and he is said to be considering selling the Fins within the next two months. Meanwhile, the Browns are interested in northeast Ohio native and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to replace Romeo Crennel, who could stay on as defensive coordinator. Browns owner Randy Lerner fired G.M. Phil Savage over the weekend while Crennel was fired as head coach on Monday. The Browns are also interested in axed Jets head coach Eric Mangini. Besides being the single individual who could overhaul the Cleveland Browns with an injection of New England Patriots personnel, who is Randy Lerner?